Top 3 Mistakes CNS Candidates Make While Studying for the CNS Exam
Congratulations - you’re ready to study for the CNS Exam! This is a big step in your journey to become a CNS practitioner. I have been moderating TNHC’s CNS Prep Course for 3 exam cycles now, and I wanted to share with you some of the trends I’ve seen among test takers who have not been able to pass the first few times.
Not planning / Not making enough time
You went to a 2-year master’s program focused on Nutrition! You probably did a great job. You might even be a high achiever. However, unless you are naturally an excellent test taker, you probably need to set aside a little more study time than you think.
Sure, it is possible to overstudy for an exam, and you can burn yourself out memorizing the wrong information. However, the number one thing I see among exam takers who don’t pass is that they just didn’t dedicate enough time to just studying. They “studied” at home while watching their toddler or changing the laundry. And while this is valuable, it probably isn’t going to give you enough study time.
We used to recommend 8-10 hours a week for about 3 months, but the test has gotten more nuanced and more detailed. We also now have Nutritional Biochemistry as its own domain, and this has historically been a weak area of my candidates.
My typical recommendation is to aim for close to 15 hours per week, separated throughout the week.
Example Study Schedule for the CNS Exam:
Monday - Thursday: 2-3 hours each day, divided in 2-3 doses
Friday: rest (OR can just review things you already know)
Saturday: 3-4 hours with study group or study with zero distractions away from home (library, cafe, etc.)
Sunday: 1-2 hours
Please know that this is just a suggestion - you may find something that works better for you.
Assuming test questions will be on the exam
This is an extremely common assumption - but let’s clear it up right now! The ANA no longer publishes a primer. They provide very little information on the test questions themselves. They offer a domain outline and 10 sample questions. That’s it.
If you’re using TNHC’s CNS Exam Prep Course, or the Nutrition Test Prep Questions, or Exam Edge, or Study for, or Quizlet, or any of the other online test question services, these are 100% made up questions by those of us in the field who have taken the exam. They are not reviewed by the ANA. We do not have any access to the exam questions.
I think many of these services have done an excellent job of creating questions that are relevant to the CNS exam, and I recommend using these services. However, many candidates report that they expected some of these questions to be the same as the ones on the exam. If you see questions that are the same - it is a complete coincidence!
Instead, we recommend looking at the questions as a way to:
Assess your knowledge areas - so if you’re getting biochemistry questions wrong, you don’t necessarily need to memorize those 10 Biochemistry test prep questions, instead, you need to spend more time on the topic of Biochemistry as a whole.
Enhance your understanding of a topic - this is where the explanations come into play. The question may not be the exact same, but the content should be similar. So if you’re taking practice tests that also offer explanations, be sure to read those explanations and make sure you understand them!
Practice taking standardized tests - the content may not be 100% the same, but the formatting of the questions may be similar. Test questions are a great way to practice reading test questions - and a great way to train yourself to look for words like “EXCEPT” and “NOT”.
3. Forgetting this is a standardized test
So what do I mean by this? Well, what is the purpose of a standardized test? It is to test how good you are at taking this standardized test. It doesn’t reflect on your skill as a practitioner, it doesn’t test you on clinical pearls or the nuances of working with different personalities. That would be impossible to test on a multiple choice exam!
As much as we want our CNS clinicians to be flexible thinkers, a standardized test is a standardized test and you have to study for the test itself.
This means:
You’ll be memorizing things you’ll be able to look up in clinical practice and don’t actually need to have memorized
You can tuck those little clinical exceptions and personalization tips into your clinical back pocket for later
You won’t be spreading your wings for a full “differential diagnosis” or diving deep into a specific niche.
You’ll be focusing on your specific role and scope in the field of nutrition.
You’ll hear different opinions as to whether it is best to take the test right out of school, or if you should take it after your internship hours. I can’t speak to that for each individual person, so you’ll have to think about it on an individual level based on your time and schedule.
However, I will say two things on this:
For those who come from master’s programs with a strong science background, it might be beneficial to take the exam within 3-6 months of completing your master’s so this science knowledge is fresher.
The test does incorporate MNT and clinical information, but it doesn’t include the nuance of clinical practice that you will start to understand and acquire in your internship. So, if you received clinical training in your academic program, this will likely be enough clinical experience to prepare for the exam - you may not want to muddy up your academic clinical knowledge with the nuance of clinical practice before the exam.
This is my opinion from my experience with students over the last few exam cycles - but feel free to chat with an advisor from your school or your SPE supervisor (if you have one) to try and figure it out for yourself!
And just a reminder - we want to help you pass the CNS exam the first time so you can put it behind you. But some people don’t have the time, the energy, the organization, the experience, or the general life capacity to dedicate hours and hours of time and energy to the exam. This is ok! You can easily take the test again - many people do!
Caitlin Self, CNS, LDN is a CNS Supervisor and the CNS Prep Course Moderator at the Nutrition and Herbal Collective. Caitlin is a discerning and evidence-based nutritionist who specializes in SIBO, GI disorders and methal health. She runs a successful blog called Frugal Nutrition https://www.frugalnutrition.com/
Check out other popular CNS Prep blogs from Caitlin:
INTRO TO CYP450 DRUG METABOLISM WITH CAITLIN SELF
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PHYTONUTRIENTS FOR THE CNS EXAM WITH CAITLIN SELF
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