Board Exam Archives

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

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

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Assessed My Knowledge for the Boards

April 24, 2019 by Krishnan Narasimhan, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, how to prepare for the boards, krishnan narasimhan, studying for board exam, studying for the boards, studying tips

Studying for a board exam can seem like a daunting task; the amount of knowledge for the boards can be overwhelming. Finding time to fit studying into our busy lives is a struggle. Our natural inclination may be to just power through all of the topics as best as we can. How do you start the process, and where do you focus? Taking the time to assess our knowledge gaps and approach to questions is a critical first step. It… Click to Read More

VIDEO: What to Do if You Fail Your Board Exam

April 11, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD 5 Comments Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam failure, Coping Strategies for Failing a Board Exam, coping with failing my boards, coping with failure, dr jack krasuski, how to cope with failing a board exam, i failed my board exam, jack krasuski, the pass machine, what to do when i fail

What Do You Do If You Fail Your Medical Board Exam? Well, the first thing you should do if you fail your board exam is to take some time to come to terms with what has happened. When you first open up that envelope and you see that you failed the exam, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. You don’t need to do anything. You do not need to start studying. Just take it easy, sleep… Click to Read More

5 Hacks to Get Your Board Exam Studying on Track

April 4, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam study prep, board exam study tips, how to focus while studying, how to study better, robert sheeler, studying, studying focus tips, studying for board exam, the pass machine

It’s easy to get derailed and have your board exam study session go into a tailspin. When you are not having fun, every diversion can turn into a time trap. One thing you can do is invest your passion into learning new material or being totally up to date on your areas of interest. Here are five more hacks you can use to keep your board exam studying in the “power zone.” Paradoxically, the best study plans involve time away… Click to Read More

Fear of Board Exam Failure

January 17, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: exam failure, jack krasuski, what if i fail my board exam

Fear can make us behave in counterproductive ways, including how we respond to an upcoming medical board exam. We have set ways of responding to fear – fight, flight or freeze. Classically, fear is defined as an emotion triggered by imminent danger, as we would experience if we saw an aggressive person running toward us or if we heard breaking glass in our house as we were lying in bed. Anxiety is defined as an emotion triggered by non-imminent dangers… Click to Read More