The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe how racial and ethnic minority allied health students at a 4-year college in the Midwestern United States described their general academic motivations and study habits to prepare for clinical examinations. The self-determination theory (SDT) was the conceptual framework for the study. Research questions used to determine how racial and ethnic minority allied health students described their general academic motivation and study habits to prepare for clinical examinations at a 4-year college in the Midwestern United States. Individual interviews and two separate focus groups were used to collect data from twenty racial and ethnic minority allied health students. The researcher thematically analyzed the qualitative data using Braun & Clarke six stages of thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from analyzing the data: (1) social support and connectedness, (2) performance (3) effective study methods and (4) clinical preparation. The theoretical implications of the research were that participants were generally motivated by family, friends, faculty, and staff. Their study habits included the use of technology, hands-on clinical activities, and peer-to-peer learning when preparing for clinical examinations. Based on these findings the researcher recommended additional research exploring the general academic motivation and study habits of racial and minority allied health students preparing for clinical examinations and its linkage to academic performance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]