Best free resources for CAADE prep — what's actually worth your time
Compiling a list of what's actually useful for CAADE prep after going through a lot of material that wasn't. Wanted to share what worked for me and hopefully save others some time.
For study guide specifically, the free resources are surprisingly good. The caade pharmacology of substances has questions that closely match real exam difficulty — not dumbed-down versions that give you false confidence.
What I'd skip: most YouTube "pass in one week" content. The explanations are surface-level and don't prepare you for the applied questions on the actual CAADE exam. Flashcards alone also aren't enough for this one.
What actually worked: timed practice sets with immediate review of wrong answers, reading the official reference material for any concept that came up more than twice, and finding one study partner for the practice test sections. The social accountability made a bigger difference than I expected.
Good thread. One thing I'd add: don't try to cram the night before. I did 2 hours the night before my CAADE and I think it hurt more than helped. Your brain needs consolidation time. Light review or full rest is better.
Good thread. One thing I'd add: don't try to cram the night before. I did 4 hours the night before my CAADE and I think it hurt more than helped. Your brain needs consolidation time. Light review or full rest is better.
Same experience here. The caade pharmacology of substances was what finally made it click for me — specifically the way it explains the reasoning rather than just giving answers. Took me 3 weeks of consistent practice but scores went from 69% to 87% by exam day.
Really helpful breakdown, thanks for sharing. I'm at week 2 of my CAADE prep and the study guide section is exactly where I'm struggling too. Going to try the approach you described and see if it moves my scores.
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