How Many Hours Per Day and Days Per Week to Study

The NBCOT® posted 3 very insightful graphs on their Instagram of study schedules that test-takers who passed. This information is just for entertainment purposes but may provide you with a framework of how often and how long you should study.

This post shows the number of hours per day test-takers who passed studied:

  • 1 hour/day – 2%
  • 2 hours/day – 8%
  • 3 hours/day – 16%
  • 4 hours/day – 26%
  • 5 hours/day – 20%
  • 6 hours/day – 17%
  • 7 hours/day – 4%
  • 8 hours/day – 5%
  • 9 hours/day – 2%

This post shows how many days per week test-takers who pass studied:

  • 2 days/wk – 1% passed
  • 3 days/wk – 5% passed
  • 4 days/wk – 16% passed
  • 5 days/wk – 47% passed
  • 6 days/wk – 22% passed
  • 7 days/wk – 8% passed

This post shows how many total weeks test-takers who passed studied:

  • #1 was 6 weeks
  • #2 was 4 weeks
  • #3 was 8 weeks
  • #4 was 5 weeks
  • #5 was 12 weeks

So it seems the best study schedule for the NBCOT® Exam is

  • 4 hours/day
  • 5 days/week
  • for 6 weeks

Should you study less than this? Probably not.
Would it hurt to study more than this? Probably not.

Tip: If you have not already, schedule your exam, about 6-8 weeks out. This will put something on your calendar and prevent you from procrastinating and not taking the exam altogether.

Don’t worry, you can always reschedule.

*A rescheduling fee may apply and this is subject to change so read the handbook first.