I am a lifelong learner.
After my ACVP exam (board certification for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists) I was so relieved – regardless of what the outcome would be – because finally I could take a break from constant learning!
I didn’t want to spend every free moment revising and reviewing flash cards.
I was happy not to dial in and plan my day around skype calls with my study partners twice a day (due to time differences, I would have to dial in at 7.00 AM for my first call). I was fed up with getting stressed over every additional hour that I had to spend at work, because it meant less studying for that day, and a lower probability of passing the exam. I was under constant tension between work obligations and studying.
Additional stress originated from the fact that I failed the exam in my first attempt last year, and I feared I would have to repeat the whole procedure if I failed again. This time I had to focus, be efficient, and explore every learning tool available. It had already been two years of preparation, with a full-time job. Therefore, I felt relieved after leaving the exam room, even though there was no way to feel confident about the outcome of such a difficult exam.
I felt drained after the test, and sad, because of the lack of any comforting “well done Aleks!” feeling. My physiology was going crazy under the exam-induced adrenaline, and I had to go to the bathroom every other hour, witnessing everything I ingested that day leaving my body in an almost unchanged form. So you can understand why I didn’t want to study anymore…
The feeling of “not wanting to study anymore” lasted about two weeks, which my mind and body needed to recover from the physiological stress I had been experiencing during the final rigorous three months of preparation. Once I recovered though, I got excited again about learning and studying new things (not necessarily veterinary pathology though, especially if it meant a third attempt).
Now I regained my life – I can add Italian and Russian to my language repertoire, continue dance lessons, read non-veterinary books, make crafts, continue my accordion studies, learn NLP, and travel to enjoy all the new things I would learn. This list of things to learn grows continuously and I have to prioritize and focus to achieve all my learning goals.
Then on September 15 I received the good news – I passed the exam! Now I am so excited and I want to share my experience and my ways of preparation.
Very briefly, my exam experience consisted of:
- Standard school/ university tests and exams I needed to pass to graduate from veterinary school
- Several language exams (Cambridge in Englisch, DELE in Spanish, TELC in German)
- Exams for my postgraduate studies in Spanish translation
- PhD exams and thesis defense
- ACVP Phase I Exam
- ACVP Phase II Exam (full board certification)
This most recent board certification exam was by far the most difficult for me, and to prepare for this one (thank God it was in Tampa, Florida, and I could go to the beach after that), I had to apply all the strategies and exam tricks I have learned over the years.
I would like to share them with you in this blog and help you prepare better for all your exams.