board exam prep Archives

Improving Care for an Aging Population: How a Geriatric Medicine Board Review Helps Physicians Apply Core Principles in Practice

June 12, 2025 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Geriatric Medicine Tags: american physician institute, board exam prep, Geriatric Medicine, Geriatric Medicine Board Review, Geriatric Medicine Board Review Course

The US population is aging rapidly, which presents an additional challenge for primary care physicians as they struggle to keep up with ever-growing healthcare needs. A major demographic shift is underway, with one in five Americans projected to be over the age of 65 by 2030. This scenario has become a pressing reality for general internists and family physicians as they deal with an influx of older patients in healthcare settings. However, the current ratio of board-certified geriatric medicine physicians… Click to Read More

How to Study for Medical Board Exams: Prioritize “the Big and the Bad” for Smarter Board Review

May 15, 2025 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips

No matter how much time you have remaining to prepare for your boards, you must still prioritize certain exam topics over others. This is true because even if you go through ALL the material once or even twice during your board review, there will always remain topics that you’ll perform worse on during your practice tests. How do you know which topics you’re weaker on as you’re progressing through your studies? If you took the exam previously and failed,… Click to Read More

EXACT Board Prep Accelerator Delivers Custom Board Success — Here’s How

March 28, 2025 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board prep

EXACT is a proprietary algorithm that customizes a study program for each learner. The learner completes a board-reflective practice test and EXACT converts the results into a personalized board prep review schedule and study plan so learners pass on their first try At American Physician Institute (API), a leading medical education and certification solutions provider, we offer EXACT — a FREE game-changing board prep program for medical professionals. API’s proprietary EXACT algorithm powers the program, which provides individuals with personalized… Click to Read More

How to Prepare for the ABIM Cardiology Boards

October 6, 2023 by Waqas Qureshi, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Cardiology Tags: board exam prep, board exam studying, cardiology board prep, cardiology boards

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) was initially founded in 1936 to answer a public call to establish more uniform standards for physicians. It is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors to achieve high standards of care. It certifies 1 out of 4 physicians in the United States. There are more than 200,000 ABIM board-certified physicians across internal medicine and its 20 subspecialties. It is one of the 24 medical specialty boards that make up the… Click to Read More

How to Study for the Boards: The Dos and Don’ts of Preparing for Your Medical Board Exam

September 25, 2023 by Gail Clifford, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam studying

If you’re on the journey to becoming a board-certified medical professional, let me tell you firsthand how important passing the medical board exam is. I’ve been through this crucial phase myself, and I understand the pivotal role it plays in shaping your career. So, as your friendly board-certified physician, I’m here to share some personal insights on how to study for the boards, how a board review course can help, and how I conquered the board exams and helped my… Click to Read More

Pass the Nephrology Board Certification Exam With a Nephrology Board Review Course

September 22, 2023 by Regina Lilly, MD, MPH Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, nephrology board certification, nephrology board review

Every physician, no matter how qualified, needs to pass the Nephrology Board Certification Exam and they want to feel confident doing so. If you are planning to take the initial board examination after recently completing your fellowship or if you are preparing for the maintenance of certification (MOC) examination, you need to prioritize exam study time between your personal life and professional responsibilities. Physicians like you seek the most effective methods to study for the Nephrology Board Exam because there… Click to Read More

Mastering The American Board of Internal Medicine Exams

September 20, 2023 by Dr. Rebecca Breslow, MD 4 Comments Categories: All Posts, Internal Medicine Tags: board exam prep, internal medicine board exam, passing internal medicine exam

Prepping for an Internal Medicine Board Exam? Get a comprehensive Internal Medicine Board Review Course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. Now that you’ve completed your Internal Medicine residency, it’s time to become certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). Though this process may seem intimidating, in this article, I’ll tell you exactly what is required. I’ll discuss the exam you’ll have to take and the continuing educational work you’ll need to do… Click to Read More

What You Need to Know to Pass the ABS Qualifying Exam

September 8, 2023 by Juanne Osigweh, MD, MPH, FACS Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, General Surgery Tags: board exam prep, general surgery, general surgery board prep, how to prepare for the general surgery board exams

Prepping for a General Surgery Board Exam? Get a comprehensive General Surgery Qualifying or General Surgery Certifying review course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. So, you’re faced with the challenge of taking the ABS qualifying exam, and you’re wondering what’s the best way to prepare to ensure that you pass the first time around. The process of taking the ABS certifying exams can feel daunting and overwhelming, with so much to review in so… Click to Read More

How to Prepare for the ABA ADVANCED Exam

August 25, 2023 by Jason Barnes, D O Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Anesthesiology Tags: anesthesiology, anesthesiology board exam, Anesthesiology board exam prep, board exam prep

Prepping for an Anesthesiology Board Exam? Get a comprehensive ABA BASIC or ABA ADVANCED board review course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. The ABA ADVANCED Exam is the second written test that an anesthesiologist must take in the process of becoming a board-certified anesthesiologist through the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), with the BASIC Exam being the first test. The ADVANCED Exam is taken after graduation from an anesthesia residency. It is offered twice… Click to Read More

ABA BASIC Exam: Everything You Need to Know to Prepare

August 11, 2023 by Dr. Jason Barnes, DO Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Anesthesiology, Board Exam Tags: anesthesiology, anesthesiology board exam, Anesthesiology board exam prep, board exam prep, board exam prep tips

Prepping for an Anesthesiology Board Exam? Get a comprehensive ABA BASIC or ABA ADVANCED board review course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. I had not really heard of the ABA BASIC Exam until I matched into an anesthesia residency, and after some research, I recognized that this test carries the same weight as a Step/COMLEX. The ABA basic examination determines whether or not you will be able to continue your training in an anesthesia… Click to Read More

Pediatrics Board Review: How to Study for the Exam

July 7, 2023 by Jessica Johnson, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, Pediatrics Tags: board exam prep, board exam study tips, how to study for the boards, pediatric board prep, pediatrics board review, peds board exam, peds board prep

Prepping for a Pediatric Board Exam? Get a comprehensive Pediatric Board Review Course from The Pass Machine to get your board prep on track. The pediatric board exam is hard and is statistically getting more and more difficult based on the declining pass rate in recent years. The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) General Certifying Examination is offered only once a year. So, if you don’t pass, this exam and preparing for it will preoccupy your mind for nearly a… Click to Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dark Alley’s and the Internet When Studying for Your Boards

June 26, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam, 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 better, the pass machine

No, I’m not talking about the “dark web” or anything controversial. I’m talking about something that is much more subtle and potentially devastating to your board review strategies – the allure of more interesting things you will encounter while looking up answers you need. I treat looking up a fact I need while studying for the boards like going into a dark alley. I increase my alertness, look around for what I came for, grab it, and get out quick.… Click to Read More