the pass machine Archives

The Hell of Waiting for Board Results – Use This Mindset to Avoid Driving Yourself Crazy

September 4, 2025 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: american physician institute, board exam prep, board exam results, the pass machine

Nearly every board exam candidate feels unnerved by their exam. Many physicians feel despondent, remembering how many questions they were either ‘clueless’ or ‘really unsure’ about. This experience of deep uncertainty continues for the entire period of waiting, often 4 to 6 weeks, until results arrive. The reason for this despondency is that a large – usually the largest – percentage of questions on the exam are those that the candidate is less than 100% certain of having gotten right.… 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 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

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

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

Treatment Interventions In Gastroenterology Board Exams

June 13, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD 1 Comment Categories: All Posts, Gastroenterology Tags: beat the gastroenterology boards, gastroenterology board exam, gastroenterology exam prep, gastroenterology treatment interventions, the pass machine, treatment interventions

Board exams assess your knowledge regarding the details of myriads of treatment interventions that are used to treat diverse medical conditions. You are expected to have a knowledge of the details of each of these specific treatment interventions, in addition to knowing the situations in which to give preference to one particular intervention over another. Therefore, it is important to know how much knowledge of the details regarding a particular treatment intervention you should have. There are certain treatment interventions… Click to Read More

How Stress Can Ruin Your Board Scores

June 7, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam test preparation, bob sheeler, exam stress, how to, how to reduce stress for exam, robert sheeler, stress and boards, stress relieving tips, the pass machine

Stress can you ruin your board scores. It sounds like a cliché, but actually, it is true! Stress leads to fight, flight, or freeze scenarios. When our autonomic nervous systems are out of balance, we can go into overdrive or we can freeze up completely depending upon whether the adrenergic nervous system or the parasympathetic nervous system is over-activated. Neither one of these is helpful for a good outcome in your test scores. Acute stress and chronic stress can both… Click to Read More

Finding the Sweet Spot on What to Study

May 24, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam study material, board exam study prep, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to study for the boards, the pass machine, what to study for boards

It turns out, there are several different types of “sweet spots” you should know about when you are picking what to study for your board exams. Some of them have to do with the types of material that the board focuses on, and some that the board avoids. Others have to do with the timeliness of the material, both in terms out how recent it is and how relevant it is to current practice. Brand new material tends to be… Click to Read More

Family Medicine Board Review Questions: Identifying Treatments in Specific Populations

May 17, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Family Medicine Tags: family medicine, family medicine board prep, preparing for the family medicine boards, the pass machine, treatments in specific populations

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. A large percentage of questions on the Family Medicine Board Exam are based on treatment interventions, as an appropriate treatment is what a patient seeks from a physician. Three major facets of treatment are tested on the Family Medicine certification exam: Treatment algorithms Treatments for specific variants of disease and patients belonging to specific… Click to Read More

Sleep and Memory Incorporation for Board Exams

May 9, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep tips, board exam test prep, does sleep affect memory, dr robert sheeler, enough sleep to pass exam, how much sleep should i get for my board exam, memory and sleep, proper sleeping habits, sleep and board exm, sleep and memory, sleep before an exam, the pass machine

Sleep is important for a lot of reasons. One critical function of sleep is memory incorporation. This is when memories go from short-term storage into long-term incorporation. Obviously, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to study all day and then lose everything that you put in your brain because your sleep is inefficient or disrupted. Here are some things that can help your sleep to be more complete, deeper, and more effective. Number 1: Know your sleep number –… Click to Read More

Recognizing Zebras In Gastroenterology Clinical Vignettes

May 2, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Gastroenterology Tags: clinical vignettes, gastroenterology board exam course, gastroenterology board exams, gastroenterology board prep, gastroenterology clinical vignettes, gastroenterology exam prep, the pass machine

The board exams pride themselves on not presenting questions that may trick you. In other words, the questions are fair and clinically relevant. This means that the majority of the questions will be related to a common form of a medical disorder. After all, these are the conditions that most of the physicians spend their days assessing and treating. However, it is also important for the clinician to identify the rare disorder. Hence, the question is, how to differentiate whether… 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