Preparing Midwifery Students for the Certification Examination by Debunking Prevalent Test-Taking Myths

Nationally, midwifery educators are often perplexed when graduates from their programs are not successful on the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) certification examination. Often, these students are excellent clinically and have a deep foundational knowledge. During examination reviews with professors, they may be able to explain a concept well orally but struggle to pick the correct answer. Emerging cognitive science can be applied to test-taking heuristics to better understand how students make choices on multiple-choice tests. Helping students understand and develop metacognition and using a trauma-informed pedagogy will give educators a new lens for teaching test-taking strategies. By applying a new method, midwifery educators can dispel common test-taking myths, help their students understand their cognitive bias when taking tests, and ultimately build students' confidence when approaching high-stakes tests. By changing their approach to test-taking advice, educators can help more students pass the certification on the first attempt and increase the speed at which new graduates are ready to enter the workforce.