10 Ways Your Friends and Family Can Help You Study for the BCBA® Exam - Tackling the Test Series
Part 8
Part 1: Intro to the Series
Part 2: Mock Exams for BCBA® Exam Prep
Part 3: Self-Management Strategies for BCBA® Exam Prep
Part 4: Study Methods that Work
Part 5: Beyond Rote Memorization
Part 6: Test-taking Strategies for the BCBA® Exam
Part 7: 6 Ways to BOOST Your Study Time
Have you ever heard phrases like “Let me know how I can help” or “'You seem swamped; can I lend a hand?”' You've probably encountered these if you're prepping for the BCBA® exam. But how do you respond? And more importantly, how can those without a behavior analysis background actually assist you in your studies? Today, I'll outline 10 ways your loved ones can support your exam prep, even if they're not behavior analysts.
1. Task Delegation
Friends and family can pitch in with non-study-related chores. Remember, if they offer, they are willing to help! If someone's a whiz in the kitchen, why not let them cook for you? Or perhaps your pals could help tidy up. If you have children, see if you can arrange some childcare, giving you uninterrupted study time. Remember, there's no shame in asking for help while studying.
2. Collaborative SAFMEDS Sessions
SAFMEDS is a study method that lends itself well to doing with a partner. Make or buy physical SAFMEDS cards, then give them to a partner. Have the other person hold up the card so the term faces you and the definition faces them. Your partner will put the cards in two piles—correct and incorrect— as you go- correct and incorrect. After one minute, review any incorrect terms, then start again!
3. Teach Others
Bloom’s taxonomy describes the stages of learning. The higher up the taxonomy you get, the better your understanding should be. SAFMEDS is an essential first step in learning, but you need to go deeper than that to be considered proficient. Teaching others is a great way to move to higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. If your friends and family are willing to sit down with you, try teaching them some concepts you’re trying to learn. Can you explain reinforcement to someone until they can define and identify the concept in action? Using this as a study method involves your support system and improves your chances of passing the BCBA® exam!
4. Roleplay Scenarios
Some items on the Task List require you to implement strategies. After teaching concepts, enlist your loved ones as 'clients' and role-play scenarios. Their participation can be invaluable, whether addressing problem behaviors or practicing interventions.
5. Optimize Your Study Space
What would a good study environment look like for you? Easy access to textbooks? Quiet? Comfortable? Now, think about how you could make that happen in your home. Whether decluttering a study area or finding a quiet spot, involve your friends and family in setting up your study space.
6. Accountability Partners
One self-management technique is to use an accountability partner. Set study goals, then use your friends and family to help you stick to the goals. If you want to stay off your phone during study sessions, give your phone to someone in your support system. If you’re struggling to track your progress towards your goals, ask a friend if you can send them a graph twice a week. If you spend your study sessions with your children present, let them know you’ll get a dessert or go for a family walk after an uninterrupted study session. No matter the age of your accountability partner, this is a great way to get others involved in your studying!
7. Develop Study Aids
Another way your support system can help you study is through a craft night! Study aids can be valuable ways to study, and they don’t have to be black and white. Get out the markers and create some fun graphics to help you remember the difference between generalization and maintenance or the types of CMOs.
8. Integrate Pop Culture
Who said studying has to be boring? Make studying more enjoyable by using TV shows or movies to dissect behavioral contingencies. Why did this character make that choice? What part of someone’s learning history is influencing their current behavior? This is especially good when a movie or TV show has flashbacks—typically, this tells you how the learning history has impacted a character. Analyzing the contingencies helps build your radical behaviorism skills while being a lot of fun!
9. People Watch
Like analyzing media, people-watching is a great way to practice identifying contingencies. In this case, you may need to fill in some blanks. Why is this family at the mall? Rather than following the family, your friends and family can create some back story. Your job is to take the back story and what you can observe in real time and identify the relevant antecedents and consequences for the person or people you observe.
10. Gamification
Turn study sessions into game nights by incorporating BCBA® exam topics into board games. Incorporate studying by placing terms on the game board that you must define to advance past that spot. Assign a content area to each color or suit of cards, and you need to give an example from one of the task-list areas each time you play a card. The options here are endless … - and a lot of fun!
In conclusion, our friends and family mean well when they offer to help. The problem comes when we don’t know how to answer. If you’ve wondered how your friends and family can help you study without knowing the content, hopefully, we were able to give you some ideas the next time someone offers support!
Want more tips to help you pass the BCBA® Exam? Check out the BOOST U! Podcast!
