Karen M. Keptner PhD, OTR/L
Our OT exam prep "retreat"
OT exam prep in Costa Rica
If you choose to travel and study with us, your trip will include airport pick-up (and drop-off) from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. You will settle in a rural area on the Nicoya Peninsula, close to beaches and waterfalls where you will be able to experience the laid-back "tico" lifestyle.
Check out a sample weekly plan by clicking HERE.
You can choose how long you stay - 1, 2, 3, or even 4 weeks! If you want a little more detail about our "retreat" options - click HERE!
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Study sessions will be guaranteed on a weekly basis. Each week you are staying in Costa Rica, you are guaranteed 12 hours/ week of small group instruction with Karen. Since you will be staying with other OT students, you will likely be able to join "spontaneous" study sessions too!
You will also have 24/7 access to Karen, an experienced OT, OT instructor, and creator of content for the AOTA exam prep product.
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Karen has created her own study booklet that you will get when you arrive. The study booklet is organized by the OT exam blueprint - the official objectives that the exam will test you on! You can work through the outlines and worksheets at your leisure and she will review answers and justifications in the small group study sessions. She also has her own question bank that includes over 250 exam questions, including practice clinical simulation questions, some of which you will complete during timed practice sessions. She also has a number of books available for reference, including the key text books from the NBCOT® textbook report.
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Outside of studying and relaxing, you can participate in a number of activities that will keep you balanced: trips to the beach, ziplines, waterfalls, mountain bike rides, jungle hikes, going to national parks, doing yoga, and surfing. You can choose to participate in as much or as little of the "extra" activities as you want.
For students staying more than a week, we have locals in the area who need OT services. You can use your OT skills providing assessments and intervention and/or you can help make developmentally appropriate children's toys for local kids with disabilities. We also have trips to the adapted surfing association in Costa Rica or you can meet a local surfer who has a spinal cord injury. If none of that appeals to you - feel free to relax in a hammock, go for a hike, work on the farm, or tend to the garden!
We can guarantee that you will relax and you will leave Costa Rica feeling ready to tackle your OT board exam.
Karen's trip was such a wonderful experience! First of all, we were able to see so much of beautiful Costa Rica and participate in so many fun activities during our time there. It was a great way to learn the ins and outs of the NBCOT, make a study plan, and have access to many valuable study materials. Karen is quite knowledgeable and really tailors the study sessions to the needs of the group members. Karen also makes herself readily available as a study resource after returning from the trip is well, which is above and beyond my expectations. I am happy to say that with the help of this experience, I was able to pass my NBCOT on my first try within 5 weeks of our trip to Costa Rica!