5 Effective Tips on How to Pass The Board Exam in One Take

updated on APRIL 30, 2020 by MATT

How to pass the board exam? Here are 5 simple yet effective tips on how you can pass
the PRC exam. It was also one of the questions I had in mind when I took the licensure
exam for engineers way back some years ago. I am proud to say that I passed it on the
first take.

Salary wise, passing the board exams is really an advantage because you can receive a
slightly higher salary offer as compared to other applicants who do not have a license.
For an accountancy graduate, you can apply for a job that does not require a CPA
license but then your privileges are on hold.

For teachers, I think in order to apply for a job you also really have to pass the Licensure
Exam for Teachers ( LET ). For medical courses (Doctors, Nurse, Physical Therapy,
MedTech) having a valid PRC license is really a big deal. As far as I know, you cannot
practice your profession without your license so you really have to pass the licensure
examination.

Here are my tips on how to pass the board exam? The five simple things I did to pass
the board exam including tricks and prayers as follows:

Top 5 Tips I did to pass the PRC Board / Licensure Exam

1. First thing I did to pass the board exam is to attend a review center course
At school, most of the time our professors would teach us about solving problems based
on what the book says, but in the review class, you would learn almost every technique
to reduce time in solving a particular problem. They would also derive every formula in
the book so you can better understand where are all those formulas are coming from.
Also, the instructors in the review center would give you tips about the trend of
questions during the actual exam.

I would suggest that you choose a review center that is already in the field for so many
years because they are most experienced.

Invest in review materials, purchase additional review books if you must.

Just a reminder, do not rely much on review centers ok? Make sure that you have
enough stock knowledge that you have acquired during your undergraduate years
before enrolling in review centers. The reason is they can only help you so much. You
still have to do most of the work after the review class has ended.

2. I attend a refresher course (optional)

In this course, simulations of the actual exam are being done. So I answered the
questions the best that I could. I focused and took it seriously because I’ll never know if
those questions will appear on the real board exam. During the review, I don’t
overwork myself. I don’t stay up late at night, it would affect my ability to memorize
formulas and terms.

If you want to attend the refresher course but can’t due to financial constraints, you can
borrow questionnaires from your batchmates / friends who attend the refresher course.
Just photocopy it and return it to them. I am pretty sure, they are more than willing to
help you. Always remember that you guys are not competing with each other as you
are all chasing the same dream – to pass the board exam.

3. What I did religiously to pass the board exam

Prayers can move mountains. I prayed all the time, believing and trusting Him. As the
verse in bible says “And all things you ask in prayer, believe and you shall receive.”
Matthew 21:22. I once bring my calculator and pencil and have it blessed by holy water.

As the saying goes: “Do your best and GOD will do the rest,” is still applicable these
days. Pray for guidance but you should also study hard. You still need to exert effort to
memorize formulas and solve problems.

4. Review at Home

Of course, most of the time you will be staying at home, so review. Make a study
schedule and follow it so you can still maintain a balanced life while preparing for the
board exam. Remove all destruction while reviewing; mobile phones, Facebook,
Twitter, DOTA, and everything that will let you lose your focus. When you have focus,
there is momentum, you became better in solving problems, in decision making, and
there will be clarity.

Do some physical activities such as exercise, you don’t need to go to the gym. You can
do some jumping jacks, chair pushups, jogging in place, and situps. It can help reduce
stress, maintain good blood circulation, and focus.
5. One Day before the board exam
I visited the location of the school where the licensure exam will be held so that during
the exam I won’t be rushing looking for the place. Knowing the place helped me feel
very prepared on that day.

During the Board Exam, I woke up early and I arrived at the place 30 minutes before the
exam time. I also wore comfortable clothes.

The exam would last for about 8 hours per day, so I brought Gatorade and mammon
just to keep my stomach alive and kicking. I did not eat a heavy meal in breaks during
the exam as it can make me sleepy and my focus will be lessened. I did it for 3
consecutive days.

Before I start the test, I prayed that all of the questions listed on the board exam were
those I reviewed. The reason is I know that I did not come to the exam without
knowledge. I know that I am prepared but the exam covers so many topics. I practically
do not know what questions will be picked to put in the exam papers by the guys from
PRC. Besides, there is nothing to lose but more to gain when we pray.

6. Bonus: Words of Wisdom from a Take One Board Exam Passer

Don’t show up in the exam venue unprepared, do not come without studying. You
have enough time and a number of months to prepare prior to that big day so don’t
waste it.

Let me remind the exam takers to always follow instructions in answering the test
papers. Use your time well and don’t be overconfident. I mean don’t count your
perceived correct answers and mistakes. Just answer the questions to the best of your
knowledge.

Board exam questions are tricky, you should take note of the details especially decimal
differences given in the multiple choice. Double check your answer as much as possible.

Also, don’t tell your co-examinees that the exam is easy to try to look smart because it
can backfire sometimes especially when the results are out and you can’t see your name
on it (hehehe). I know people who think that way, yet their names did not appear on the
list out of the thousands of board passers.
If you think the PRC licensure exam is easy, keep it to your self for the time being. Be
humble until when the list of passers is out and your name is included in the list. Then
that is the time to brag about it (with grin smile) hahaha. After all, you are the one who
did all the hard work to make it happen.

If somehow you didn’t make it on your first take, don’t be discouraged, after six months
re-take the exam. Never quit, study harder, and also pray harder. Allow me to share
this quote to you:

“There are no failures, only quitters. – Russell Simmons”