So I failed my ITLS Advanced on the first attempt back in March and honestly wasn't sure where I went wrong. I'd been an EMT for three years and figured my field experience would carry me through, but the written portion caught me off guard. The scenario stations went fine, but I bombed the multiple choice — especially the pathophysiology questions around tension pneumo and spinal motion restriction protocols.
After that I spent about six weeks really digging in. I used the official ITLS textbook (10th edition), watched some YouTube walkthroughs, and found a solid ITLS practice test site that actually mirrored the format of the real exam questions. That made a huge difference for identifying my weak spots before I wasted another $200 on a retake.
My ITLS study guide approach the second time was to focus on mechanism of injury decision trees and the patient assessment sequence until I could do it in my sleep. Passed with a 91 on the written. Anyone else struggled with the written more than the practicals? Would love to compare notes on exam tips that actually worked.