Working with executive functions was always one of my favorite areas to work in the schools and clinics. I've pulled that knowledge and put it into a new context to help you figure out how to improve your study habits. 

Here are some helpful tips so that you study better & study smarter... strengthening your attention, memory and cognition in the process.

1. Setup and Designate a Study Space: Find a space you can deem your “study zone” and create a routine of studying here. When setting up your study space, remove any potential distractions from the nearby environment. Having a designated space will make task initiation much easier. Get those study gears going!
2. Think About Your Senses: When you think about what gets you in the right mindset, A.K.A. “total study mode,” think about the five senses. This is a guided approach to using self-awareness. SIGHT: What visually helps you get into study mindset (cue the designated study space we just talked about!). HEARING: Is there a sound that helps your focus (for example, white noise or maybe no noise)? SMELL: What about a smell or scent… lemon and rosemary are two scents that can boost focus. (For me, it was mint or cinnamon). TOUCH: like a weighted lap blanket or fidget in your hand. And TASTE… maybe it’s a pack of gum or candy that’s in your study snacks.
3. Create a Study Plan: Planning & Prioritizing… Chunking & Organizing. Creating achievable study steps is going to help you stay on task, stay focused and feel successful. Integrate your study plan into whatever central calendar you use, whether it’s on your phone or a planner. Pencil in your study steps so you get to cross them out later. If you want help creating a study plan that works for you, this is one of my most requested services where we work together in coming up with an individualized study plan.
4. When you have a distracting thought, Catch it & Write it Down: but why? This is a way to acknowledge the distracting thought, put it in a “holding place” and tend to it later when you can let your brain wander. Having that holding place takes some pressure off your working memory. It also serves as a redirect and a reminder for your working memory to focus on the task at hand.
5. Take frequent breaks: Your brain needs a break, and breaks actually help stuff sink into memory. If your body needs a movement break, get up and take a quick walk or do some stretches. Be strict about your break time, and be sure to return to your study space. Using a timer is a good idea for managing break time.
6. Decide what your reward is before you start studying: Pick something that you will do or have once you’re finished your study step for the day. This is going to help you return from those frequent breaks, as you need to work towards your end goal and reward. Rewards help facilitate some emotional control during the process.
7. Figure out your best note-taking ability: What helps you remember information the most: rewriting words and sentences, drawing visuals and pictures, listing bullet-points, or rehearsing out loud? Prioritize a study technique that helps you retain information. And, sometimes multi-modal learning is the best way to learn using all of these modalities. (PS if you’re looking to really improve your note taking and study habits, let’s connect!)
8. Get a consistent sleep schedule: Sleep is crucial for the brain to rest, replenish and rejuvenate.
9. Get some exercise and physical activity: Even if it’s ten minutes of stretching. Exercises connecting the right and left sides of the body simultaneously facilitate cross-over and brain connections. Have you heard of brain gym?
10. Lastly, consider testing accommodations: If you are a test-taker with a disability or health-related need, you can look into applying for testing accommodations. There are requirements to be met and an application approval process. P.S. Part of my graduate assistantship was in the testing center for disabilities, so I’m familiar with testing accommodations and the benefit they can provide students with disabilities and health-related needs.

I hope you found this read helpful and can pinpoint some of these tips that would be most helpful for you in your study planning.

〰️ Stay tuned for something on flexible thinking 〰️ and how to introduce flexibility into your study planning!

Part of becoming strategic is tuning in and learning more about your study habits and what works best to keep the motivation going. Let's face it... studying can be the last thing we want to do after getting through a week of work, school, kids, and whatever responsibilities are on your plate. Read on to figure out how to stay motivated in studying for the praxis... and think about if you are influenced more by intrinsic motivators or extrinsic motivators. 

10 ways to boost your study motivation:

1. PAIR IT: Pair studying with something you enjoy — sipping coffee, soaking in the tub, running on the treadmill… This way you have something other than studying to look forward to!

2. NEW MENU TREATS — Real talk: I used to get a new tea and pastry every time I went to the coffee house on a Friday night to study, because, let’s face it… no one wants to study on a Friday night. The little treat persuaded me enough to pack up my books and head into the coffee shop every Friday night. 

3. SUPPLIES: Treat yourself to some new supplies. Get that nice pen and special notebook. This is a low cost investment for a big outcome. Spoiler: Hand writing needs to be a big part of your studying.  It helps to retain information; it's a proven fact!

4. ENVIRONMENT: Change up the environment… What space puts you in the right mindset for focusing? Can you get things done in your house, or should you hit up the library? Maybe it's  incorporating a scent into your space… Lemon and rosemary were two scents that helped my  focus and mental stability!

5. DOODLE: Tap into your creative side and doodle in those margins... Small minute breaks!  For every hour you study, take a five minute doodle break. Or every two hours, take a ten minute break. Screen-free breaks to help replenish!

6. PLAN: You'll feel organized and accountable when you create a study plan.  Dividing studying into smaller, achievable study steps will naturally have a positive affect on your behavior and influence you to keep moving forward in your study plan. There's no better feeling than scratching that study step off the list...check!

7. SLEEP: Get sleep! You can’t spell sleep without SLP. Sleep is the brain’s resource for processing and storing information. While we're at it, take rest days, too. Your study plan needs break days. Fill up that R&R cup!

8. PERSONAL INTERESTS: (cue the intrinsic motivators) When you find yourself dragging your feet, choose a subject area that interests you. The only "bad" studying is the studying that doesn't happen.

9. TIME: Think of the long-term investment here. If you don't give it your best, honest effort, you risk having to invest more time, more money and more energy in continued testing attempts. 

10. PERSONAL GOAL: Here's your chance to go back to those subject areas that stumped you in grad school, dive deeper and develop your understanding. You'll come out of this more well-rounded and may even discover an area of the field you want to reconnect with! 

>>> So, what motivates you more: extrinsic motivators like new pens and coffee treats, or intrinsic motivators like personal investment and interests?

TLDR: avoid spending too much time doing practice questions... that's a backwards approach. You first have to study, and be sure to use active studying! (More on that in my courses!)

Organizing your materials is one of the first steps when preparing for the praxis. Using different types of materials will make studying interactive and engaging, and you'll better remember the information. 

Here are some materials that I recommend incorporating into your studying:

• SLP Praxis Test Prep Online Courses - If you want the info neatly organized and bundled and a kickstart of motivation to guide you, check out my online courses, which include readings, narration, tutorials, videos, some practice questions, guidance on how to use test-taking strategies, downloads, guided notesheets and memory aids. Phew! I know that was alot, and that's because so much research and work is behind the development of the courses. Some of them have free previews, so be sure to check it out. 
• Live Tutoring Sessions - Look for a SLP tutor! You can ask about my live 1:1 sessions where we go further into your specific breakdowns, answer your questions, explain and discuss concepts in depth. These sessions can be really helpful if you're an auditory learner and learn from hearing things explained. Having sessions on the calendar also gives a boost of accountability! 
• Flashcards - I highly recommend making them yourself, because you will remember the information better when you hand write it... it's a proven fact. 
• Visuals & charts - diagrams, too! Any kind of visual representation of the information will cater to visual learning abilities. Take time to recreate these yourself...even if it's a much simpler, unpolished version... just scribble it down already!
• Books & notes from your graduate courses and clinical experiences, including any textbooks or review books
• Videos - a highly interactive way to review information and better conceptualize the concepts. 
• A friend - someone you can explain concepts to, think out loud with and another brain to bounce ideas off... especially if you're an audio learner (warning: don't get off topic during study groups! It's tempting)
• Quizlet - an interactive website for flashcards, search SLP praxis and a bunch will come up. Caution though about constantly doing questions and testing yourself... be sure to balance flashcards with studying.  More time studying, less time doing questions. 
• Practice quizzes & tests - these are good to familiarize with the format of questions and answers and learn how to work through them. Practice your timing and ability to pick the right answer. But if you're getting several questions wrong, you need to change up your approach. Less time doing questions, more time studying.

What materials will you use to study? Start gathering them up!

​This question pops up in almost every conversation I have with a SLP test-taker.

And, there's not always a ton of guidance given here. So you're left to figure it out on your own as you're juggling all of the things coming your way... finals, comps, graduation, job search, apply for CF, apply for licensure...

⭐️It is highly recommended you complete all your graduate courses and clinical practicums before taking the praxis.

Here's a few things to consider when thinking of your timeline and when to schedule your praxis:

1. Does your graduate school require the praxis before graduation? Some schools are requiring their SLP students to pass the praxis before graduation as part of their comps process. This is your starting place of figuring out if your school requires it. If they do, then your timeline is sort of predetermined for you. If they don’t, then continue reading.
2. Does your state have its own special guideline for when the praxis needs to be passed? Laws and guidelines vary by state. Some states align with ASHA guidelines and give you the duration of your CF to pass the praxis.  Some states require the praxis to be passed before starting your CF job (in particularly if you’re in a medical setting or billing certain entities). Some states also have different guidelines and licenses for educational settings versus medical settings, so be sure to clarify which license you are applying for when inquiring with your state board. This is your next piece of the puzzle to figure out before moving on to number 3. 
3. Now, what’s your personal preference? pt. 1: If you answered ‘No’ to the first two questions here, then you probably have the most flexibility with creating your timeline. So, here’s your next question: How many subject areas do you want to study? You can be strategic here and use my Strengths & Weaknesses profile (free download) to help guide you in planning. The S&W profile helps to organize the big nine clinical areas covered on the praxis 5331, and it also displays the testing areas for all subject areas.  PS it takes about three months to cover all big areas, plus a few lesser common areas. Keep reading!
4. And Lastly, what's your personal preference, pt. 2: How much time do you want to give to studying? Again, this is a personal preference and will depend on your individual circumstances. Let me take a second to say: Time is your most valuable resource in your preparation! If you're looking for general baseline, I suggest starting with a three month study plan. This will give you enough time to cover all subject areas, avoid cramming, allow for repeat study days, and even have days to rest, relax, & hang with friends and family. Recharge days are crucial! 

So, now that you know the main things to consider when figuring out your timeline, here's to planning!

P.S.  if you're someone that has only so much time to give, or too many things to juggle, consider scheduling a tutor session so we can work together to strategically craft your individual study plan. I can help you get through those study barriers and obstacles so you can check off your study steps, one topic at a time. 

P.P.S I personally took my praxis a couple months after I graduated that way I could first focus on my comps and graduation, and then I switched gears a bit. It’s what worked for me and my circumstances!