I've been studying for the CHI for about 3 months now and I'm finally feeling ready to schedule. My question for anyone who's taken both sections: does it make more sense to sit for the written portion first, or go straight into the oral skills component? I scored around 78% on my last full practice set and I'm honestly not sure if that's enough of a cushion.
My background is 4 years as a community interpreter, mostly Spanish-English in hospital settings. I've been doing about 2 hours of prep daily, focusing on medical terminology and code of ethics scenarios. The NBCMI terminology flashcards have been solid but sight translation drills are where I keep losing points.
For context I'm working full-time so study time is limited to early mornings and weekends. I've heard the oral component has a higher first-attempt fail rate - something like 35-40%. Is there a strategy for pacing yourself through sight translation passages without sacrificing accuracy?
I took the written first and I'm really glad I did. It gave me a solid framework going into the oral - you start seeing exactly which ethics principles come up most. I failed the oral the first time (scored 68%, needed 70%) but passed the second attempt after focusing specifically on the healthcare provider register.
I did both sections in the same week and don't recommend it. By the time I got to the oral my brain was completely fried. If you're already working full-time, space them out by at least 2 weeks.
The sight translation is no joke. I practiced by reading medical discharge summaries out loud every morning, timing myself at about 150 words per minute. Felt ridiculous at first but it genuinely made a difference on test day.
78% on practice tests should be fine for the written - most people I've talked to passed with practice scores in the 75-80 range. The oral is a different beast though, honestly more about composure than pure knowledge.
I actually failed the written on my first attempt and I think it was because I rushed into it without really understanding the cultural competency stuff. Took me a while to figure out that the terminology and sensitivity scenarios weren't things I could just cram the night before. Second time around I went through the free chi cultural competence sensitivity practice material obsessively and it made a huge difference. Honestly that section tripped me up way more than the medical terminology did.
For your situation, I'd say do written first. Get that out of the way so you're not carrying anxiety about it into the oral section, which requires a completely different kind of focus. Six weeks is enough time if you're already at 78% on practice tests, but don't sleep on the ethics and cultural scenarios. Those questions look easy and they're not.