Micro Study Habits That Make a Massive Impact on passing the NBHWC Exam
For the busy coach juggling work, family, and everything in between
If you're preparing for the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) board exam and feel like you have zero extra time between work, kids, and life—you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need hours of uninterrupted study time to feel confident and prepared. You just need the right habits.
Think consistency, not intensity.
Just like you can’t hit the gym for one 3-hour workout and expect to lose 10 pounds, you can’t cram for 3 hours and expect to remember everything. True learning doesn’t happen in marathons—it happens in repetition.
Your brain, like your body, needs regular “exercise” to build and store memories. It thrives on small, consistent efforts over time.
Consistency beats intensity.
Time spent doesn’t equal knowledge gained.
It’s how you study that matters.
Want to actually retain what you study and recall it under pressure?
Do this to prepare for the NBHWC exam:
1. Study in 10–20 minute bursts.
Short, focused sessions are more effective than long, draining ones. They’re also easy to fit into the small pockets of time scattered throughout your week. Here are a few moments that might make sense for pulling out your study materials:
Early morning before the house wakes up
Between meetings
On your lunch break
While waiting for appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.)
During kids’ extracurriculars or practices
In the school pickup line
Right after dinner while the kitchen is settling
While a baby is napping or playing independently
Before bed instead of scrolling
On weekends during quiet moments
Health Coach Study Hall materials are all mobile friendly so can review anywhere, anytime.
2. Choose Study Materials Focused on Active Retrieval
Instead of passively rereading notes, challenge yourself to pull information from memory—that’s where real learning happens. Health Coach Study Hall makes this easy with tools designed for active recall, like:
Practice Exams
These look and feel like the real NBHWC exam, but with a bonus—you get instant feedback after each question. You’ll find out instantly if your answer was correct, along with clear, straightforward explanations to help you understand why. That way, you’re locking in concepts on the spot and getting the most out of every minute.Content Review Quizzes
These quizzes mix things up with multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions to exercise your brain. They’re aligned with the NBHWC competencies, so you’re only reviewing what you really need to know. And yes, you get feedback on each question right away too!
These resources help you lock in key concepts more effectively than re-reading ever could.
3. Review regularly.
Revisit what you’ve studied every few days. This spaced repetition helps move info into long-term memory (where you need it to be on exam day).
Sticking to a study plan can make it easier to build studying into your routine and stay on track.
Our 6-Week Guided Study Plan takes the guesswork out of prep because it tells you exactly what to study, when to do it, and for how long. It’s thoughtfully designed to help you retain key information and build the mental endurance you’ll need for the 4.5-hour NBHWC exam.
4. Talk about it or write about it.
Putting concepts into your own words—whether by discussing them with a study partner, explaining them out loud to yourself, or writing about what you’ve learned—helps deepen your understanding. It forces your brain to organize information actively, making it easier to remember and retrieve when it counts. Plus, writing or speaking about complex ideas can reveal gaps in your knowledge so you know what to review next.
5. Focus only on what you need to know.
Don’t waste time reading every coaching textbook cover to cover. Instead, use them as reference tools to quickly look up key concepts that align with the NBHWC content outline and competencies—so every minute you spend studying is focused and effective. We’ve ensured our resources cover everything you need with top-tier quality.
The difference these habits make?
They can be the difference between walking into the NBHWC board exam stressed and scattered—or cool, calm, and collected.
Because when you’ve studied strategically, not just hard—you walk in ready.
Busy coaches: You don’t need more time. You need a solid study strategy.
That’s why I (Laurie Thomeczek) created Health Coach Study Hall—to help you make the most of the small windows of time you do have, with tools grounded in how your brain learns best.
Want help staying consistent and locking in what matters most for the NBHWC exam? Explore our materials here →