IBCLC Exam Study Resources & Books for Lactation Professionals
Click the images below to grab these recommended IBCLC exam study resources.
These are reference textbooks and study materials that colleagues and I have used to study. While I am an IBCLC, I am not affiliated with IBLCE in any other capacity. The presence of a resource on this list does not constitute an endorsement by the IBLCE. These are solely my personal recommendations.
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Note: I recommend pairing my IBCLC Exam Study Outline with practice questions from Linda Smith Exam Review and/or Health E-Learning Lactation Exam Practice and/or the LER IBCLC Exam Review.
The Linda Smith Exam Review book sometimes gets poor reviews since some of the questions contain errors (there is an errata sheet available online) and some questions are frustratingly worded, making them perhaps a bit harder than the actual exam. I personally preferred studying with more difficult questions.
You may also want to take the IBCLC Practice Exam, but be advised this exam (as of May 2022) contains text-only questions, is a bit shorter than the actual exam, can only be taken once, does not tell you which questions you missed, and does not provide rationale for correct answers. In my opinion, the IBCLC Practice Exam was similar to the actual exam in terms of difficulty, and I wound up getting the same score on the practice exam as I did on the real thing. Because the practice exam does not tell you which questions you missed, it was more of a confidence booster than a study resource for me.
