You might have heard that in order to pass the CHT exam – you have to know everything. Or that it will take you years to study for it.
I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to memorize everything.
You don’t have to take a long time to study if you intentionally decide to study for it.
If you have failed in the past – it might take you longer because you have to study and retake it AFTER dusting yourself off and getting back into a better mental state of mind.
In order to qualify to sit for the Hand Therapy Exam to become a Certified Hand Therapist:
- You have to be an Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist.
- You need 3 years minimum.
- You need at least 4000 hours in treating hand and upper extremity cases.
You don’t need to only work in an outpatient hand clinic.
You don’t need to be supervised by a CHT.
Studying and PASSING does take time and sacrifice and can be worth it for you in the short and long term.
Currently, my Hand Exam Prep program is open for enrollment. I help therapists prep for the CHT exam without the overwhelm, reading, and provide support in order to put you in the best possible position to pass and become the CHT.
I’m looking for Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists who have already decided that they WANT to become CHTs and are ready to put in the commitment to prepare and pass the CHT exam.
Though my program is great to help you achieve studying in an easier way, you still need to watch the videos, take notes, do some reading, and work to apply your knowledge to answer the questions.
If you are NOT yet ready….in terms of years, hours, commitment – I still WANT to help you. I’ll still create content to guide you. There are other programs that I have that can help.
But the Hand Exam Prep program is SPECIFIC to preparing you to be the Certified Hand Therapist in your critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision making – to pass the exam to become the CHT in your area.
Request a Discovery Call with me if you want to discuss how I can help you specifically.
This talk is specifically for anyone who’s failed the exam before (and you can be a fly on the wall if you haven’t taken it but want to pass the first time around)
5 Reasons why you failed the CHT exam that no one wants to tell you:
- You don’t have a solid, realistic plan. If you have failed – retake it right away. I’ve developed a Score Audit where I look at the scores, and we talk through other factors to determine where your focus needs to go. Sometimes people think they have to change everything or read more – without looking at the real objectives. For example – when you work with a patient – how do you know they improved? Through numbers. Through questions and observations that show progress or lack of. Why would you not do this for yourself? Create your plan – off the back of key indicators of what works well and what does not work well.
- You are telling the wrong people about it – studying with the wrong people. Not everyone wants you to do well. AND it’s not that they don’t want you to do well….they don’t want you to do better than THEM. Tell me I’m lying. I had an OT who told me that she understood why the “other CHT” didn’t want to share everything with her because once she was one too, she wouldn’t want to share all her secrets either. There’s actually NO SECRET. It’s just the work you have to put in, AND you develop your style and perspective. So, are you working with people who are TELLING you that they are not interested in you developing yourself – then LISTEN TO THEM. And stop telling them about what you are doing. They are not here for it. I’m also a believer in “not dragging people along.” Looking for other people to study with…. If you are in the wrong group – you will be held back by the drag of it all instead of being helped along and going somewhere faster.
- You are too optimistic about passing because you think it’s like every other test you have taken. On the other side of it – you can fail because you are so optimistic that you are NOT doing what you need to do. If someone else that you might not think is as smart as you, you think you can too. Stop comparing yourself to other people! What they do is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Worry about you, how you study, how you need to study. This exam is NOT like other exams you have done and just take that with a grain of salt. I’m not a naturally great test taker. I learned that about myself years ago, and I need to put in a certain amount of work to pass, which is why I’ve developed my Hand Exam Prep program. It’s to help people who are NOT natural test-takers. It’s for people who struggle with reading. It’s for people who lack certain experiences to be able to connect the dots in a way that helps them make decisions. Sometimes – just the Score Audit and getting the 1-2 questions to lead you a certain way is WORTH the admission price.
- You are too negative about it and beat yourself up – a negative mindset
- Poor execution – not sticking to the plan. Was your plan unrealistic? Do you suffer from testing anxiety, and how do you deal with that? Did you cover at least 90% of the topics?
What’s worse than failing is that it messes with your head and losing at least 6 months of sanity- losing your confidence, feeling stupid, and feeling like you are not a good therapist. That’s what was I thinking “I’m not good at this”
– if you don’t have a great plan, a great mentor, or a great community that can help you – you can be stuck. You can put it off when you are capable of passing.
Everything in your past tells me that you can pass without even knowing you. WHY? HOW?
Because you did all the things you needed to do it get into graduate school. You show evidence of passing school. Then you show evidence of passing your boards.
Now – that shows me that you can pass this test too. It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been. It doesn’t matter where you work.
If it’s your goal to become a CHT, we can help. We can provide the accountability, focus, and support you need.
