17 Tips to Take the Worry Out of Your NCIDQ Practicum Exam

While preparing for the NCIDQ Practicum Exam, you’ll encounter many factors that can either work for or against you. But, not surprisingly, it’s the strategies you use before and during that can make a difference.

Because there will be plenty of rough spots (it happens!) during all the weeks leading up to the exam, so expect these to come up:

• Studying will get boring.
• TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook will suddenly seem way more interesting.
• You will find plenty of reasons to procrastinate.

It’s essential to be aware of these and have a strategy to help you get back on track when you get bored or get sucked into activities that are just time wasters.

Plan an “intervention” with your partner or a friend, and take a short walk or break. It’s good to have a system that will quickly pull you back to your NCIDQ Exam prep! You’ll be glad you did it.

Qpractice has found what works – Interior Designers who pass NCIDQ Practicum Exam with flying colors tend to be people who develop a game plan. And stick to it.

Here are 17 tips for the NCIDQ Practicum Exam that you can use:

What’s Your Mindset?

1. Learn to love the process, not just the end result.

Start thinking of the NCIDQ Exam as an opportunity to forever change your mindset about what it takes to become successful. Not just as an interior designer but in all areas of life. Success comes to those who stick to it.

2. It takes repetition.

Building skill and familiarity with the new Practicum Exam question types takes repetition.

You’ll need to master specific strategies to take this exam – and learning them takes time and repetition.

With proper practice time, you’ll understand the different problems you’ll face on the exam, so you can work quickly and finish in the allotted time.

There are three case studies in the practicum exam, and you can't go back once you finish each case study. As you’re working through each one, you’ll need to flag everything you’re unsure about, then go back at the end of each case study to decide if you’ll return to the things you flagged.

Many people who don’t finish the exam don’t pass it – so you must understand how the process works before test day.

3. Understand the solution, don’t try to memorize it.

The best answer for one item (question) in one case study won’t necessarily work for another. Try to understand the “why” behind what you’re seeing.

Remember, the best answer must satisfy BOTH the instructions in the question, the program requirements, and the building codes. Sometimes it may seem that there’s more than one correct answer, but only one is best. Program requirements and instructions will vary, so practice will help you learn to pick out the most critical stuff quickly.

4. Use your work experience the right way.

Even if you have a lot of experience as a designer or architect, it doesn’t mean you’ll pass the exam with flying colors.

Some test takers underestimate how challenging the practicum exam can be, and they rely on their years of experience as designers or architects. As a result, they assume they don’t need to study. Unfortunately, many of these people fail.

You can’t walk into the exam assuming you already know the “right” way to solve the problems – you need to know and understand the codes the exam uses and what the test designers want you to do.

Use your work experience to relate to what you’re learning and reviewing, and don’t assume you already know all the answers. You’ll learn the most from the people in your study group if you keep an open mind and consistently stay in “learner’s mindset” mode.

What’s Non-negotiable?

5. No cramming

Just don’t.

The best way to prepare for the new computer-based NCIDQ Practicum is to do multiple rounds of pre-testing.

You’ll need time to complete the pre-tests and review what you’ve missed. And that’s not counting any research or review of past Practicums or Answer Vaults.

Qpractice recommends doing a timed practice test toward the end of your study season. You can’t possibly cram all of this into the last few days before the exam. Not only is cramming ineffective, but it also makes you feel frazzled. If you’re stressed on test day, you’ll be less likely to read carefully and follow the directions.

Qpractice won’t always help if you try to jam everything in at the last minute. Our team is in the study group on nights and weekends, and we do our best to respond to your questions, but we also have many other members to help. So we can’t necessarily respond immediately. Your urgency is not our emergency.

6. No distractions

Decide if you’re the kind of person who likes to work with distractions. For example, you might work well in a busy coffee shop – and if so, feel free to study in one if it works for you.

If not, set up a space at home or work where it’s quiet and you can fully concentrate. That means no TV, no phone notifications, no kids barging in. Even if you can only arrange this for just a few hours at a time, get a babysitter and some support from your family – you’ll be setting an excellent example at the same time.

If you’re easily distracted by noise and what others are doing around you, try earplugs for the exam.

The important thing is to figure out in advance what kind of environment helps you concentrate – so you’ll be prepared on exam day.

We recommend replacing your daily social media habit with time in the Qpractice study group. You can indulge your social urge, have fun, and learn something at the same time.

7. No cheating

There are plenty of tools, tips, tricks, and shortcuts you can use to help you save time – but please don’t cheat.

Don’t try to take anything into the testing center that you shouldn’t; don’t try to look up something on your break or share exam questions.

Cheating never wins.

You’ll feel better about your accomplishment when you pass if you know you’ve earned it. Plus, you’ll be accountable for upholding the NCIDQ Certification Appellation Code of Ethics.

So, How Far Ahead Should I Start, and How Should I Study?

7. Plan ahead, then follow the plan

It will take considerable time to get everything done, so don’t put it off, or you’ll wind up stressed out. Even an hour here and there adds up.

I personally found it easiest to break up my study sessions into smaller chunks every week instead of working on all of them at once. This gave me time for my brain to rest and for anything I learned to “sink in” before moving on.

Follow the plan.

Qpractice has organized everything you need to do by exam day. Use your calendar and the Qpractice Study Schedule to help you determine when and how much time you’ll have to spend on each study topic before moving on.

8. Block out chunks of time

It’s easier for many designers to work in shorter study sessions (an hour or two at a time) instead of spending an entire long weekend studying. So, for example, you can review flashcards or check into the study group during short chunks of time in the morning, over lunch – even while you’re waiting in line.

You can watch an Answer Vault or lesson video in 20 minutes (some are much shorter) and take a quiz in just 5 minutes. You can also listen to lessons and even have your textbook read to you while you’re commuting, doing dishes, walking the dogs, or doing laundry.

Take plenty of breaks if you schedule longer study sessions. Get outside and take a walk, or go to lunch.

Schedule office hours and blocks of no more than a few hours at a time on weekends.

And most important — put these appointments with yourself on your calendar. If it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done.

9. Join our study group

Once you go through your first pre-test, you’re going to have questions – a lot of them. So it really helps to get together with a regular group, ask questions, and share strategies and tips. And don’t forget to ask designers who’ve already taken the exam what they’ve learned.

At Qpractice, we do this in our private study group and during our live office hours and chats. So you can find designers to chat with and even designers in your area to study with.

Here’s some of the glowing feedback we’ve gotten from group members:

What are the Best Practices for the Practicum Exam?

10. Read and thoroughly understand the question

Many people make the mistake of rushing through the exam without reading and understanding the questions thoroughly.

The NCIDQ is available globally now and also available in French! But you still might not be taking the test in your first language. If that’s the case for you, slow down. Make sure you understand what the test creators are asking before you answer.

11. Read and understand the program requirements

When you get used to reading the program for each case study, you’ll find that the format for many is similar. So learn to skim and pick up key points fast. Also, learn to understand the difference between program and code requirements.

But not everything is explicitly spelled out. So you’ll need to know where to find the correct information quickly should you need to refer back to it.

We see members make mistakes with this all the time. That’s why it’s good to practice and review as many case studies as possible, so you’ll understand what to do in almost any situation.

12. Practice with the building codes ahead of time

Learn the building codes so you don’t waste time looking stuff up on exam day – applying these correctly should be automatic by then. Qpractice has building code quizzes to help you with this.

Some of the most frequently used codes and standards are helpful to memorize for the exam. You really do need to know these so you don’t have to waste time on exam day looking them up.

There will be some differences between some of these and the codes you use in your job, so be aware of the differences. Of course, you will have a copy to refer to on exam day, but you’ll waste time and are likely to make mistakes if you don’t know already know them.

If you decide not to memorize something but think you might need it on exam day, you need to know how to find it quickly. But the more you remember, the more time you’ll save.

13. Practice both residential and commercial case studies

On the practicum exam, you’ll have to work with both residential and commercial scenarios, regardless of your work experience.

When I took the exam, I was a hospitality designer with loads of experience planning public and guest spaces. But I hadn’t worked in residential interiors for quite a few years.

If I hadn’t practiced with residential spaces, I’m not sure I would have passed.

You will need to be familiar with residential, small, and large commercial scenarios for this exam:

• Small commercial ≈ 2400 sq. ft.
• Multi-family residential ≈ 2500 sq. ft.
• Large commercial ≈12,500 sq. ft.

14. Have a method to your madness

One of the things we teach in our Qpractice PRAC Workshop is developing a strategy for working through each case study for speed and effectiveness.

Develop a system for how you’ll handle questions you can’t answer quickly, what resources you’ll use on-screen, or if you want to take notes by hand or use a hand calculator (offered at many testing centers).

What Else Do I Need to Know About Exam Day?

15. Familiarize yourself with Prometric check-in policies.

Testing centers are strict about what you are (and are not) allowed to bring in with you, so make sure you review the exam policies in advance. Processes are regularly changing.

Have your approved photo ID ready, and handle any name changes well beforehand.

16. Know the location of your testing center.

Don’t get lost on the way to your exam – it will stress you out and hurt your performance. Instead, look up directions a few days before, and consider doing a test run to make sure you’re familiar with parking.

Also, if there’s severe weather in your area, check ahead to ensure that potential power outages have not affected the testing center schedules.

17. Bring earplugs or glasses

Bring earplugs if you get distracted by noises like other keyboards, paper rustling, air conditioning, or the nervous twitching of other test-takers. Testing centers typically offer noise-reducing headsets, but these don’t usually fit well with glasses and can be uncomfortable.

Not all testing centers have the same resources, but you can always reach out to clarify this ahead of time.

Also, consider bringing reading or computer glasses for the screen to help you see any too-small graphics on test day.

That’s it!

We hope you’ll find some of these tips will help reduce your stress. Just remember that there aren’t any shortcuts to plain old diligence and commitment to study and practice.

Deciding what you do after the NCIDQ Exam is a better problem to have.