Today I’m going to be covering some test-taking strategies.
Focus on your weaknesses:
Don’t waste too much of your time reinforcing your strengths. Study your weakest topics that you don’t have daily exposure to in residency. If you have very limited time to study, consider filtering your Rosh Review question bank by your weaker topics, like Environmental, Heme/Onc, etc.
Spaced repetition:
In order to retain information long term, you will likely need spaced repetition of the material. Don’t finish all of the environmental questions 3 months before the test. Try to revisit the material by doing some of those questions again, or by reviewing some of your notes.
Try to incorporate mental repetition into your daily routine. For example, quiz yourself on some topics that you learned earlier that day while you’re on the train or while you’re walking.
Quick blocks:
Try to study in small blocks more frequently.
Actively learn:
Don’t just passively nod your head and highlight each wrong answer you get in Rosh Review. Try to mentally quiz yourself after reading the explanations. Consider keeping a document with high yield notes.
Answering the questions:
All questions are created equal, and unanswered questions are marked as incorrect. Give yourself time to finish the test! Don’t spend too long on one question – it’s more important to finish the entire test.
Know your learning style:
Supplement your learning and tailor your study plan to your learning style. There are excellent free videos (https://www.intrainingprep.com/) and EMRAP Crunch Time audio reviews for the boards.
Never pick an answer that uses “absolute terms:”
Avoid answer choices that include: always / never.
If in doubt, pick the “long correct” answer:
The detailed beautifully explained answer choice is often correct. They might include double options, more information, and caveats.
1-2 days before the test:
Review a high yield document with a bunch of buzzwords and highly tested concepts. I’ve attached one of my favorite ones to this document. This will help refresh concepts you’ve reviewed a few weeks ago. I highly, highly recommend using this!!! I think like 20+ questions last year came up from this document.
They’re not trying to trick you:
If the question stem obviously sounds like a PE, it’s probably a PE. Don’t overthink it. Just make sure you read the question carefully, and then move on.
I hope this helps! I know most of this is pretty obvious, but trust yourself and go with your gut.
References:
https://knowledgeplus.nejm.org/blog/10-mistakes-studying-for-the-boards/
https://www.roshreview.com/blog/how-to-increase-your-emergency-medicine-board-exam-score-by-10-points/