Obviously, I have already prepared for the exam, but I want to be sure I have committed to memory anything they might expect me to know.
What prompted this question is important isotopes and their properties. Which ones would you have memorized? I would hate to miss a question because I was unfamiliar with the half-life of an isotope that I don't work with. (or overlooking some other property).
Anyways, I don't mean to limit this conversation to isotopes. I would like a brainstorm for anything that comes down to memorization to help look for weaknesses in my prep.
Thanks
Rn222, 3.8 day half life, was more than frequently referenced.
Memorization of the four forms of the radioactive decay formula and a high level of confidence in the answers produced on first attempt was extremely valuable.
Second nature familiarity and confidence in the calculator being used is very important even though this exam is not calculator intensive.
The late Mike Davidson's DataChem Software 1000 question exam prep CD was very helpful.
I wrote the Nukeworker Quiz for the CHP Part 1 Exam.
In talking with other examinees the quiz is fairly representative of what everyone remembered.
Thanks. I haven't used the nukeworker quiz yet, but I have been burning through the other resources. I'll will have to add that into my nightly rotation.
Will things like removal half times and compartmental fractions for the ICRP 30 lung model need to be committed to memory?
There were several questions that required familiarity with the compartmental fractions.
I used Bevelacqua's book Basic Health Physics for those and found that through familiarity I had unknowingly memorized them.
If you have already reached a strong level of preparation then I would say yes.
I used the Datachem software as a jumping point for further study. Contemporary Health Physics by Bevalacqua was a help. There are scads of excellent websites. You already know that you will need a thorough understanding of the basics of non-ionizing radiation, accelerators, medical, generating plants, and cell interactions.
Here's the worst advice I had: "You slammed the NRRPT right? If you know that you'll fly through Part I." Don't believe it. The NRRPT is more of a 'plug-and-chug' test: solve for X and you're done. For the CHP you have to know how to derive the answer upside down and sideways. A working knowledge of Latin will help too - just kidding!
The test that I took included all kinds of references to coulombs. It threw me until I remembered that the math applies to anything - don't let odd units throw you.
My advise is to study a lot. You will have plenty of time for the test but not if you have to start thinking about the basics. Others have told me that the classes they took were helpful too.