Starting my CRAT prep and trying to build a realistic 8-week plan. From what I've gathered, the exam covers rhythm interpretation, lead placement, artifact recognition, and some pharmacology. But I'd love to hear from people who've actually sat for it.
My background is ED tech, so I'm comfortable with basic rhythms — sinus, afib, flutter. Where I'm less confident is the more complex blocks and the trifascicular stuff. That's where I'm planning to spend the bulk of my time.
I've been drilling with practice strips daily, about 30 minutes per session. Found the crat practice test questions useful for getting a feel for how they frame the clinical scenarios.
Any advice on what to prioritize in the final two weeks? I'm thinking rhythm review plus pharmacology, but open to suggestions from people who've been through it.
Final two weeks: stop learning new material and just drill strips. I went through 200+ practice strips in my last week and it was the best thing I did. Speed and pattern recognition matter on this exam.
Pharmacology is lighter than you think — mainly antiarrhythmics, beta blockers, and their effects on the rhythm. You don't need deep pharmacokinetics, just enough to connect the drug to what you'd see on the strip.
Coming from ED tech you're in a decent spot. Focus hard on the blocks — second degree Type I vs Type II trips a lot of people — and make sure you can identify paced rhythms confidently. Those show up more than you'd expect.