Review: MBLEx Practice Exam Kit By Tests.com

I decided I wanted to buy an online program to study MBLEx practice questions while waiting for the massage exam books I ordered to arrive.

But then I found myself a bit confused as to which online practice exam service to select.

It took me a few days to pick an MBLEx practice test service because there are so many out there and they all look really good.

If you do a search for “MBLEx prep” in Google the results will range from practice tests, books, coaching, apps and more.

So how did I arrive at choosing Tests.com’s MBLEx Prep Kit? And How did I like it?

Why Did I Choose Tests.com’s MBLEx Prep Kit

As I researched the online options for studying for the MBLEx, I discovered a huge range of different prices and services.

First of all, there are a number of free practice tests online, and I did sign up for those, too.

That will go in another post, but if you do the search I mentioned earlier, you will find a bunch of them yourself.

You may find yourself satisfied with those choices, but I wanted more.

It is important to note that I was looking for this material in 2017 and just in the last few years the free online materials (I like this one) I signed up for back in 2017 have improved significantly, as has FSMTB’s website (the makers of the MBLEx test).

But at the time, the websites for the free MBLEx practice test options were a bit wonky, and so I decided I really wanted to focus my efforts on a platform that would not only test me but would record my scores and give me data on what areas of the exam I did the poorest in so that I could focus on those areas.

That ultimately lead me to Test.com and I am still satisfied with that choice.

Price

I was a bit dubious about paying for exam practice tests online and was not sure about the quality of online tests or if they were even necessary with all of the free resources out there.

So I decided that I wanted a service that was on the lower end of the pricing scale.

I had already ordered over $100 in books so I felt that buying online MBLEx practice tests were just going to be the confirmation that I was ready to take the REAL test, and that I had done the studying I needed to be ready to pass on my first try.

I also wanted to buy a practice test service from a website that had a satisfaction guarantee and that allowed me to return my purchase if I didn’t like it (more on their return policy later).

I have purchased so many crappy things online that I always look for a guarantee now and do not purchase anything online without a decent return policy.

Tests.com passed all of the above criteria.

I also chose Tests.com because they have been around since 2009 and have tests for over 300 fields of study, ranging from real estate to dental hygiene to insurance to police and more.

Admittedly their website was not (and still is not) as fancy or modern as other online practice-test services

It looks very 2009.

But I would rather have an older website that functions perfectly and that I have access to forever at a low price than to buy a test-prep service with a very shiny website that is also very expensive just because it looks nice.

Before we leave the topic of price, I want to mention that some practice-test services will give you a time limit to access their material (like a month) for a lower price, but I don’t like that option at all.

I didn’t want to mess around with that because there are factors that could hold up the process of taking the MBLEx exam.

The way my MBLEx test application process got held up was that my school transcript requests were backed up so it was taking over least 3 weeks to get my transcript to the FSMTB.

So a 1-month membership definitely would not cut it for me and I don’t recommend it for you unless you definitely know you will only need access to the practice exams for a limited amount of time.

But that is a different online practice exam service.

Tests.com always gives you lifetime access to the practice exams you buy for a very reasonable price.

And that was good for me because in 2017 I left California and decided not to take the MBLEx test.

And now here I am, three years later ready to dive into the material again, and I am very happy that my Tests.com account is still accessible and that the MBLEx practice tests have been kept up to date.

Money-back guarantee – Pass the Test!

Here is the “satisfaction guarantee” is described this way on the Tests.com website: 

    SATISFACTION GUARANTEE AND REFUNDS

If you are not satisfied with the TESTS.COM product that you purchased, you may receive a full refund of the purchase price if you contact TESTS.COM in accordance with these instructions:

Individual or single-user purchasers that do not pass their test or are not satisfied with the TESTS.COM products may receive a refund if the individual contacts TESTS.COM via http://www.tests.com/contact-us.  There is no time limit for a refund with a single user license.

https://www.tests.com/Satisfaction-Gaurantee

Not only do they offer you a money-back guarantee but it can also be in relation to whether or not you pass the test.

For me, that was really helpful in making my decision because it meant that they stood by their material.

I did not expect Tests.com’s practice tests to be my only study tool and that is important to remember, but it makes sense for an online service like this to give you the option of a refund incase you do fail the test and need to take it again. 

I could see a massage student wanting to try another practice exam service if they didn’t pass the first time using Tests.com, especially if they found a service that they might like better. 

Number of questions / Variety of Material

Tests.com displays on their graphics that they provide 1000 practice questions for the MBLEx, but I would guess that at this point there are probably more because they have been updating their test for several years.

I have done the practice tests several times and had only had a few repeat questions, and I’m not even sure if they actually were repeats because they might have been from the flashcards that they include free with the purchase which I ended up using extensively (more on that later).

When Repetition is Helpful

One of the things I deliberately did while studying was repeat the questions that I did not get right. 

Repetition helped with retention.

I also printed the practice test results and used those printouts to get a better handle on areas that needed work.

For me, having a hard-copy of my results is absolutely great. 

Getting feedback that provides the data from my tests showed that I had no idea where my strengths were.

My perception of my own massage and anatomy knowledge was not accurate.

I thought I was great at kinesiology and weaker at anatomy and physiology but discovered that the opposite was true.

So this helped me to hone in on kinesiology more in my other study tools, like my books and my flashcards, and ease up on anatomy and physiology.

This helped with the efficiency of my studying.

What Else Is Included?

What is really nice about Tests.com is that they also include over 600 digital flashcards and the capability to create additional ones.

One might say the flashcards are just a variation in the presentation of their tests, but I found the flashcards to be helpful because they did not give you multiple choice answers like the test questions. 

I had to come up with all of the answers on my own without any hints from multiple-choices, and that makes the flashcards infinitely harder.

This will make you better at memorizing the material in the long run because you will be in the habit of recalling the information rather than analyzing the multiple-choice answers for the most logical answer.

As I worked with Tests.com’s materials more, I realized that I actually found the flashcards more helpful than the practice tests. 

I will describe the awesome features of the flashcards further in this article, but it was interesting to me to discover that I loved the flashcards because I was not really into digital flashcards at the start and already had hard-copy anatomy and physiology cards and so did not feel that I needed digital ones.

But these digital flashcards were convenient and oriented toward the massage therapist, as opposed to my Mosely cards which are meant for all sorts of professions like doctors and nurses and so don’t reinforce the information specific to massage therapists when it comes to anatomy and physiology.

Multiple Formats Provides Convenience of Studying

Tests.com emphasizes that these materials can be accessed with a variety of formats to add convenience for the student.

They can be used in all digital formats and much of the material can be printed in a clean-looking way, as well.

“Online – Mobile – Printable – Audio” is on their sales page.

I can confirm that I used all of those formats, and that was great for me.

The printing aspect really came in handy when I was reviewing my incorrect answers from the online flashcards.

I didn’t really use the PDF Book they mention of the MBLEx sales page.

I didn’t download the PDF version of the online materials until writing this review because I didn’t need them, but now that it is in front of me I can say it is an impressive 642-page document that includes over 900 questions and bubble sheet and the answers are provided at the end of the test.

The PDF book also includes additional information like test-taking tips and licensing information for each state.

Other Tidbits That I Love

Whether you are working through Test.com’s MBLEx practice exams or their flashcards, I love that they offer explanations about the correct and incorrect answer so that you can be clear at WHY the answer is correct without having to search for it online or in one of your books.

When you click the flashcard, it flips to the answer and provides the explanation for that answer.

When you select the correct answer during the practice exams, the explanation appears below the multiple-choice question and shows why that answer was the correct one.

This is much better than just telling you you are wrong or right. The explanation will reinforce the information in your mind and help you to remember it next time.

I also love that I can click the audio button on the upper left corner of the flashcard and get the audio reading of the front and/or back of the flashcard. 

This is helpful with medical and biological terms that can be difficult to pronounce.

Finally, I love that I can click the lower right corner of the flashcard if I get the flashcard answer correct.  

This might seem like a minor feature, but this helps with sorting the cards into ones that you know and ones that you don’t know.

It is exceptionally helpful because later you can select the cards without the checkmark to review again, and therefore saves you a lot of time when studying.

Finally, I love that I can select a single topic to study with the flashcards. 

You can really drill down into specifics, like working specifically on flashcards for the endocrine system

And so you can use these cards to reinforce what you learned with your massage books and physical flashcards.

How I Used Test.com’s MBLEx Practice Exams and Flashcards

My use of the MBLEx study materials on Tests.com evolved into the following pattern:

1. I would take a practice exam showing where my weakest subjects were.
2. I would practice the flashcards for those specific subjects, being sure to click the checkbox on the flashcard if I got it right.
3. After working through a few topics (or one huge topic like Anatomy and Physiology which Tests.com has the most flashcards for than any other category) I would print out my results in chart form (which is also a nice feature) and would carry that around with me when I was away from my computer to see if I could recall the answer to any of the questions I did not get right.
4. Then I would retake the practice test to see if my scores improved.

By the time my books arrived, I had worked with the Tests.com materials so much that I knew exactly what to focus on in the textbooks.

Conclusion

I found myself really retaining information from the MBLEx practice tests and MBLEx flashcards on Tests.com.

The fact that the digital flashcards turned out to be my favorite feature really surprised me, but they really added efficiency to my studying and I found them challenging in a fun way.

I still feel that the price is fantastic for what they are giving you and that you will be well prepared for the MBLEx if you use Tests.com MBLEx Study Kit in conjunction with other study materials to prepare and pass the MBLEx.

Here is Test.com’s Free MBLEx Practice Exam to get you started.