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What Is “Irregular Behavior” on the USMLE? How Do I Avoid It?

April 21, 2023 by Simon Padanilam, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: board exam prep, how to pass the USMLE, how to study for the boards, USMLE, USMLE exam prep, USMLE Step 2CK

Prepping for a USMLE Sexam? Try 200 free USMLE Step 2 CK practice questions or 200 free USMLE Step 3 practice questions from The Pass Machine to help get your USMLE prep on track. What Is “Irregular Behavior?” The USMLE examinations are tightly regulated and have a high level of security in place to maintain the integrity of their content and ensure their value in assessing candidates for medical licensing. As a result, there are certain actions of examinees that… Click to Read More

How to Study for USMLE Step 2: 6 Tips for Success

April 13, 2023 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: exam prep, study tips, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 2CK

Prepping for your USMLE Step 2 exam? Try 200 free USMLE Step 2 CK practice questions from The Pass Machine to help get your USMLE prep on track. Studying for USMLE Step 2 Now that USMLE Step 1 is a pass/fail exam, many residency programs will put greater importance on your USMLE Step 2 CK score. Earning a high score on this national board exam will help set you apart from other students and applicants. This article will focus on… Click to Read More

What You Need to Know About Updates to the Step 2 CK Exam

April 6, 2023 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: HIPAA, USMLE exam, USMLE Physician Tasks/Competencies outline, USMLE Step 2 CK, USMLE topics

January 2022: Change to Step 2 CK Passing Standard In April 2022, the USMLE Management Committee announced a five-point increase in the passing standard for the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) exam. Effective July 1, 2022, the minimum passing score on the three-digit scale rose from 209 to 214. This change resulted from a scheduled review of the exam’s passing standard, a process that typically occurs every three to four years to ensure alignment with current expectations for medical… Click to Read More

USMLE Step 2 CK Content Tests Clinical Knowledge Base

March 31, 2023 by Michael Sapko, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: board exam, career options, clinical knowledge, how to pass the USMLE, residency options, Step 2 CK, USMLE, USMLE Content, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 2CK

Prepping for your USMLE Step 2 exam? Try 200 free USMLE Step 2 CK practice questions from The Pass Machine to help get your USMLE prep on track. Learn More About USMLE Step 2 CK Content Now that Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) has become a pass/fail exam, your USMLE Step 2 CK score is more important than ever in deciding your medical residency and career options. In this article, we will review the USMLE… Click to Read More

USMLE: 10 Tips to Ace the Exams

March 30, 2023 by Simon Padanilam, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: USMLE exam, USMLE prep, USMLE prep courses, USMLE step 1, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 3, USMLE tips?

Prepping for a USMLE Step exam? Try 200 free USMLE Step 2 CK practice questions or 200 free USMLE Step 3 practice questions from The Pass Machine to help get your USMLE prep on track. USMLE Step Exams The USMLE Step exams can be difficult not just in content but in terms of USMLE preparation and learning how to effectively use the resources at your disposal. In this article, we break down the top 10 tips to most effectively help… Click to Read More

A Perfectionism That Will Kill Your Board Exam Performance

August 12, 2022 by Jack Krasuski, MD 1 Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: exam performance challenges, How to Prepare For Your Board Exam, medical board preparation, perfectionism

This week we completed our 5-Day Psychiatry Board Prep Course in Chicagoland. (It was great to see and speak with so many colleagues there.) At the course, I received several questions from our attendees about what turns out to be a single problem described in different ways – board exam performance. The problem is a manifestation of one type of perfectionism in exam performance. It arises as a feeling of a strong need to get complete and/or definitive information about… Click to Read More

The World’s Biggest USMLE Step 2 CK QBank Now Available

June 4, 2021 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, USMLE Tags: USMLE

Prepping for your USMLE Step 2 exam? Try 200 free USMLE Step 2 CK practice questions from The Pass Machine to help get your USMLE prep on track. Our QBank team has been hard at work over the last several months developing, compiling, and vetting our new USMLE Step 2 CK QBank for medical students. It’s not just any old QBank, though – it’s the world’s largest medical education QBank for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. It includes 4,200+… Click to Read More

Advice When Waiting for Your Medical Board Exam Results

November 8, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: american physician institute, board exam prep, jack krasuski, the pass machine, waiting for board exam results, waiting for test results

We’ve had tens of thousands of physicians take our board prep courses and this is what I learned about the weeks waiting for medical board exam results: there is a weak relationship between how you think you did on the exam and whether you passed. Hundreds of times, exam-takers have emailed me feeling terrible about how “horribly” they did, only to find out that they passed. It’s normal to leave an exam feeling uncertain or discouraged. This occurs because: Often… Click to Read More

Treatments in Specific Patient Populations for Cardiology

October 18, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Cardiology Tags: cardiology board prep, cardiology board test prep, cardiology boards, cardiology practice board exams

The majority of the questions on cardiology medical board exams are focused on treatment since the reason patients see a cardiologist is to obtain appropriate treatment. The aspects of treatment tested by the specialty board exams include: Details of particular treatment options Treatment interventions by disease variant and in specific patient populations Treatment algorithms This post aims to understand how to choose the correct treatment for a specific patient population or disease form. The writer of the cardiovascular disease board… Click to Read More

The Hospitalist Lifestyle: A Cause for Early Burnout?

October 9, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: doctor burnout, early burnout, hospitalist burnout, hospitalist lifestyle, physician burnout, the pass machine

As we move away from the traditional internist and continue to separate the inpatient realm from the outpatient, hospitalist scheduling remains controversial. Through my own job searches, I have seen many scheduling models. Seven on, seven off remains common, but many groups are moving away from this in favor of more lifestyle-friendly schedules. Working seven consecutive days can be exhausting and may lead to early burnout. It also leaves little time for family, exercise, or hobbies outside of work during… Click to Read More

The Willie Sutton Board Review Strategy

September 20, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, board review test prep, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to prepare for the family medicine boards, prep for boards, prep for family medicine boards, the pass machine, willie sutton

Many of you know the quotation from Willie Sutton when asked why he robbed banks he replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” When seeing patients or studying for the board exam, it is equally true that time IS money. So you need to go where the money is! So, what conclusions does that lead to in terms of what are reasonable study aids you can use to focus your time efficiently? Courses and practice exams from American Physician Institute… Click to Read More

Treatments in Specific Pediatric Patient Populations

September 12, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Pediatrics Tags: patient populations, pediatric board prep, pediatric patients, peds board exam, peds board prep, peds boards, peds qbank, proper sleeping habits, the pass machine

Prepping for a Pediatric Board Exam? Get a comprehensive Pediatric Board Review Course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. Medical board exams include questions in several different areas. including treatments in specific pediatric patient populations. A large percentage of these questions are focused on treatment interventions as an appropriate treatment that a physician is expected to provide to the patients. Three main aspects of treatment are generally tested on the specialty board exams. These include:… Click to Read More

Board Study Strategies and How You Learn

September 6, 2019 by Emil Ebner, DO Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study tips, board exam studying, dr emil ebner, emil ebner do, how you learn, learning strategies, study tips for boards, what type of learner are you

The prospect of taking a board examination can be one of the most daunting endeavors in medical education. Regardless of your level of training, the time, money, effort, and stress related to board examinations intermittently become the primary focus of your life. Some individuals appear to be “great test takers” and can breeze through these exams with ease. On the other hand, some might appear to be “horrible test takers” because they struggle at every attempt. For most of us,… Click to Read More

Ace the Board Exams: Tips and Tricks for Before, During, and After Board Exams

August 23, 2019 by Holly Smith, DO Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam tips, do, dr holly smith, holly smith, the pass machine, what to do after board exam, what to do before the board exam, what to do during exam, what to do during my board exam

Let’s face it; the board exam is a one-day test. However, it is so much more than a one-day experience for medical students. No matter what your specialty, preparation for your board exam begins months to years before the test day. The experience of that day will live with you for months to years, even after you finish board exams. Here are some strategies to implement during your medical education, before, during, and after the exam to have the best… Click to Read More

Treatment Algorithms on the Family Medicine Board Exams

August 16, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: family medicine, family medicine board tips, family medicine exam prep, family medicine treatment algorithms, the pass machine, treatment algorithms

Family medicine board exams mainly test the clinical knowledge of the test-taker. Therefore, a number of questions in the American Board of Family Medicine exams are based on assessing your knowledge regarding various treatment interventions. Three significant aspects of treatment interventions may be tested: Treatment algorithms Treatment interventions in specific patient populations and in different variants of the disease Details of particular treatment interventions Treatment algorithms are the primary focus of this blog post. A rank ordering of treatment options,… Click to Read More

Board Exam Prep: Picking The Best Module

August 7, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam modules, board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to study for board exam, how to study for my boards, modules for board exams, picking the best module, the pass machine

Okay, I can’t resist. Since I used to be a Magician – “Pick a module, any module, don’t let me see which one.” If you are right out of training and your residency includes Obstetrics and a lot of hospital rotations, you might actually be able to pass any module you choose. But if you have been in practice for a while, and your interests have narrowed, then your knowledge base has probably narrowed as well. If this is the… Click to Read More

VIDEO: Why the Knowledge Gap on the Board Exam?

July 26, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam, jack krasuski, knowledge gap, test knowledge gap, the pass machine

Below is a transcription of the video (it has been edited for clarity): Many physicians who do poorly on their boards feel frustrated by underperforming on their exam in relation to their medical knowledge and confused by not knowing how to fix this performance gap. Here I explore the first of five contributors to medical board exam underperformance and provide solutions. Poor Focus on Board Exam Question Due to Anxiety One cause of poor board exam performance is a lack… Click to Read More

Board Prep: Five Tips to Fit Studying Into the Busy Physician’s Life

July 18, 2019 by Oreoluwa Ogunyemi, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, how to study for my boards, how to study for the boards, the pass machine, tips for board exams

As a physician, you have a lot on your plate—a full clinic, a pile of dictations, an office meeting you are leading, followed by overnight call and a paper that you have been meaning to write for a few months. Whew! Where are you to find time to study for your boards? Well, medicine is a balancing act, and you will need to recreate that harmony to fit board studying into your busy physician’s life. Embrace Multitasking We all have… Click to Read More

How to Recognize “Zebras” on the American Board of Family Medicine Exam

Prepping for your Family Medicine Board Exam? Get a comprehensive Family Medicine Board Review Course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. The Family Medicine boards present multiple-choice questions that are fair and clinically relevant with pride. Simply meaning, they are not trying to trick you. Most of the case vignettes present a patient with a common form of the condition or disease, as these common forms are the ones assessed and treated by most physicians.… Click to Read More