Choose a primary language for practice
Do your first pass at each practice set in the language you plan to test in. Then, compare against English to see which terms or sentence structures changed, and note any product names or label wording, which should stay as they appear on the product. The goal is to understand the same service decision in two languages.
Use the PSI glossaries as references
The Board links PSI's Spanish and Vietnamese glossaries. They are reference glossaries and not practice questions or official question banks. Use them to check how a term is rendered, then write your own example sentence in the language you test in. If the glossary and your course materials differ, ask your instructor before settling on a version.
Start with a five-term list
Here is a small neutral list to model the format: cleaning (limpieza, làm sạch), disinfection (desinfección, khử trùng), single-use (de un solo uso, dùng một lần), first (primero, trước tiên) and except (excepto, ngoại trừ). Add a column for a short example in each language, such as a tool, a step, or a question stem. Compare it with the PSI glossary and your course materials afterward.
Watch negations and sequence words
Small words change the answer: not, except, first, before, after, never. Mark them in each practice stem before reading the choices, in whichever language you are using. Make a personal list of these words in all three languages, and test yourself by covering one column.
- A negation often flips which choice is correct.
- A sequence word asks about order, not just content.
- Check these words again if you reread the stem in another language.
A missed-question log with languages
For each miss, write the term you did not recognize in the language you saw it, the same term in the other languages, and the reasoning that gives the right answer. If the miss came from a negation or sequence word, mark it that way. Retry after two days in the primary language and then once in English.
A weekly routine
Days 1 to 4: practice sets in your primary language, noting new terms. Day 5: glossary review and log retries in all three languages. Day 6: a timed set in your test language only. Day 7: rest. Change the schedule to suit your week; this is a study suggestion.
Study checklist
- Pick a primary language for first-pass practice.
- Keep product names and label wording as they appear.
- Use PSI glossaries as references, not as question banks.
- Mark negations and sequence words before reading choices.
- Log misses with the term in each language.
Original worked example · not an official exam question
Study item. EN: 'Which step should be done FIRST when preparing a reusable tool for disinfection?' ES: '¿Qué paso se debe hacer PRIMERO al preparar una herramienta reutilizable para desinfectarla?' VI: 'Bước nào cần làm ĐẦU TIÊN khi chuẩn bị dụng cụ dùng lại để khử trùng?' A second item says a statement is true of single-use items EXCEPT one choice. What do you do with each?
Answer: For the first item, choose removal of visible debris before the soap-or-detergent cleaning step, following the relevant Article 12 tool procedure. For the second, circle EXCEPT, look for the false statement, and confirm that single-use items are discarded after use.
Reasoning: The sequence word and the negation in all three languages change what the question is asking. Reading the stem in your test language and then in English helps confirm both.
Sources and further reading
This guide summarizes the listed sources for study. Check current rules and product directions before a service. Report a correction