Jul 12
7

Preparing for the CTR Exam

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Do you want the straight scoop on how to prepare for the CTR exam?  Almost on a weekly basis I am asked at least one of these questions:

  • “I am going to sit for my CTR exam in two months, how do I study?”
  • “What books do I need to get ready?”
  • “What course can I take to get prepared?”

Now I always tell my clients I will be completely honest with them, no matter what.  So, I’m going to do that here right now,  in public, in front of everyone. 

The secret to getting ready for your CTR exam is not the shortest or fastest route to studying!  It is the slow-and-steady route where you plan and prepare for your exam.  I always recommend at least six (6) months or more. 

If you are just coming out of a two-year degree program for Cancer Information Management and have had no registry experience, you are not, and I repeat, NOT, ready to take the CTR exam.  If they are telling you that in the school programs, they are wrong. 

The CTR exam is an investment in your career, your skills and your reputation as a cancer registrar.  Isn’t that worth planning and preparing for?  Don’t you want your career and reputation to be the best? 

So, if you believe in what I’ve just said, here’s the secret:

  • Download the CTR exam guide and CTR exam primer from the website, www.ctrexam.org.
  • Read these carefully.  Highlight the parts that tell you what you need to do.
  • Then, get all the materials and books together.
  • Look at the exam content outline and your calendar.  Divide the material up into however many weeks you have to prepare.  That’s your homework assignment for every week.  Don’t skip and think you can cram, you will pay dearly for that kind of behavior.  If you do miss a day or two during the week, you can make that up.  But if you routinely skip then you should push back your exam date.
  • Get a mentor.  Find an experienced and understanding cancer registrar who can teach you.  Ask questions, and I mean TONS of questions.  Anything thing you are not 100% sure about, ASK.  This is a good habit to develop regardless, but it will pay off on exam day. 
  • Get your hands on as many abstracting tests and quizzes and examples as you can.  As you read about specific primary site topics, do the abstracting quizzes as well.  You can never do too many of these!  While the exam will put everything in a multiple choice or fill in the blank type of a format, practice is what creates success!
  • As you read, write notes, create outlines, setup flash cards, all that stuff you were taught in high school about how to study – use it!  It’s not silly or elementary, it’s SMART!

If you do that, stick to your plan and have adequate study time and a good mentor, you’ll pass successfully the first time around.  It’s really quite simple.

Now, about the CTR exam prep programs.  Make sure whatever short course (ie weekend or 3- or 4-day courses) you take it is geared for the hospital cancer registrar, not a state or central cancer registrar.  They are good refreshers and skill builders but they do NOT replace consistent, long-term study.  Even the people teaching those courses will tell you that. 

So, that’s my words of advice for you today.  Take it or leave it, but this is the truth and from the bottom of my heart.  I wish you the best of luck and anyone who needs my help is welcome to contact me by using the contact form on this website. 

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Michele Webb, is the founder of www.CancerRegistrar.com, and www.CancerRegistryTraining.com, the cancer registrar’s BEST online source for continuing education and training. She is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar, coach, mentor, speaker and author and passionately committed to Cancer Registry leadership, education and training. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give a link back to this webpage and give credit to the author.

 

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Posted in Cancer Registrar Cancer Registrar Training CTR Exam Prep by Michele 6 Comments

6 Responses to "Preparing for the CTR Exam"

  • Rosa CL says:
    September 25, 2012 at 8:14 pm
    Reply

    Hello Michelle,

    I totally agree on your post about preparing for the exam. I am about to take a big leap on my career by jumping into the CTR career. I worked in the cancer department for about 2 years and then I have been a FT Mom. It’s about 5 years now the last time I worked at the hospital. Can you give a bit specific on what and how I can study now for my March 2013 exam. I wanted to study now for the exam. It’s just that I’m a bit lost and I’m not sure how to start. I did check the NCRA and CTR site and a bit familiar with them. Please Advise!

    Thank you very very much!
    Rosa

    • Michele says:
      September 25, 2012 at 8:15 pm
      Reply

      Hi Rosa! Thank you for your comments. There may be a couple of suggestions I can give you about the CTR exam, etc. So, I will contact you privately to get you going. In the meantime, feel free to browse through the blog and website for anything else that may interest you! Michele

  • Kevin W says:
    March 19, 2013 at 12:40 pm
    Reply

    Would you happen to have a copy of any past CTR Exams I can use as practice? My test is this Friday and I’d like to get an idea of where I should focus with my last few days before the test.

    • Michele says:
      March 24, 2013 at 9:07 am
      Reply

      This is a good question Kevin – however, the CTR exam is taken electronically in a secure setting. Even if a paper test were available, cancer registrars are held to a strong ethical standard which precludes sharing tests of this nature. The best approach for all individuals taking the exam is to start a serious, methodical approach to studying and practicing for the exam at least 3-6 months prior to the exam date. The CTR Handbook is the best place to start with the study outline and the books and resources one should review. Because the CTR Exam is the “test of your career” it is intentionally designed to test and assess your overall learning and comprehension of what a cancer registrar with 1-3 years hands-on experience may have. In more practical terms, it is a challenging test and it should be. I wish you well on your exam!

  • Kelley says:
    March 27, 2013 at 9:44 am
    Reply

    I see on your March 24, 2013 reply to Michele where you say, “Because the CTR Exam is the “test of your career” it is intentionally designed to test and assess your overall learning and comprehension of what a cancer registrar with 1-3 years hands-on experience may have. This is my first venture into this field only having completed the AHIMA courses for CTR Management, with all the necessary pre-requisistes of course. I should probably finish sometime next year. You say the CTR exam tests the knowledge of a cancer registrar with 1-3 years hands on experience. Should I assume that when I am finished with my CTR program and have studied for the CTR exam for about 3-6 months that this will NOT have me prepared enough to pass this exam without 1-3 years experience?? I hope not. I will, before completing all the courses, will have participated in an internship as well. Please advise. Now I’m worried that I will not have ENOUGH knowledge at that point to pass the exam.

    • Michele says:
      April 23, 2013 at 4:35 pm
      Reply

      Kelly – good questions. My apologies if my comments were misleading. Yes, after completing a formal education program you will be ready to start work (if you have not already) in a Cancer Registry. And, for some, you may even be ready to sit for the CTR exam if you have had practice and are comfortable with all aspects of registry work including abstracting. Just by abstracting the 30 required cases for a formal education program, however, is NOT enough. Many people make this assumption and do poorly on the exam as a result. How long should you practice? Until you feel comfortable saying you know the guidelines and rules for assigning and coding primary site, histology, AJCC stage, collaborative stage, first course of treatment and even entering FUP. Consider also determining the sequence of multiple primaries, coding sites with mixed histologies and stages, and so forth. What is adequate for you may not be for someone else as you will have a different set of experiences. What we are seeing “in the field” however is a huge misunderstanding that taking a formal ed class and taking the exam is enough. So, let’s assume this is all great and dandy and you pass the exam. Now you’re ready to start learning the real operations from the ground floor up and this can take anywhere from 1-3 years, again depending on your skills and the role you have in the registry. I hope this makes more sense. Feel free to contact me off line (via a contact form on this website) and we can discuss this in greater detail to your specific needs.

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