Which section of the NDAEB is hardest? My breakdown after taking it

Good thread. One thing I'd add: don't try to cram the night before. I did 2 hours the night before my NDAEB and I think it hurt more than helped. Your brain needs consolidation time. Light review or full rest is better.

For the people asking about study timelines: I studied 88 minutes per day for 13 weeks working full time. It's absolutely doable without burning out. The key is consistency — missing days hurts more than extending your timeline.

For what it's worth — I've taken the NDAEB twice now. First attempt I underestimated the practice test questions. Second time I focused almost exclusively on applied practice and passed comfortably. The difference is real.

Just wanted to drop in with a quick update since I've been lurking this thread while studying. Hit a 74% on my last practice set yesterday, which honestly surprised me because I was stuck around 62% for like two weeks. Something finally clicked with the infection control section.

Planning to sit the real exam mid-July. Nervous but I think I'll be ready. The applied questions you mentioned are no joke — you can't just memorize stuff and call it a day. If anyone else is in that 60-65% plateau, don't give up, it does eventually start moving.

Honestly, the hardest part for me was finding consistent time to study. I work full-time and have two kids, so I was cramming in 20-30 minutes during lunch breaks and maybe an hour after they went to bed. It's not ideal but it worked. The infection control and radiography sections hit harder than I expected because you can't just memorize definitions — you have to actually think through the scenario they're giving you.

What helped most was treating every practice question like a mini case study instead of a trivia question. I didn't rush to the answer. I'd read it twice and ask myself what the patient situation actually needs. If you're studying part-time like I was, don't try to cover everything evenly. Find out where you're weakest and spend the bulk of your time there. That shift in how I approached studying made a real difference in the last few weeks before the exam.