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Pediatric Board Review Course 2020

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Test-Taking Strategies for Medical Board Exams

CAN TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES ACTUALLY BE LEARNED?

Test-taking strategy is often overlooked when you are preparing for your board exams, yet it can be the difference between passing or failing. Since there is no question that physicians are extremely bright, why is it that even great physicians often fail their board exams?

Answer: A good clinician is not the same thing as a good test-taker.

When I failed the boards the first time, I was confused. I felt like I had a good handle on the material, but I quickly realized that how you treat a board style question is very different than how you should treat a patient. But it was too late. I had the “standard” top to bottom approach to answering board-style questions, and I ultimately failed the board exam.

I simply did not know how to approach the questions on the test effectively.

And this isn’t uncommon.

However, during my 2^nd attempt at the pediatric board exam, I had a strong focus on pacing and a strategic approach to questions. That led to me not only passing my boards, but I increased my score by 160 points! I scored above the national average, and after failing the previous year, the American Board of Pediatrics asked me to write questions for them.

The skill set needed to be a master clinician is completely different than the skill set needed to be a master test-taker and win this “board-game”. Developing this strategy requires training and education like any other skill that you have had to practice. But with practice, you can have dramatic increases in your score like this member of our test-taking strategy course.

HOW CAN I WORK ON MY TEST-TAKING STRATEGY?

While having a strong knowledge base is important to pass the boards, it will mean nothing if you are unable to apply what you know to the test.

If you consider yourself to be a test-taker with average (or below average) scores on standardized tests, then learning test-taking strategies can QUICKLY give you an advantage to increase your score, and pass the boards.

Plus, unlike studying for a single chapter that may be applicable to 5% of your exam, test-taking skills can be leveraged throughout 100% of this exam (and every future board exam that you ever take).

Study a ton, remember none. Sound familiar?

If you've previously done well on standardized exams, just follow the PBR “Roadmap to Success” and you will do great.

BUT, if you:

• Struggle with standardized tests,
• Get test anxiety,
• Find yourself running out of time on exams,
• Were told that you were “at-risk” of failing the boards based on IN-Training Exam scores,
• Have taken a year off from studying for the exam, or
• Scored less than a 222 on the USMLE Step 1

… then improving your test-taking technique is just as, if not MORE, important for you to study than the actual material.

Below you’ll find some of my top strategies I teach our PBR students to sharpen their test-taking skills before the board exam.

TOP TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES FOR MEDICAL EXAMS

1. NEVER process a question in a top to bottom manner. Processing the information in a different order will give you much more control and clarity over the question
2. Do not try to predict the question or answer. When you try to guess what will be asked, or what the answer will be, you waste time and energy as you think through hundreds of possibilities.
3. Start by reading the question being asked of you, and then reading the vignette. This narrows your focus and gives you tremendous insight into what information from the vignette will be crucial to extract in order to answer the question correctly.
4. Find your answer through the process of elimination. It’s easier, less stressful and more appropriate to eliminate weaker answer choices rather than choosing the first answer that seems to be correct.
5. Skip “data blocks” and come back to them if needed. Most vignette-style questions can be answered by just using the text, so try that before reviewing tables of data, x-rays or images.

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Why AAP Prep Questions are NOT the Best Study Questions

AAP PREP^® QUESTIONS – WHEN YOU SHOULD (AND SHOULD NOT) USE THEM!

A question I’m often asked is “Ashish, what makes your pediatric study guide better than prep questions?” Whether they are talking about general board prep questions or the American Academy of Pediatrics PREP^® questions, my answer is always the same (read on).

THE SECRET NO ONE TALKS ABOUT WITH AAP PREP QUESTIONS

The AAP PREP questions are NOT written by the American BOARD of Pediatrics (ABP). They are written by the American ACADEMY of Pediatrics (AAP). The names of these organizations are so similar (American ______ Pediatrics), that MANY pediatricians believe that they are one and the same.

THEY ARE NOT!

Yet, the AAP's annual question series has somehow become the “go-to” Q&A resources for the pediatric boards.

Many pediatricians tend to use AAP PREP questions exclusively as their source of study for the boards. I'm baffled by this. While PREP is a great resource for anyone who is a board-certified pediatrician looking for Continuing Medical Education (CME), or for any non-board certified pediatrician trying to simulate an ABP practice session, these questions should NOT be used as a primary study resource while studying for the ABP initial certification exam.

THE MOST COMMON REASON PEDIATRICIANS FAIL THE PEDIATRIC BOARDS

Here is a note I received from a PBR alum, now a Board Certified Pediatrician, who made one of the most dangerous test-taking mistakes the year that she failed her pediatric boards:

Hello Ashish, Last year I failed my boards. I spent countless hours studying using prep questions but didn't have one good source to use to really learn from and I thought using questions would be my key to success. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I was so lost and frustrated after I received that FAIL, and I thought there is no way that I was going to pass. I had spent hours and months studying… What more could I have done?!? I googled ‘failed pediatric boards' and PBR came up. It was an answer to prayer. It was exactly what I needed. I was blown away by the help that PBR gave me. From the PBR book itself to the videos, audio and online portals – I am so incredibly thankful. I think PBR should be adopted by residency programs nationwide as it would be a great resource to have to study for in-training exams and to use alongside rotations. Just my two cents!! If there is something that I could do to help you and the PBR membership, please let me know!
	Dr. Stephanie Moses, Board Certified Pediatrician

Learn from Stephanie’s experience; it takes more than questions to pass the pediatric board exam. There are three pillars I like to refer to when it comes to successfully passing the boards:

1. CONTENT: How well you know the material.
2. TECHNIQUE: How to quickly and effectively process board-style questions.
3. COMMITMENT: How disciplined you are to the process.

You can read more about these pillars in my article covering the 3 must-have ingredients to passing the pediatric boards.

In order to succeed on the boards, you have to separate your board prep time into two buckets. Your CONTENT TIME (the time to develop your knowledge base) and your TECHNIQUE TIME (the time to develop your test-taking strategy).

Again, the AAP has put together a GREAT resource. I actually think it stands above all others in the marketplace for simulating the board exam experience. It's also wonderful for pediatric continuing medical education (CME). However,  it should NEVER be used as a standalone resource for board study. I simply cannot imagine that the AAP would ever cover all of pediatrics as a comprehensive board review in a set of 200-300 questions.

STEPHANIE FOCUSED ON QUESTIONS, AND FAILED THE BOARDS

Dr. Stephanie Moses is now a board-certified pediatrician practicing emergency medicine. But, that wasn't always the case. In the video below, she talks about the advice that she received and how she focused on PREP the first time that she took the boards. Her second experience was very different. What she says is amazing. Watch the video below now, and be sure to watch until the end.

HOW MANY AAP PREP QUESTIONS SHOULD I DO?

In short, you should do at least 5 practice questions per day in addition to your studying materials. These should be from PREP as well as from other Q banks. This way, you are able to get a taste of various question flavors and have a broad understanding of how questions can be written for the boards. Read my article called “How Many AAP Prep Questions Should I Do?“and learn more about why I recommend this.

MORE THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Here are a few additional key points about using the AAP's questions, as well as any other board prep questions:

• If you insist on using questions to study, pick a company who creates study materials for the boards as well. This will (hopefully) ensure that the questions actually correlate with the content you need to know for the boards. This way, the answers/explanations tie in seamlessly with the core content necessary to pass the boards. However, finding this magical batch of questions that will give you everything you need to know for the boards typically does not exist. That’s why it's IMPERATIVE to study from a well-written and easy-to-understand study guide and to use questions for the practice of your test-taking TECHNIQUE.

• The boards are not always current! PREP does a great job of staying current, but the ABP questions you'll see on the boards are not always that up to date. So BE CAREFUL.
• PREP answers/explanations often go into excellent detail to explain all possible viewpoints. When you're studying for the boards, EFFICIENCY IS KEY so SKIM the answers. If you answered the question correctly, pat yourself on the back and MOVE ON! If you answered the question incorrectly, focus only on the answer that you chose and also on the answer that was the correct answer. Figure out where you went wrong. Was it a TECHNIQUE problem, or was it purely a CONTENT problem? If you felt like you had a good handle on the subject matter but still answered the question incorrectly, it was definitely a TECHNIQUE problem and you must figure out how to strengthen your test-taking strategies.

So, to answer the question posed in the title of this article, “Ashish, what makes your pediatric study guide better than prep questions?”, it’s near impossible to find ANY board prep questions that would do a good job of serving as a stand-alone STUDY resource.

Yes, you will undoubtedly learn some information about pediatrics by going through board prep questions. But your primary goal should be to use prep questions for PRACTICE and refinement of your test-taking TECHNIQUE rather than a STUDY resource.

THEN, HOW DO I STUDY FOR THE PEDIATRIC BOARD EXAM?

Set time aside to specifically grow your knowledge base and work on your test-taking technique. If you aren’t sure how to create such a schedule, I have two articles with step-by-step directions on how to set up your study schedule. Regardless of how much time you have left before the boards, these articles are great resources!

If you consider yourself to be a great test-taker, or if you are taking the boards for the first time, follow this schedule.

If you have failed the boards before (welcome to the club!), or if you are not a great test-taker, then follow this study schedule.

For those who are wanting to take that next step to pass the boards, the go-to resource is Pediatrics Board Review. As a PBR member, you’ll have access to high-yield board review questions and our test-taking strategy resources!

So, what are you waiting for? PBR offers, online, hardcopy, audio, and video resources. Click here now and find the PBR resource that’s right for you!

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2020 Pediatric Board Review Sneak Peek

Your 2020 Pediatric Board Review PREVIEW (and Discounted PREORDER Code) Is Here!

Unlike other board review courses, the PBR's Core Study Guide gets corrected and updated EVERY year. Many of the corrections and clarifications of the are made available to the PBR community (below) prior to the initial certification exam. This allows members to have a more secure pediatric board review experience, and more secure board exam experience. This is one of the many reasons why members recognize PBR as the best pediatric board review course in the industry.

For non-members who are trying to figure out how they will approach the board exam, or for anyone preparing for the MOC (or for MOCA-Peds), this is a great opportunity to essentially have a sneak peak into the 2020 edition.

In this article, you will:

• Get a preview of the most EFFICIENT 2020 pediatric board review course available
• Get a great review of several excellent and high-yield topics
• Get a FREE MP3 Audio Chapter from PBR
• Get 50 FREE High-Yield Images from PBR
• Get a FREE Test-Taking Strategies Video Training Session
• Get the opportunity to PREORDER the 2020 edition books for 50% off of the value of the Ultimate Bundle Pack or 85% OFF of the LIFETIME package called “PBR FOR LIFE!” Please note that the PBR FOR LIFE package is NOT typically available through the PBR catalog, so this is a SPECIAL opportunity!

A FEW WORDS OF THANKS TO THE PBR COMMUNITY

Every year I like to go through all PBR error submission and send corrections to PBR members before the initial certification exam. It’s an EXTREMELY time consuming task (takes weeks), but it’s worth it.

Although the information in this guide SHOULD NOT make or break your test-experience if you have followed, THE PBR EFFICIENCY BLUEPRINT, several test-takers have previously said that these corrections and clarifications have helped them correctly answer questions that came up on the exam.

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