I PASSED THE NMHCE

Hey girl, hey!

This post is going to be a bit different than my previous posts.

Lets hit pause on fashion & beauty for one post.

If you have noticed, I haven’t been as active on Kissthisstyles blog as of recently.

To be honest, I found it difficult to post about my passions of fashion & beauty when I felt a heavy cloud hanging over my head every time I opened my blog to share with you new fashion and beauty tips.

This heavy cloud was overwhelming which left me feeling: foggy, moody, irritable, lacking sleep ( there were at least 4 nights that I didn’t fall asleep at all within a week), inability to focus, lacking motivation & just FRUSTRATED.

My overall mood the last 3 months was pretty much filled with anxiety and uncertainity.

I recall trying to “relax” but my mind would just keep cycling back to these negative thought of failure. I recall even acting out how I would handle failure once again.

However, I met with my best friend for my birthday and I expressed to her my worries, anxieties & asked her for advice.

She said to me, “Hilary, you know this stuff!! It is just the test that is making you worried. Go slow. Rest your eyes during the exam & tell yourself “YOU KNOW THIS.”

I know this sounds silly…it even sounded silly to me but her words REALLY stuck with me.

Let me press rewind the last 6 years for you all regarding the NMHCE. The NMHCE stands for National Mental Health Counselor Exam.

I graduated with my Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2017. I finished at the top of my class & completed my internship with so much hope & optimism. Then, quickly after graduation I began practicing as a clinician and working towards becoming a LMHC.

I completed the required therapy hours required to be a LMHC. The last step was to pass the NMHCE.

It sounds simple, right?

Negative!!

After taking the NMHCE 4 times I FINALLY PASSED.

The NMHCE consists of two parts: Information Gathering & Decision Making. A passing score means you passed BOTH parts. Lets say you passed one part and failed the other….that doesn’t matter…you have to pass BOTH EACH TIME.

The first time I took the NMHCE I passed the Information Gathering but failed the Decision Making. Therefore, I failed.

The second time I took the NMHCE I failed both parts.

The third time I took the NMHCE I passed the Decision Making & failed the Information Gathering by 1 POINT!

I am not kidding!! 1POINT!

But…the 4th time I PASSED the NMHCE by FLYING COLORS.

Honestly, I am not sure if I cried more when I passed of when I failed the previous 3 times.

In hindsight, I just remember feeling so hopeless & defeated the 3rd time because I AM A SMART GIRL!

What was I doing wrong?

No longer do I feel stuck…no longer do I feel uncertain about my capabilities.

I feel relief…I feel like a complete different, Hilary.

Let’s get into it!!

Sharing with you all some of my NMHCE Tips.

Top 6 Tips: How To Pass The NMHCE

1. Take the NMHCE as soon as possible. In Florida, future clinicians are able to take the exam as soon as they graduate. Rather than waiting to take the exam after accumulating the required hours, I highly recommend studying for the exam right after graduation.Why you may ask? The NMHCE is based off of “book knowledge,” “test taking strategies” & memorization. The test IS NOT BASED OFF OF REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES. From my experience, taking the exam while practicing as a clinician becomes confusing because in my head I would think, “Ok, well…it could be this.” No…. there is no “it could be this.” The exam is based off of book knowledge. Take the NMHCE when your brain is fresh out of college. I know..I know.. you just graduated & want to take a break from studying. All of those feelings are normal and valid. However, taking that break that you feel you need can turn into extra years of feeling “stuck” because you haven’t passed the NMHCE. Trust me! Take the exam ASAP!

2.You may have to fail the NMHCE at least one time to REALLY know what is going to be on the exam. In hindsight, failing the exam at least one time (not 3 times ok…lol) was beneficial to me. Knowing my areas of weakness and strengths allowed my study skills to be somewhat more focused on certain areas of the exam.

3. Have a designated study area for yourself. Create a clutter free work environment for yourself. Reduce and/or limit distractions.Create a realistic study schedule for yourself. Create a 2-3 hour designated study session slots for yourself. I found it most beneficial to study for about a month and a half before each exam. This allowed the information to be more fresh in my brain.When you feel your eyes getting foggy, get some fresh air, hydrate & have a small snack.

4. Find a study course and/or book that will be beneficial. Counselingexam.com & the DSM were the two main tools that I used when studying for the NMHCE. Create your own study tools. Write down areas of concern for yourself. REPEAT, REPEAT,REPEAT! Create mnemonic devices for yourself that will help you remember specifics for the exam. Use flashcards, colorful pens/markers & highliters!

Studying Tip: Creating more appealing flashcards helps with memorizing terms for tests & quizes.

5. Surround yourself with positive energy, practice “positive self talk,” ask your friends and/or family for encouragement, imagine yourself PASSING.

I know…I know…some of those sound silly. They sounded silly to me too but they really do help. Being in a positive head space is KEY to PASS.

6. Trust your gut instinct. Don’t over think too much. Don’t over answer & try not to under answer.

Here is a little trick I used on the exam.

In regards to Information Gathering: You are “supposed” to answer 1-2 answers over 1/2 of the answers.

Ex: If there are 12 answers…statistically you should answer 7 or 8. However, if you are not sure about one & are close to that 1/2 way mark…its recommended to not pick that answer.

In regards to Decision Making: You are “supposed” to answer 1 under 1/2 of the answers.

Ex: If there are 6 answers, statistically, you should choose only 2 options.

*On the exam, in the Decision Making portion of the exam, if there was an odd number of possibilities I answered on the lower end.

Example: If there are 7 answers, I would still answer on the “lower end.” I would answer either 2 or 3 of the question possibilities. However, if I was “iffy” at all I would choose to answer only 2 options.

Remember, you will PASS THE NMHCE!

You know the information. It is JUST A TEST!

Please feel free to comment below any questions and/or feedback you have about the NMHCE!

As always

Love always wins,

Hilary

xx