Find your exam

Our method

How we make our guides

Every page goes through the same steps, in the same order. Here they are, so you can judge for yourself whether to trust what you read.

By the Made Simple editorial team Last updated

Anatomy of a page

What every page has in it

Pages differ by subject, but the parts are always the same. Here is a sample, simplified.

Sample Made Simple page with six numbered parts A page titled Layers of the epidermis, with an outline tag at the top, a drawing of five skin layers, an Exam Trap box, a Memory Hook box, and a footer with the outline version and page number. SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS Layers of the epidermis CorneumLucidumGranulosum SpinosumBasale EXAM TRAP Basale and germinativum are one layer. MEMORY HOOK Come, Let's Get Sun Burned Follows: NIC outline, rev. Mar 2026 24 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sample page, simplified. Real layouts vary.
  1. Outline tagShows which part of the published exam outline this page covers.
  2. One idea, as the titleA single idea per page. If it needs two ideas, it becomes two pages.
  3. The drawingBuilt in code as a vector drawing, with every label typed as real text.
  4. Exam TrapThe mix-up people often make on this idea, and how to avoid it.
  5. Memory HookOnly when a real one exists. We don't force a rhyme onto every page.
  6. Outline version and page numberSo you can tell which outline the page follows, and find it again.

Step by step

From outline to finished page

  1. Start from the published outline

    Every guide begins with the content outline the testing vendor publishes for that exam. The outline sets the topics and, where it gives them, the weights. We don't guess what is on the exam beyond it.

  2. Tag every page to the outline

    Each page gets an outline tag before any writing starts. That way we can see gaps, and you can see where each page fits.

  3. Research from primary sources

    We go to the source: candidate bulletins, state laws and rules, and the agencies that set the standards. For every fact we record the source, the date we checked it, and how confident we are in it.

  4. Write one idea, then draw it in code

    We write each page in plain English, at about an 8th-grade reading level. Then we draw it. Drawings are built in code as vector graphics, not made by an AI image generator. Every label is real text, so it stays sharp on a phone and can be checked and corrected.

  5. Add Exam Traps and Memory Hooks, only where they are real

    An Exam Trap names a mix-up people really make, like catagen and telogen. A Memory Hook appears only when a real one exists and helps. Not every page gets one.

  6. Fact-check by someone else

    A reviewer who did not write the page checks every fact against the named sources. Nothing is published or sold until that check is done. If a fact cannot be confirmed, it comes out.

  7. Flag what varies by state

    Exams, passing scores and rules differ from state to state. When something varies, the page says so and tells you where to check, usually your candidate bulletin or state board.

  8. Update when the outline changes

    Testing vendors revise their outlines from time to time, often every 12 to 18 months. Each page records the outline version it follows. When a new outline comes out, we compare it to the old one and update the pages that changed.

Being clear about limits

What we don't claim

Our pages are written and checked by the Made Simple editorial team. We don't claim review by instructors, licensed professionals or outside experts. We are not affiliated with any board, testing vendor or professional body, and nothing here is official.

If you spot something wrong, please tell us. Our editorial standards explain how corrections work, or you can contact us directly.

Made Simple guides are independent study aids. No guide can guarantee a passing score.