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testing tips

Posted By: sm on 2009-04-06
In Reply to: anyone have tips for testing? - Dawn

I hear you. I am the same way. Not a newbie but testing really shakes me up. With so much riding on the results, who wouldn't be a wreck? This job market makes it even worse. I, too, am out there testing. I think you are doing everything right; going back and reproofing. Keep any and all reference books at hand and use them whenever you can. Most of the tests are not timed so take advantage of checking and double-checking anything you are unsure about. Then do what I do . . . pray. I do believe good things come to those who wait. I am trying very hard to prescreen every company before applying there so I don't waste my time testing with a company that won't be a good fit. Go back in the MTStars archives and Google the company name and I found even more info under googling the company name and pay, sometimes using the year afterwards. You will be surprised all that pops up.
When testing let your phone take messages. Keep something to drink close by,and remember, the more tests you take, the next one will get easier. You are not alone. Keep with it and something good will eventually happen for you. Good Luck!


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anyone have tips for testing?
I'm one of those people that don't test well,  I never have been able to test well, even in high school I had problems.  I just took a test today, and I actually think I did pretty well.  I went back and listened to each sound file a second time while reading through the transcribed file.  I found a couple of mistakes and corrected them.  Any other tips for better testing would be appreciated greatly. 
Regarding testing. I have given in-depth testing but I have come to find that sm

no matter what a company wants, be it ESL specialist, etc., the best test to give ANY applicant is one that is not planned, one given right on the spot, verbal, one that has not been scheduled so the person has had no time to get nervous, but throw about 15-20 questions at them, general knowledge for their level of skill, and it can tell you wonders about their knowledge that is retained!! I actually find that the retention rate of folks hired this way is actually higher than intense testing given by some of these larger national companies.  We all know that it takes sometimes a couple of weeks for even the best MTs to understand (I am speaking of the ESLs or bad dictators).  There are some companies that give these as tests and what does that tell?  Tells nothing and means nothing!  Some of these that do well on these actually cannot do the work.  How do we know that these folks have not actually had someone else do the test for them?


I find the best way is to pull a pop test on the spot in the middle of the interview and it works!  Don't ever give the same questions to two separate applicants.  Have a database of questions to pull from.  Score from the ones you ask and move on from there.  If the person cannot do the work, you know it in a day. 


I believe it was the old EDiX that used to give over the phone questions, but they still scheduled this and people had time to get nervous.  This way there is no time and well, you would be surprised at what folks actually do know...and in some cases...what folks actually do not know when given multiple choice, but to me this is an excellent way of testing, takes very little time, which I personally consider to be too valuable to waste 3-4 hours on a test, which someone who is experienced and has worked for 10 to 15 years in the field should not be required to do anyhow, should not be asked to do.  When you have worked 12 hours during that day for a company (and some have), why should they have to take 4 hours to do a test?!


Think about it!!


I have recently spoken to other recruiters from other companies and they have agreed with me on this and I hope it catches on because it certainly is less time consuming and tells you all you need to know without giving them the actual work to do.


 



 


 


 


Thanks for the tips.
By the way, aren't little girls the best?
Thanks for the tips - you were right!
It was great. Cool air, all Ops reports, clear dictators. I realize now the other people on my accounts are getting started at 5:00 am and beating me to all the work. Little did I know!

I only worked for about 2 hours last night because it was a spur of the moment thing and I hadn't napped. I worry about the quality of my work when I'm tired, so I'm going to take a long snooze this afternoon and start work at about 9.

In the 2 hours I worked, I got 390 lines, which is excellent for me with no templates/normals. Woohoo! I'll be able to hit my line count for the day in about half the time it takes me during the day.

Thanks all!
My tips
From someone who goes twice a year. Definetely plan to go Super Bowel Weekend,you will have ZERO wait on rides and just run from ride to ride, it is great. Also the first two weeks in December are okay. The summer and spring break are disgusting, it will put you in such a bad mood after one day. Check out the website Mousesavers.com. They have so much information there about everything Disney. When we go for one night with two kids and Florida resident discount we spend at at $500 for hotel, food, etc, etc. We also get in the Disney mood and think that are made of money so do spend more than needed. I would say go to disney site Disneyworld.com and figure out your ticket prices and hotel and then add $60 for each person per day. That is $20 per meal with a little extra left over from each meal for drinks, snacks, etc. That will be the top amount you need, but it gives you somewhere to start. We try to eat breakfast in hotel, pop tarts, PB&J and then only have to pay for lunch and dinner. Or eat breakfast, skip lunch and eat early dinner. If you need any more tips let me know, I have learned a lot over the years of going.
btw thanks for the tips
You're right, sitting around waiting for the perfect job won't happen.  Something about MT'ing made me feel so comfortable and cozy, now not so much.  I'm in the beginning stages of stepping out and finding another career before the boat sails.  I guess having a few ideas is a start.
Thanks everyone for your tips. I really appreciate all the help!!
Hopefully, I can become an ESL specialist:)
I used to cut the tips off
Where I used to work as they seemed to turn the heat waaaay down at night and on the weekends when there was no one else but me in the bldg. working! I had bought those cheap less than a buck stretchy kind and cut the finger tips off and that worked well for me.
thanks for all the tips !

tips
Do you have one of those old-fashioned grocery stores in your area that still take your groceries out to your car?  Like a Piggly Wiggly for instance?  Do you tip the baggers that take your groceries out?  I seriously had never gave it a thought until a friend of mine went to one of those grocery stores with me and she said that she does.  I've never noticed anyone doing that.  I tip my beautician, at the car wash, and for a manicure/pedicure, but it had honestly never crossed my mind until she said that she did that.  Now everytime I go I'm looking around to see if anyone else does and I still can't figure out if they are or not. 
Tips sm
Wouldn't it be nice if we got a "tip" for every time we saved someone by taking extra time with their dictation? Just a dream, of course! I too give my hairdresser a $20 tip for full highlight, etc., but I find now for just a cut alone to give her $5 is enough as it doesn't take that long. Perhaps I'm cheap, but I think the prices are so riduculous unless you go to SuperCuts, etc., that it's figured into the price. A hairdresser once told me he paid $3.00 for a $45.00 perm solution, of course, no one gets "perms" anymore, but there's a big markup. I try to go according to how long the stylist spends on me, if she gives me extra time and attention, I go higher. Sometimes some of them put on an "act" for you if they're not busy. You have to know the circumstances. My "regular" hairdresser pays for her space, so she has to make her rent and pay a babysitter. I like her, so I'm willing to spend more.
A few other tips, sm
A local noon TV show gave similar tips that have appeared here, but here are a few more:
Keep your money with you, i.e. wear a fanny pack rather than having it in a box or something.
Sometimes people ask to use your bathroom. Don't let them in your house, let them know of a store or gas station nearby with restroom facilities.
If it is a hot day and you have access to a child who is old enough, have them sell ice-cold lemonade. People will buy. Or, just keep a pitcher of ice cold water and paper cups, just to help them cool off.
Set a time and cut prices in half the last couple of hours on the second day, if you really want to sell your stuff.
If you don't want to move the unsold stuff back into the house, consider donating it to Good Will, Salvation Army, etc. Just pack it in your car and drive it over.

Have fun!
Thanks for those tips. (sm)
Those are really some great ideas.

My youngest has 2 more years until he is off to Kindergarten. As much as I hate to wish away the years where my kids are concerned, I know that things will be much easier for me when I have a "full" day to be able to devote to work with no interruptions. Then I will just have to worry about family and friends interruptions, which should be easier to handle!

I did sit down with my daughter yesterday and told her that I was desperate for some help this summer, oferring a small raise in her weekly allowance if she would give me a hand with the boys. She has been spending her days running around way too much. She agreed, so we will see how that goes.

It definitely is not easy to work at home when you have children. I can't even count the number of times I have thought to myself that I need to start looking for an in-house job. Then I remind myself of the benefits of being home for my kids. I think they do outweight the disadvantages in the long run.
Thank you everyone for your tips!
x
Any tips

I am looking to get back into the field after a 12 year break to raise my kids.  Any advice on how to get my foot in the door or who might hire me?  I have over 10 years experience in out-patient radiology.


Thanks.


Thanks for the tips!
nm
My tips here...
"With my tapes, I could type the entire day's dictation for the day in one word document."

Why can't you do that now? I type all my files in one Word document, them chop them up into separate files when done proofreading.

"It takes much longer to download the file, create the new documents, save, and upload than it does to type it."

Well, how long did it take you to get in the car and drive to get your tapes and return them?

I'm not sure what your problem is. I can tell you how I do it....maybe that will help.

I download all my digital files at once, then start transcribing them all in one Word document.

If you can't download them all at once, download the first one and transcribe it while you're downloading the second one, etc.




Thanks for tips
Thank you for the tips.

I just recenty started to use the Expander more for the basic parts of the sentence. It seems as time goes on, more things occur to me. I will check out the links posted too (thanks!).

I need to come up with a good system for labs. I can see that is slowing me down ... and vitals. I am very slow on the number row.

Anyway, I appreciate the ideas posted and will welcome any others that you all might think of.

Here are a few tips (sm)
Have your own "word list" (I use Lil Red Notebook) so once you look up a word and verify it, it will be faster to find it next time.

Also get a good Expander and learn how to use it, not just for individual words but for whole phrases (and even paragraphs) depending on what kind of work you are doing.

Stedman's medical spellchecker.

Try to just work during work hours, and surf only when you are not supposed to be working. This is the hardest thing for me! Sometimes even when looking things up online I get distracted, following links and reading things I don't really need to read when I've already found my answer.

Good luck to you. I have heard nothing but good things about an M-Tec education!
Thank you for all your tips
I am going to look into everyone's suggestions.  I take it IT means Instant Text?  How do you separate your dictionaries with doctors?
VR tips

I work on Edit Script and the average pay for most companies seems to be .04 cpl.  I get .0425.  Your production really depends on the account you have, the dicator and you learining the shortcut keys.  I still have a hard time not using the mouse!  But on the other hand, I am not a stong typist, so I prefer VR over typing.  If I had to do straight typing I probably would not make it in this business, so VR is the way for me.  I had to switch companies because my first one had difficult dictators and I was not making much money.  Things are better now, but still a work in progress.  One suggestion I will make is that you use the Escription forum for productivity tips and also there is a link that will tell you of your progress if you log into it.  The system can read your skills as you use it and give you a report on your progress.  It will tell you if you are using the mouse too much, etc.  It really is a great system with a lot of great tools for MTs.


Hang in there---Sue


Tips for you ... sm
I travel quite a bit with this work. Here's my suggestions:

1. Great laptop
2. AT&T Wireless Internet card
3. AVG security package
4. Bank account with a large national bank .. NO DEBIT CARDS. Use credit card for everything then pay as soon as it appears on your online statement. NO interest is paid. If you pay with a debit card, you have no consumer protection plus your funds could be wiped out. With a credit card, you have a barrier, can dispute the payment, recover lost/stolen funds, get warranties on purchases, etc.

Enjoy.

Tips
Will you please share some tips on what you do to maintain your income level, i.e., the type of Expander you use, how you stay focused, whatever it is that keeps you at the top?  I would very much appreciate it.  Thank you. 
Tips

I definitely would not say I'm at the top.  I get distracted like many with surfing, chatting, etc during my work time.  Honestly, if my work ethic was more strict, I could make another 20-30,000 a year. 


I use IT as my expander.  I am not an Expander queen.  I use them and add all the time but I'm not obsessed with it - but it definitely saves me time and worth every penny 10 fold.  I use my Stedman's Elec Dictionary - another total must have for this job. 


You're going to make more money if you know your specialty and your doctors.  I try to get work where I can do the same doctors regularly.  I would not take a position where there is a huge pool of doctors.  I make the money on my single doctor accounts where I can get regulars and build up speed the fastest.  Even accounts with 4 to 5 doctors you can easily build up speed on. 


Don't settle for cr*p jobs.  As I said earlier, there are better paying companies out there.  Makes me extremely irritated to see companies posting for slave wages wanting so much experience and basically offering nothing in return but the chance to make $5 an hour.  I won't even test until I know what the rate will be.  And honestly, the best companies have the shortest or no test. 


Keystrokes and MDI may look good compared to most bigger companies, but I personally wouldn't work for them.  There are better places, but you have to be willing to do some research and go beyond what everyone else does.   


 


 


tips

I am looking for tips to make my typing faster. For example, auto corrects, quick cut and pastes, etc. Any ideas?


VR Tips

Okay, since so many of us are being transitioned into VR, I thought it might be helpful to start a thread discussing helpful tips on how to be more productive with VR. 


For some dictators (the ones that have the "good" VR come through), I have found that reading through the report and changing it to go more with accounts specifics gets me through it faster than trying to change while listening. 


I also like to use ctrl + lft arrow key to skip by words instead of by letters. 


Other than that . . . I really suck at VR, which is why I am hoping to see if anyone has tips or suggestions on how to help make all MTs more productive on VR. 


TIA.


Testing for a new job

I am testing on Friday for a new job. I need this job very badly, because of the benefits. If anyone has any suggestions on where I can find some practice tests(written exams), please let me know! Thanks.


testing
x
When testing, is it better to - sm
When testing for a company is it better to type verbatim or can you change things like grammar to make it actually correct?
Testing
I humbly say that I have never tested for a company where I have not been offered a job and I've tested plenty.  I always type verbatim with the exception of changing grammar. If in doubt, I put (?), basically for anything I would send to QA if actually working.  IMO if you start "correcting" you'll likely flunk the test.  I've always tested for acute care so I have no idea what testing would be like for clinic work. 
Not testing
Has anyone every been hired without being tested first?  I was just asked to sign on with a company and start as soon as possible.  I've already got ID# and everything.  There was only one other company that did require testing but that fell through, could never get the information straight or help with it.  Should I be leary of this one too?
not testing
I also was hired on this past week without testing.  Like the other poster said it was a good feeling to have your experience do the talking...  Good luck
Testing sm
Anyone know a good testing site from a good company who doesn't require buying expensive equipment just to "test", sick of reading those who say "If you don't have.......don't bother testing." I am probably on the wrong board, but I want to test today, if possible. I only have Execuscribe and earphones, am totally clueless otherwise. Have "Word" but no medical dictionary in there either. "Sad" but true. Thanks for any info.
Pet testing
We once had an MD call our radiology office to see if we would MRI her beloved duck. Alas, the duck passed away before we could scan. I can only imagine what the report would have consisted of, LOL.
Testing
I tested with many companies without having to get *permission* to do so. The national I landed my job with right out of school said they required 2 years' experience, but I tested and passed, and they hired me. If you get discouraged and give up you will never get in. You have to keep plugging at it. I e-mailed my resume and applied and tested for many, many companies before I got hired. I actually started working for the company I am with now the day after I graduated my MT program. It really can be done. And you're right, it does seem to be a very impersonal business on many levels. Fortunately there are many companies out there that have very nice people that will give you a chance. It's just a matter of finding the one that is right for you.
testing
testing
testing
Hi,
yeah, just got done taking a test and nailed it, I know I did, but got an instant reply of not enough experience. I'm certainly not a quitter and will just keep trying. I am so ready to work!
testing
just testing my validation
testing

   Can anyone out there explain to me why when taking a test for a national company they would tell you, Note: The audio is bad and that is part of the test.  Why in the world would a company want to give you a bad audio tape to test on?  Is this a Joke?  I feel this is very humiliating to a transcriptionist.  Just give a decent test.  How is anyone supposed to pass it if the audio is bad?  I do not care who you are and how many years experience, if the audio is bad, then no one is going to pass.  This is totally ridiculous.  I am glad I am starting to look into coding for a new profession because these National companies are making a mockery of this field, which was once respected.


 



 


testing
Just testing before posting anything.
Testing
I always try to get as much info as I can when a company is posting a test. If they cannot look at your resume and see how many years and what specialities you have transcribed and see that you either do or do not meet their qualifications - they have too much time on their hands. Who has time in the MT business to grade and pick over tests? to me that's just crazy. The only ones who might benefit from these tests are newbies trying to break into the fields - and they usually do not have the # of years of experience that any national is looking for - yes - perhaps it is time to get out and get a real job - but I can remember when this was a real job - it isn't what it used to be.
MT Testing

Should testing transcription be done verbatim or do you suppose it could be lightly edited? I was not sure about this. I have never had a company instruct me on what they prefer.


Thanks


CMT testing
I have a question for anyone who has ever used the CMT Review Guide. There is a CD with the book that has snipets of dictation. I am getting so frustated. I don't think I've gotten 1 right yet. The punctuation is mostly what is killing me, but also they seem like they expect you to know what kind of format you should be using. Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't seem to figure out when they want what, as far as set up goes, so consequently I get them marked wrong. So anyway, has anyone else had a problem with this, and if anyone has taken the test, is that the way the test is too?
Testing, etc.
I have only tested for one company, and I felt I aced the test with no problems. The only reason I tested with this particular company is because it was part of the application process from the very beginning. With most, I don't even get to testing. I can't figure this out! Resume is perfection. No, I am not using my current company as a reference.

I did ask the last one who turned me down for some elaboration as to what areas I need to strengthen. Not sure if I will get a reply, though.
Testing, testing 1-2-3

Which is what one of our bright and fab docs says everytime he starts a report...


LoL... I wonder if he comes back and says, Is this thing on?  


Yep.. It's one of THOSE days. 


I am currently testing for them too...sm
That is some long dictation to type for a test. I only listened to the SOAP notes file but it is long. Alot of reports in that one file. I don't like the fact that they are in Canada and noone knows nothing about them.
What would you do when testing?

***Edited by Moderator***


RE: Testing
I had trouble with some, some I didn't. I used Gearplayer foot pedal.
When testing have you ever

Had six or seven short notes to type and you got one that you just couldn't figure out and there would be blanks, would you finish it with the blanks, even if there were quite a few, or would you not do it and tell the person you're testing for that you weren't able to transcribe the note? 


testing

I am trying to test (not medical) and they had me download something called DSS Lite, so I could transcribe what they e-mailed me.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I cannot get my foot pedal to work with it.  Thank you in advance.


Testing
One thing you might do and not sure if you did it (if with the "standardized testing") save your work after EVERY completed section -- then if you take a break you should be able to go right back into the section you just completed.  Hope this helped.