Customer Reviews

Review for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Certification (LWW Massage Therapy and Bodywork Educational Series)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is just the right mix of information and brevity. It covers a lot of material but does not go into unnecessary depth on anything; it simply tells you what you need to know for the national exam.

Organization is very good, and it covers all of the basic areas with all of the essential information. Topics that my school didn't cover in enough depth, for instance taxes, were dealt with well in the short sections on business practices.

The quiz sections were for the most part accurate depictions of actual exam questions.

The book has a couple of minor deficiencies. One, as another reviewer noted, is that there isn't enough information on Chinese medicine, compared to what is actually on the test. Another problem I have with the book is that while it covers a lot of diseases, they are perfunctory descriptions at best. But not much more is needed for the massage exam.

I took the massage exam and passed with flying colors. I studied using this book, "Massage National Exam: Questions and Answers," and "Illustrated Essentials of Musculoskeletal Anatomy," along with a medical dictionary.

I used this book and did well on the nationals... the secret is that about a quarter of the questions on the actual test have to do with eastern modalities .. namely shiatsu and the chinese KO cycle... go to wikipedia and look up the KO cycle ... there it has a chart shaped like a star with a circle around it... print it out and come up with a way to memorize the chart (my secret was FEM Wild Woman.. like Fire Earth Metal Water Wood) then make word associations to remember the colors, (like water is blue, wood comes from trees that have green leaves, fire is red, dirt is yellow with some other colors mixed in and it comes from the earth)directions, organs, tastes, energies (like corporal soul, spirit soul etc), and emotions associated with each element...it sounds goofy but this technique saved me...memorize where and what each meridian is... MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO THIS!!! all of the things that i just listed ARE on the test.. other than the origins and insertions of the muscles it's the hardest thing about the test... i was shocked at how much of the test was this stuff that i was never going to use anywhere else! there was also a tiny bit on the chakras (a 5 minute review is probably enough)... ).. and a lot of the thinking questions (don't worry they're not as bad as the book put out by the national board makes them out to be) like "if an elderly person has a raised hip which muscles are weakened?" this exact question isn't asked but there are many like that..
the questions in the book are very similar to those on the boards...if you can pass the tests in this book the first time you should be able to pass the nationals (i thought that i was going to have a heart attack the day before the test because i was so overwhelmed.. i really didn't think that i'd pass because i'd only been cramming 8 hours per day for 2 weeks and didn't feel prepared and i actually, not only passed, but did well) .. just study this book and you'll be fine
i just thought that i'd write a little something to help out other people going through what i just went though... don't panic... i passed the first time and i attended a school that taught to the state boards and had no eastern modalities in it's curriculm ... if you study this book and the stuff that i just listed you'll be fine.. my mom also read that chewing gum helps when test taking because it helps the left and right hemispheres of your brain communicate better and i swear that it worked! Good luck!

This book will not hand hold you, but it will give you what you need to KNOW to pass. Mostly. I did a 720-hour program that was equally divided between Western and Eastern modalities, and this book was fantastic for review; I passed on my first attempt. But it was weak in kinesiology and even in some anatomy, and it was wholly lacking in Traditional Chinese Medicine. You will need to supplement when it comes to TCM meridians and their related emotions, colors, seasons, elements, tastes and so on. A Google search for "traditional chinese medicine five element theory" should get you in the right direction. Chart it out and memorize it, because chances are good that a lot of it will be on your exam. It certainly was for mine!

This book gets 5 stars due to the fact it gives you what it says-major review info for national certification. Loaded with information page after page including diagrams, defintions, text and review questions.

My instructors were a little surprised to find out the previous 'bible' of certification review "The Guide" is no longer published as it was. This book takes it's place, with all the information the Guide had, updated and condenesd in an easy to take format (compared to many others, including The Guide's large print text and spiral bound text book). This book is smaller, will fit in any bag you tote around so you can study any and all the time. It has earned all the praises of my instructors and has become a major core to our massgae cirriculum. If you want to study for the National exams, or if you are already liscensed and need a simple, highly informative reference book to add to your library this would be perfect...

I've read someone mentioning that it is not the best book for the National. I absolutely agreed. However, I passed my NY State Board and National exams with high marks partially because of this book. Of course you need to have a solid foundation on both Western and Eastern parts. However, a good review/practice book helps to save time and not going for a wrong direction.

As far as I can remember, the NY State Board did ask many questions about Oriental stuff. The information on this book (pp102-105) is a very useful summary but definitly not enough to prepare for either exam.

I could recall such a question from State Board that I took: "which element or meridian is associated with 3-5am? 1. Liver; 2. Bladder; 3. Lung." Alternatively, they can ask you what season associated with Lung meridian.... I have a worksheet summary of the Oriental meridians (in Excel file format). If you're interested, email me with reference to this review, I can send you a copy via email free.

Be honest, you will see some questions on both State Board or National exam that you have no clue what it is about. According to the experience shared with other licensed massage therapists, I found that the best way to deal with these types of exam questions on Oriental medicine is to use your logical way of thinking. We cannot know everything. But we can use our knowledge to find out the "BEST" answer from the question. That's why we need to practicing the MC type questions. Of course, we really need to know our stuff in the real world.

Good luck to you all. Enjoy your new massage therapy career.

This is a good reference for the NCETMB (National Certification Test). It gives summaries of a lot of information for things needed to know for the NCETMB. I was also recommended another few study guides for the NCETMB by other massage therapists who passed the NCETMB the first time. I'm glad I took their advice because these study guides were just awesome for the type of questions to prepare for on the NCETMB. The study guides I'm referring to is in three volumes that are the following and are available on amazon:
The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers (Volume 1 (isbn: 0971999643), Volume 2 (isbn: 0971999651), and Volume 3 (isbn: 097199966X) by Patrick Leonardi
These last three study guides helped me with passing the national certification test easily the first time. I highly recommend all four books. It's well worth the money.

This book, which seems small in comparison to some more comprehensive massage texts, is in actuality much more thourough and concise. After each chapter, there is an exam/review section structured after the actual national test. This is great practice for anyone about to take the NCBTMB. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book a few months ago, because of the reviews on Amazon. I used this study guide, made a few hundred flash cards and aced the review exams, but on the day I actually took the National Exam I failed. I was blown away by the difference between the type of questons asked on the exam vs. how I thought it was going to be from this review book. Yes, it was helpful to a degree, but I wouldn't bother purchasing save your money and spend it somewhere else. It is misleading.

Not only is this book great to review for the final...(I studied exclusively from this book alone and the online review that comes w/ book and passed with high scores 1st try)...but I wish I had purchased this when I first started my Massage courses because it breaks down all of the info you need into easy to read, easy to understand and pertinent information. A great book, you will not be disappointed.

I was so glad that I purchased this book for the review of my nationals massage exam. I had been away from the field for about a year and needed a complete review of every topic. This book not only provided the information needed in a simple outline format but it included pictures, which always helps me learn better. Step by step it takes you through the information you need to know. I used this book in conjunction with my student text and when the test rolled around I wasn't worried that I didn't know enough. I just couldn't wait to take the exam.