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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!

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS (AAP) PREP DISCLAIMER
Shhhh it's a secret!

It's a Secret

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 resource 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 was 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

LESSONS LEARNED

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).

“Click

Failed But Then Finally Passed With PBR TTS and Coaching

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, you should NEVER use it as the sole 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 can experience various question flavors and gain a broad understanding of how to write questions for the boards.  Read my article called “How Many AAP Prep Questions Should I Do?” and learn more about why I recommend this.

When it comes to how many questions you should do before taking your boards, the answer is “it depends.” At the end of the day, answering board-style questions is a skill. You can only answer so many questions before you reach a plateau. Once you do that, the rest of your time should be spent on maintaining your newly developed test-taking skills. For most physicians, though, having “skill” at taking a board exam is a foreign concept. However, through PBR's test-taking strategy courses, we've proven that investing a fraction of your time in learning the technique behind processing and answering board-style questions can produce unbelievable results.

PBR members have gone from previously failing up to six times to finally passing and becoming board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Click here now and learn more about PBR's test-taking strategy courses to see which one is right for you.

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:

USE THE RIGHT RESOURCES

If you insist on using questions to study, pick a company that 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.

STAY UP TO DATE

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.

STRENGTHEN YOUR TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES

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.

PREP is a great tool when used correctly*PREP great tool*

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 want 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!

To get the most out of our catalog of study materials, we created the No Brainer package. Our members commonly use the No Brainer package to prepare for and pass the Initial Certification Exam. It provides you with a comprehensive and multimodal approach to studying. It also includes three 90-Day Personalized Schedules created by Team PBR and our Full Online Test-Taking Strategies Course.

Not a PBR member yet? What are you waiting for? Click here now & to find the right PBR resource for you!

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Ashish Goyal, M.D.