jack krasuski Archives

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

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

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

Board Exam Study Procrastination

February 7, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: dr jack krasuski, how to not procrastinate, jack krasuski, study procrastination

I received a request from a colleague preparing for their board exam. Today I tackle this fairly common problem by explaining procrastination, its formation and treatment. Procrastination is a type of avoidance, and avoidance is a common strategy used by many to cope with unpleasant life situations and also is part of several psychiatric conditions. Any disorder with “phobia” in its name is a type of avoidance. The problem with avoidance is that often it is counter-productive and makes the… Click to Read More

Sleep and Board Exams

January 31, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: enough sleep to pass exam, how much sleep should i get for my board exam, jack krasuski, preparing for board exam, sleep and board exams, the pass machine, tips for board exam

I’m about to tell you something so obvious about sleep and board exams that you may want to throw something at me. Despite the apparent obviousness, many exam candidates still will make the mistake I’m about to describe and do so for entirely understandable reasons. Let me explain. On the day (or several days) prior to your board exam, your anxiety level likely will increase. You may realize you are not as prepared as you would like to be and… Click to Read More

VIDEO: 5 Tips to Minimize Procrastinating on Your Board Exam Studies

January 22, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: american physician institute, board exam study tips, board exam studying, how to stop procrastinating, jack krasuski, procrastination, the pass machine

Welcome. It’s Dr. Jack and I have 5 tips for you on how to minimize procrastinating on your board exam studies. Tip 1: De-Emotionalize the Job You Have to Do My first tip is based on a thought experiment. I’d like you to take a minute to imagine that you have a clone of yourself, and your clone is identical to you. They have the same bright smile and winning personality that you do. There is only a single… 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