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Exam Information
2009 RPSGT Exam
Dates
March 16-28
June 15-27
September 14-26
Nov. 30-Dec. 12
Go to www.brpt.org
for registration details.
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STUDY
TIME - How long does it
take to study successfully
for the RPSGT exam?
A sleep
tech's preparation time for the
polysomnography registry exam is
typically at least six months. At
first, you will gather and
organize study materials,
resources, and exam information
- then STUDY! You will also need
to schedule study time around
your work and family schedules and
events.
Dont forget to
dedicate a place to work where
you can concentrate on your
studies with no distractions.
When you register with the BRPT
(Board of Registered
Polysomnographic Technologists) for your exam,
post the date and time in
several conspicuous places (i.e.
refrigerator, calendar, bathroom
mirror, etc.) around your home
and possibly at the sleep lab.
Polysomnography
training is not easy and it
takes time, so stick to your study
schedule!
You will not
be able to pass this exam on
your technical abilities alone. It
may also help to review our tips on
preparing for and taking the
exam.
STUDY GUIDE - Can a study
guide help me?
Taking the RPSGT test is not easy, so
study guides can
be a
great help. Many
polysomnographic tech study aides are
available, so choose carefully.
PREP the Polysomnography
Registry Exam Passport is
concise and can help you learn
this material quickly and
thoroughly. The practice test is
timed and scored, so it helps
you overcome test anxiety and
fine turn your test-taking
skills. The study session
provides you with immediate
feedback on the correct answer,
gives an explanation of that
answer and lists references for
additional study, if needed. The
Glossary lists more than 250
terms and acronyms with their
definitions. Prepare to PASS!
QUESTIONS
- What kinds of questions
will be on the exam?
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Multiple
Choice -
There will be several
different types of questions on
the RPSGT exam. All questions are
multiple choice with four possible
answers from which you must
choose the best answer. Recall
from memorization, application
of knowledge, and analysis of
information are all included.
Yes these are all things a
sleep tech does every night, but on the exam,
you must be much more exact.
Waveforms -
You may also
see questions about
polysomnographic waveforms (EEG,
EKG, airflow, respiratory
effort, et cetera), so be sure
you can read and interpret these
waveforms.
An atlas of digital
polysomnography will be a
tremendous asset for waveform
examples. Also, be sure you are
up to speed on the new 2008
scoring rules from AASM -
the American Academy of Sleep
Medicine. For targeted
practice on these new rules,
check out SCORE08 from PASS.
Sleep labs receive discounts
when purchasing multiple copies
of SCORE08 and other PASS
study aids.
Calculations -
There will
also be questions on how to
calculate a variety of figures
including: sleep latency, REM
latency, sleep efficiency, time
in bed, percent of sleep stages,
AHI, RDI, and WASO. (Find these
terms and acronyms in the PREP
Glossary and TERMS computerized
flashcard study system).
In the sleep lab, the computer calculates
these figures, but you need to
know what data is used for these
calculations. Also, if the report
seems to be incorrect, a sleep
tech needs
to know how to perform these
calculations to verify the
accuracy of the report.
Complex
Questions -
There
will be a certain percentage of
more complex questions in which
you may be asked to select an
answer (A, B, C, or D) based on
a list of variables (I, II, III,
and IV). In this type of
question, the answers are
combinations of the variables
(for example:
A = III and IV only, B =
II and IV only, C = I and II and
IV only, D = none of the above).
PAY ATTENTION!
Read through the entire
question and all of the possible
answers first,
then make your decision.
It is easy to miss
something on these questions if
you dont read carefully.
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MENTORS
- Should I ask someone to
be my mentor?
Yes! And two mentors are
better than one! Find one person
who has been in the field for a
long time, and one who has very
recently taken and passed the
exam. The first may be the
manager or assistant manager of
the sleep lab where you work, and can
give you insights on what
information has helped them
throughout their career, as well
as what helped on the exam.
The second may be someone
you work with every night - a
polysomnographic technologist
that can discuss and share hints and
study materials that helped them
successfully pass the exam. Most
colleagues are happy to help
they are flattered that you
asked for their assistance.
BRPT,
The Board of Registered
Polysomnographic
Technologists -
This exam
is administered by the
BRPT. For additional
information on
registration,
computer-based testing and
other aspects of this
exam, visit their site at www.brpt.org
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