Search for an MFT study program such as those offered through Family Solutions Institute or Mometric Media. Ask the program provider if it offers an opportunity to train online, study at home using mailed materials or prepare for the test at on-site workshops. Check to see if the study program offers resources such as study guides, audio review lessons and flashcards for your study needs.
Read and study books that cover the content of the MFT national exam. For example, read "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" from the American Psychiatric Association as well as "Selecting Effective Treatments: A Comprehensive, Systematic Guide to Treating Mental Disorders" by Linda Seligman.
Visit the website of the AMFTRB, which offers a practice examination. Be prepared to pay a fee to take the 100-question practice exam, and make sure you have access to a computer with high-speed Internet. Also, give yourself 120 minutes to take the practice exam, which will prepare you to take the actual 4-hour MFT test.
Go over theories in the MFT field such as communication theory, general systems theory and the cognitive theory of personality. In addition, study the psychodynamic theory of personality. Also, review industry therapies including structural family therapy, emotionally focused couple's therapy, functional family therapy, medical family therapy and even strategic family therapy.
Study concepts including family belief systems and human sexual anatomy as well as family life cycle stages and their effect on various treatments. Review the risk factors of behaviors such as suicide and domestic violence, and go over the proper use of standardized psychological assessment tests.
Study information on informed consent and the Daubert rules, which deal with the allowance of testimony from expert witnesses in an industry court case. Note that a majority of the MFT national exam includes questions on designing and conducting treatment, while the smallest percentage of the test is on terminating treatment.