Are you getting exam preparation anxiety because you know your electrical exam test date is approaching? In fact, are you even putting off your testing date because of that anxiety you feel? Relax, this is normal for anyone so you are not alone. Fortunately, there is a solution and it is revolutionary. We call it the Fast Trax® Learning System.
Yes, the stress is natural, the anxiety is real, and the feeling of dread or loathing just thinking about sitting in a room, facing a computer screen can consume the mind. However, there is an underlined reason your mind kicks these emotions to the forefront. It's because you are not truly ready for the task. You are not fully prepared is a better phrase to use maybe.
So, the next logical question is how to "Get Prepared" to embark on this quest to pass your electrical tradesman exam. The key to getting prepared is to know how to prepare and what steps you need to follow. Because the National Electrical Code® can be a daunting document to understand, the Fast Trax® System breaks the learning process down into defined quadrants of knowledge that are critical to memory retention. Yes, there are no weekend crame sessions or tricks to learning the NEC®. The only true method for learning technical documents, such as the NEC, is to dedicate your study time to a specific and direct study plan and attack that plan vigorously.
Now, we have confirmed your anxiety is normal and very real. Our CEO and Founder Paul Abernathy has trained over 50,000 students since 1989. Paul created the Fast Trax® System to tackle this very common concern. The key to the success of the program is how it "spoon feeds" you the necessary information while offering many ballistic ways to absorb the content which is all part of a structured plan. While prospective students can clearly learn the NEC on their own, they struggle and quite frankly are never sure what is on the electrical exam or even where they should start.
The Fast Trax® System resolves all those fears and gives you an electrical code expert at your fingertips at all times. In fact, we even have a FREE Mobile App that allows the student to communicate directly with the CEO and Founder. How cool is that? Now, to give you some clear directions we have put together a few tips you can follow and we hope they are indeed helpful for you.
Tip #1 - Get The Fast Trax® Black Program
The Fast Trax® Black Program is the flagship electrical exam preparation course as well as an overall National Electrical Code learning system. It is comprised of 19 units, over 1,200 electrical exam-style questions, integrated flashcards, a built-in "read to me" feature, and is fully functional on any electronic device with a web browser.
Students have access, via their own university-based console, that allows access to the course 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 12 months. While you can study at your own pace we also offer a FREE 60 or 90 Day study guide to help speed up your learning for those students seeking to test within 60 or 90 days. These study guides are simply designed to keep you on track and focused in order to meet your reduced time deadlines.
One of the most important aspects of the Fast Trax® Black Program is the end of unit "Competency Review Questions". These questions are designed to make you think about the material you just studied. The questions are not copied and pasted from the course, they are designed based on the core material taught during the specific unit. In fact, the questions are hard, challenging, and you guessed it, not always multiple choice.
Also, it is important to mention you always have an instructor there to help you. While not technically part of the Fast Trax® course, Electrical Code Academy, Inc's CEO and Founder Paul Abernathy conducts LIVE weekly training sessions via ZOOM for anyone who chooses to attend, well only Fast Trax® Students of course.
Tip #2 - What does it mean to "Study with a Plan"?
Sitting down, pulling out the National Electrical Code, and grabbing your highlighters all sounds great and does indeed begin the study process. However, once you have the NEC in front of you the mind says......What Now?
Having a "structured plan" means you systematically attempt to absorb very technical content in a precise and orderly fashion. Now, you may be in that "select few" category of unique individuals who can simply crack the code book open, randomly flip around among the articles, parts, and sections contained within, and ultimately pass your electrical exam. Sadly, the vast majority of electrical apprentices and journeyman electricians are not that lucky. For example, when looking at Article 220 - Branch-Circuit, Feeder, and Service Load Calculations, how do you identify which Part, Section, or List Item applies to the exam preparation process, and more importantly what part of this article is the most significant to study and thus retain for an exam?
The Fast Trax® Black Program handles this in many ways. First, the units are broken down in a way that leads you, or should I say guides you, through the National Electrical Code. The program only focuses on the "Core Fundamentals" necessary to break down a question or situation, and gives you the tools to be able to answer that question or resolve that situation. Second, to ensure you are absorbing the very technical content associated with the NEC, the end-of-unit competency reviews are there to reaffirm that absorption. When students score below 60% they are pushed to review the unit again and really focus on the course reading material and associated illustrations. The student should not continue forward to the next unit until their scores are above 60%, with our recommended target score, to ensure a true understanding, of at least 85% or higher.
Sadly many students find our Fast Trax® Program after they have already purchased costly DVDs, and exam prep books from online stores, such as Amazon, only to find many publication errors and no one to talk to. The biggest difference between the Fast Trax® and other electrical courses, books, and DVDs is the one-on-one personal experience you get with the CEO and Founder Paul Abernathy. No other program offers this level of specific dedication to the student. In Fact, the Mobile App offered by Electrical Code Academy, Inc. provides a one-touch communication method to reach experts who can ease your stress, explain complex topics, and quite frankly provide a lifeline to your electrical exam preparation learning experience.
"Learning the National Electrical Code is Hard - Learning it with the Fast Trax® System make is Enjoyable" – CEO Paul Abernathy
Tip #3 - Learn the "Three Wave Method" for testing.
Since 1998, CEO Paul Abernathy has been preaching about a systematic approach to taking an electrical exam. In fact, the approach can be applied to all exams for any trade or occupation that has a knowledge-based criteria process. Below is a video on that process and we hope you will find it beneficial in your own study plan, which we hope is the Fast Trax® Program.
Tip #4 - Make studying "Habitual" and "Focused"!
Once you get into the proper mindset to study, keep that mindset focused. Have you ever heard the saying marketing experts in advertising?. They always say "you need to put marketing material in front of a prospective client 6-10 times to truly hook 'em, it's all about the frequency of the content". This is based on memory retention and brand association. This can also be said for learning the National Electrical Code. Being that the black and white paged NEC is a normally "DRY" read you really need to make sure your study environment is devoid of distractions and focused on achieving that structured plan we read earlier in Tip #2.
Electrical Code Academy, Inc. recommends studying at least (3) times a week for at least (2) hours each session. Now, if you are testings in 60 or 90 days from when you start a structured learning program, such as the Fast Trax® Black Program, then the recommendation is to follow the information in the FREE 60 or 90 Day Study Guides provided at this link - 60 Day Study Guide or 90 Day Study Guide
Authors Note: The study guides are simply a recommendation. All Fast Trax Students still have 25/7/365 access to the Fast Trax® Black Program for 12 Months.
Tip #5 - Relax......You Meet Your Career Goals!
Life in itself can be stressful. The notion of an electrical exam standing in the way of all your career dreams can also be stressful and daunting to many prospective electrical professionals. However, all your goals can be achieved with proper dedication and removing the mentality of seeking out shortcuts and quick fixes to learning the National Electrical Code. Nothing beneficial and memorable in life is earned without dedication to the cause. These electrical exams are simply "qualifiers" or "gatekeepers" to your career ambitions. They are specifically designed to ensure you have the basic fundamentals and key NEC knowledge necessary to build upon and move forward to the next level in your profession.
One Final Thought.....
Electrical Code Academy, Inc. never claims to be the only source for electrical code knowledge. However, we believe when you look at all the information provided in the Fast Trax® Programs, such as the dedication to detail in the course content, the embedded learning features, and most importantly the student-focused dedication to the overall student success rate, which is over 98% when all the units are completed with an 85% or higher, that you will see why the Fast Trax® Programs is the only true structured plan available for successfully passing an electrician's exam. For more information on the Fast Trax® Program please consider watching the video below.
Ready To Get Started in the Fast Trax® Black Program? - If so, make sure you purchase the proper course that matches the National Electrical Code your specific state is testing on. Reach out to your local test center, determine if they are testing on the 2017 NEC or the 2020 NEC, and purchase your Fast Trax® Program accordingly. We look forward to having you in the Fast Trax® Family.
Written By: Brittany Miller, Director of Content
Electrical Code Academy, Inc.
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