Practicing Your Restructuring Techniques for the NPTE®
So far we’ve talked about what a conquistador is and why mindset matters. You’ve learned to test your thoughts and diagnose “thought viruses”. You’ve learned tangible concepts for the NPTE® like how to study, what to study, and what to do with the rest of your time. You’ve heard personal stories of both failure and success. We’ve tied your NPTE® journey to your future patients. And we’ve discussed some practical restructuring techniques to do in preparation for the test and to utilize during the test.
Now it’s time to go to battle.
Since you already determined your strengths & weaknesses, spend time on your tougher points (especially in the “big 3” categories). Continue to use the weekly topic schedule we supply to help you stay on course.
While you’re preparing content knowledge and learning how to answer NPTE® type questions, don’t forget to test your thoughts. Remember, you aren’t expected to adjust every negative thought you become aware of, but we can work to free our minds of the poor thinking patterns we tend to become stuck in. And we do it one thought at a time. Just as we are taking our NPTE® journey one step at a time and putting one foot in front of the other to summit this mountain.
Each study session and each practice test, work toward keeping your thoughts in check and choosing to see the flip side of your thought. Each time a thought about the test crosses your brain, stop and think whether that thought was negative or whether it aligns with any of the good descriptors we previously examined (true, honorable, right, lovely, admirable, and good for building up). Stop and think how you’re thinking about the test. Choose to remove your mind from perseverating on the things you can’t change and choose to think about the small victories you’ve experienced along the way and who you will be to your future patients.
Finally, put your practical techniques into practice. Pick one of the three techniques to use during the test. Play with the techniques. Find the one that works for you. Find the way that works for you.
Practice your technique until it becomes your NPTE® safety net.
Then get ready to conquer the NPTE®.
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