Ah! The time has come to start preparing for the CBMT (Certification Board for Music Therapists) Exam. Although this exam is extremely difficult, don’t feel discouraged. IF you have successfully passed your coursework and internship, you are more than ready to conquer this exam!
In my experience, this exam was extremely difficult. It actually took me a few attempts to pass. Some people might feel embarrassed to share that information, but it is important to note that this exam does not define who you are as a therapist! I do not want to scare you or make you nervous with this blog post, I want to encourage you and provide you with tips that I wish I would have gotten. If this blog post helps one student feel encouraged and supported, then I have met my purpose.
Personally, I have horrible testing anxiety and poor test taking skills. I’ve never been the type of student to thrive on tests/quizzes or exams. To prepare for the official CBMT Exam, I took the Self Assessment Exams A and B on the CBMT’s website. You can find those linked here:
Overall, I did OK on the practice exams, but I knew I had room to grow. During my internship, I read The New Music Therapist’s Handbook (Third Edition) by Suzanne B. Hanser. All of my MT-BC friends told me that between studying the two practice tests and reading this book, I should easily pass the exam. This was not my experience… and apparently the same for many others. According to the CBMT’s website, the first time candidate pass rate is 69%, with an overall passing rate of 55%. You can find more information here:
Although these numbers are embarrassingly low, don’t let this data scare you. You can take this exam as many times as you need until you PASS!! And you WILL pass. I know music therapists that took the exam immediately after their internship without studying (and passed). I know music therapists that took 8 weeks to study. I also know music therapists that took the exam 3..4..maybe even 6 times before they passed. Some people are not great test takers but AMAZING music therapists. All of this is OK! The most important thing is to NOT give up!! Luckily for our profession, we are not penalized for failing the exam, and we can try again after 30 days and pay the retest fee.
Throughout my long journey of preparing for this exam, I met with countless study buddies and tutors. Although using a tutor was an added cost to an already expensive exam, I knew for me it was worth it. I grew tremendously by discussing different questions and reviewing topics on the exam with a practicing professional board certified music therapist. All board certified music therapists have the same credential (MT-BC). With that being said, all music therapists are unique in their approach. During this exam, the questions often ask for the BEST answer…which does NOT make it easy.
My tutors emphasized the importance of learning the CBMT/AMTA language. When answering the questions on the exam, don’t immediately jump to your personal response… consider the language of the professional documents (CBMT Domains, Code of Professional Practice, Scope of Music Therapy Practice, etc.). Once you’ve considered this in your thought process, then select the BEST answer. Always remember to keep the clients immediate needs at the forefront.
For more specific documents, I suggest reviewing
The SAE (Self-Assessment Exam) Bibliography
The CBMT Candidate Handbook
The AMTA Code of Ethics
The AMTA Professional Competencies
AMTA Standards of Clinical Practice
AMTA Advanced Competencies
It was important in my testing journey to read as many articles and books as possible. While waiting for my next attempt to take the exam, I wanted to fully submerge my brain into thinking about what it is like to be a music therapist working with a variety of clientele. The specific books that changed the way I viewed the exam include:
Guidelines to Music Therapy Practice in Mental Health | Edited by Lillian Eyre
Music Therapy Handbook | Barbara L. Wheeler
An Introduction to Music Therapy Theory and Practice | Willian B. Davis, Kate E. Gfeller and Michael H. Thaut
Clinical Training Guide for the Student Music Therapist (Second Edition) | Donna W. Polen, Carol L. Shultis and Barbara L. Wheeler
Music In Special Education (Third Edition) | Mary S. Adamek and Alice-Ann Darrow
If you are still a student and have access to your school’s online library database, I highly suggested requesting these books for download! Most of them were available for free through my University.
I am also a HUGE fan of podcasts. I’ve listened to almost every single episode of:
Music for Kiddos
The Care Chronicles (formerly known as the Music Therapy Chronicles Podcast)
Music Therapy and Beyond
Not Your Average Music Therapist
All of these podcasts discuss topics that are on the exam. My favorite part was listening to episodes that specifically focused on different populations and approaches. There is SO much to learn about our profession, and this information will help us beyond passing this exam. It will only help us grow as a clinician.
I wanted to share the two tutors that I worked with because I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to grow with them.
Allyson Rogers, MMT, MT-BC at Music and Miracles | https://mandmtherapy.com/
Amber Rogers, MA, MT-BC at Sequel Melody | https://sequelmelody.com/
Overall, my biggest tip is to remember that you ARE a music therapist. I literally wrote this at the top of my scratch paper on my exam day. You have done everything you need to be able to successfully pass this exam. Do NOT give up, even if you’re finding that it is taking more attempts than you initially thought.
I believe in you so strongly. If you are looking for more specific study material, please feel free to send me an email | hannahhowellmtbc@gmail.com
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