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How long did it take you to study for BCPS? How did you approach it? Any advice?
Thanks!
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Phlying Farmacist said:
It finally arrived just a day or so ago! Maybe the ASHP people were all busy at Mid-Year.

I haven't gotten to read anything beyond the list of authors yet. I did take it to work with me tonight, though, which was silly. Of course I never got enough time to open it. I'm hoping to get into it this weekend. (Actually, what I'm hoping for is that moolman posts an announcement telling me that the test is still crazy easy, and I don't have to study after all. LOL)

I'll let you know on Monday what I think of it.
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Did you like the book? I still don't know which one to buy. How about this one?
Case-based Geriatrics: A Global Approach
 
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Kuvan said:
Congratulations! :woot: So, just buy their crappy notes then? HA!
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I took the new revamped CGP test this past April and so happy and feeling relieved now that I've passed. I concentrated the majority of my study on the review materials from ASCP. The entire course package is extremely comprehensive in my opinion though. I also did extra study on subjects that I felt I was weak in and did not get covered in the review course.

I talked to several friends of mine who are BCPS's (some are both CGP and BCPS) right after the exam and after our conversation, they were amazed that the level of difficulty of the CGP exam has been raised. Walking out of the exam room, I had that sick feeling in my tummy that I used to have after my MPJE years ago (it was an awful flashback LOL). I'm just happy and relieved now that I've passed ...
 
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Woo hoo! I'm glad that you passed! :soexcited: I haven't taken it yet. I just wanted to know which review materials to get. I'm glad to know that I can study from the material from ASCP. Now you can go relax!
 
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Kuvan said:
Woo hoo! I'm glad that you passed! :soexcited: I haven't taken it yet. I just wanted to know which review materials to get. I'm glad to know that I can study from the material from ASCP. Now you can go relax!
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Thanks :) Yeah I can relax a bit now after the past whole month dealing with anxiety. I looked up all the questions I thought I got wrong and several of them turned out that I got them wrong .... LOL I was also short on time so there were stuffs that I just used what I know like stats and antibiotics and pain management /conversion (I do these on a daily basis at work). I was weak in psych so I concentrated a lot on that. There were stuffs that threw me off a bit like policy/procedure/legal issues; but overall I think the exam is fair and focuses a lot on therapeutics catering to the elderly. You've just got to know your BEER and STAR/STOPP list-no question about that. They also have a live review seminar coming up (the boot camp https://www.ascp.com/CGPBootCamp) if you are interested.
 
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PharmdA07 said:
Thanks :) Yeah I can relax a bit now after the past whole month dealing with anxiety. I looked up all the questions I thought I got wrong and several of them turned out that I got them wrong .... LOL I was also short on time so there were stuffs that I just used what I know like stats and antibiotics and pain management /conversion (I do these on a daily basis at work). I was weak in psych so I concentrated a lot on that. There were stuffs that threw me off a bit like policy/procedure/legal issues; but overall I think the exam is fair and focuses a lot on therapeutics catering to the elderly. You've just got to know your BEER and STAR/STOPP list-no question about that. They also have a live review seminar coming up (the boot camp https://www.ascp.com/CGPBootCamp) if you are interested.
Click to expand...

Wow, they are trying to make the exam like BCACP and BCPS, huh? OK, I'll review everything before I sign up for the exam. I took BCACP last year. I'm debating which one to take next, BCPS or CGP. Grr!

Thanks for all the info! :)
 
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Drakulie said:
I too heard studying 3-4 month is enough. but how many hours per night would you study ? we all have full time jobs and other things going on.
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That's the hard part. Probably no more than 2 hours, more on days off. I'm also in the process of moving for a PGY2 and have that to keep me busy as well.
 
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GoldfishPharmD said:
That's the hard part. Probably no more than 2 hours, more on days off. I'm also in the process of moving for a PGY2 and have that to keep me busy as well.
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2 hours a night ?? that is impossible for normal hard working pharmacist. 1st of all, your brain is completely exhausted after working all day. and if you have a child, you have to spend some time with the little one too. If you can do 30 minutes to 1 hours, that is Max per night. How does anyone spend 2 hours a night studying Unless you are a full time student.

Oh I see, you are almost just out of school. in that case, you could spend 15 minutes a night studying and will likely pass. 2 hours for you would be way overkill.
 
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Drakulie said:
2 hours a night ?? that is impossible for normal hard working pharmacist. 1st of all, your brain is completely exhausted after working all day. and if you have a child, you have to spend some time with the little one too. If you can do 30 minutes to 1 hours, that is Max per night. How does anyone spend 2 hours a night studying Unless you are a full time student.

Oh I see, you are almost just out of school. in that case, you could spend 15 minutes a night studying and will likely pass. 2 hours for you would be way overkill.
Click to expand...

I don't have kids. It's just me. Right now I got to work 7:30-4 or 5.
 
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GoldfishPharmD said:
I don't have kids. It's just me. Right now I got to work 7:30-4 or 5.
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because of PGY2, you will have a lot of projects and readings you have to do. like I said, 2 hours is way overkill for someone in your position. probably 1 hour per night is more than enough and you will probably score in 700-800 range easy, maybe even higher than that like 900 range.

Also, When are you going to start studying ? let's study together.
 
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Drakulie said:
because of PGY2, you will have a lot of projects and readings you have to do. like I said, 2 hours is way overkill for someone in your position. probably 1 hour per night is more than enough and you will probably score in 700-800 range easy, maybe even higher than that like 900 range.

Also, When are you going to start studying ? let's study together.
Click to expand...

I'll probably start on the 17th or 18th.
 
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Drakulie said:
What ?? WOW. Exam isn't til end of September... LOL. starting already ?? study material for 2014 won't be out for sale til June or so. do you already have the 2014 study book and CD's ?
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What's so crazy about that? lol. I heard some people study 9-12 months for the exam. I have the all access pass so I have the 2014 book but I don't have the audio just yet.
 
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GoldfishPharmD said:
What's so crazy about that? lol. I heard some people study 9-12 months for the exam. I have the all access pass so I have the 2014 book but I don't have the audio just yet.
Click to expand...

how much was it ? I am planning on buying the computer CD version of the book. I just don't like printed books. and will also get the audio CD too. How much does it cost if you just get the Computer CD version of the Book and audio tape ??

and you won't fail, you are just out of school and residency. just dont' score 900 and make us look bad....LOL Remember, test isn't til September. and if you study too early,,,,you may not remember some of the material you study not or in June.
 
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zelman said:
Went to the weekend review before midyear, then studied for the past 3 weeks (while working retail full time).
Click to expand...
Do you work in a hospital or retail as full time pharmacist ?

and was that enough studying, did you feel ? also I heard the review and study material doesn't even cover the regulatory and policy section of the test. and it is at least 10 % of the test from what I had read in the website. 10 % is a lot of questions. I didn't think it was worth paying to go to the review course when they don't even cover that part of the test.

also from the people who had gone to the review course in the past, they told me they felt like it just wasn't worth the money to actually go to the lectures. buying the book and CD is basically same and they are just trying to get more money out of you.

and they don't even tell you what percentage of the people who had gone to the prep course actually pass. that is just ridiculous. If they are going to charge so much for the classes, you have to guarantee certain amount of people pass, otherwise I am not paying for that.
 
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Drakulie said:
Do you work in a hospital or retail as full time pharmacist ?

and was that enough studying, did you feel ? also I heard the review and study material doesn't even cover the regulatory and policy section of the test. and it is at least 10 % of the test from what I had read in the website. 10 % is a lot of questions. I didn't think it was worth paying to go to the review course when they don't even cover that part of the test.

also from the people who had gone to the review course in the past, they told me they felt like it just wasn't worth the money to actually go to the lectures. buying the book and CD is basically same and they are just trying to get more money out of you.

and they don't even tell you what percentage of the people who had gone to the prep course actually pass. that is just ridiculous. If they are going to charge so much for the classes, you have to guarantee certain amount of people pass, otherwise I am not paying for that.
Click to expand...

I work in retail full time. I'm hoping this credential will help me to get into a hospital position.

As for the review course, It's just like a NAPLEX review. You cannot get the content from them. You should have been getting the content over the course of years. It just tells you what sorts of thing you need to know, and gives you some idea of what areas you should study more or less than others.

Overall, I felt prepared enough. Only time will tell, though...
 
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zelman said:
I work in retail full time. I'm hoping this credential will help me to get into a hospital position.

As for the review course, It's just like a NAPLEX review. You cannot get the content from them. You should have been getting the content over the course of years. It just tells you what sorts of thing you need to know, and gives you some idea of what areas you should study more or less than others.

Overall, I felt prepared enough. Only time will tell, though...
Click to expand...

and you felt like going to the prep course and studying for 2 weeks was enough ? I guess this exam isn't as hard as I was told it was.
As far as getting into the hospital, passing this exam will open some doors for you, I agree. but once you are in, still you will be competing with people who has done residency training and many will have 2 years of residency training. That is where hospital pharmacy is going these days. so if you can possibly find the time, I would recommend you do at least one year of residency in general clinical practice if you want to work as hospital Clinical pharmacist for the rest of your career.
 
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zelman said:
I work in retail full time. I'm hoping this credential will help me to get into a hospital position.

As for the review course, It's just like a NAPLEX review. You cannot get the content from them. You should have been getting the content over the course of years. It just tells you what sorts of thing you need to know, and gives you some idea of what areas you should study more or less than others.

Overall, I felt prepared enough. Only time will tell, though...
Click to expand...

You only studied for 3 weeks?! Wow! Goodluck! :)
 
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Drakulie said:
and you felt like going to the prep course and studying for 2 weeks was enough ? I guess this exam isn't as hard as I was told it was.
As far as getting into the hospital, passing this exam will open some doors for you, I agree. but once you are in, still you will be competing with people who has done residency training and many will have 2 years of residency training. That is where hospital pharmacy is going these days. so if you can possibly find the time, I would recommend you do at least one year of residency in general clinical practice if you want to work as hospital Clinical pharmacist for the rest of your career.
Click to expand...
I studied for 2 and 1/2 months working full time and have 2 kids. I felt like I needed more time.
 
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Drakulie said:
and you felt like going to the prep course and studying for 2 weeks was enough ? I guess this exam isn't as hard as I was told it was.
As far as getting into the hospital, passing this exam will open some doors for you, I agree. but once you are in, still you will be competing with people who has done residency training and many will have 2 years of residency training. That is where hospital pharmacy is going these days. so if you can possibly find the time, I would recommend you do at least one year of residency in general clinical practice if you want to work as hospital Clinical pharmacist for the rest of your career.
Click to expand...
I tried...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/pharmacy-residency-after-break.990669/#post-13805304
 
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Drakulie said:
Do you work in a hospital or retail as full time pharmacist ?

and was that enough studying, did you feel ? also I heard the review and study material doesn't even cover the regulatory and policy section of the test. and it is at least 10 % of the test from what I had read in the website. 10 % is a lot of questions. I didn't think it was worth paying to go to the review course when they don't even cover that part of the test.

also from the people who had gone to the review course in the past, they told me they felt like it just wasn't worth the money to actually go to the lectures. buying the book and CD is basically same and they are just trying to get more money out of you.

and they don't even tell you what percentage of the people who had gone to the prep course actually pass. that is just ridiculous. If they are going to charge so much for the classes, you have to guarantee certain amount of people pass, otherwise I am not paying for that.
Click to expand...
I wish they would have section on regulatory.
 
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Hello all,

New to the forums. I am a clinical rph in critical care (no residency though, dont ask how lol) and have been practicing for almost three years. I will be taking BCPS in sept-oct and need some advice from those who have taken it already. I will registering for the exam Tuesday. I am currently using the ACCP 2013 guide to study from and have been studying about 5-8 hours a week. I also precept students which I try to incorporate into making/reviewing material.

I feel that the guide is not too different from studying for the naplex (aside from the biostats, outcomes chapters). What is the feedback people have from using simply the chapters provided by ACCP? I also have ordered the biostats for rph guide recommended by others. Is the duration of study time adequate or should I up the hours. Since the released the stats with 67% pass rate, kind of lit a fire under my ass lol.

I appreciate any advice and can help others if possible. Thanks!
 
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pherszdo said:
Hello all,

New to the forums. I am a clinical rph in critical care (no residency though, dont ask how lol) and have been practicing for almost three years. I will be taking BCPS in sept-oct and need some advice from those who have taken it already. I will registering for the exam Tuesday. I am currently using the ACCP 2013 guide to study from and have been studying about 5-8 hours a week. I also precept students which I try to incorporate into making/reviewing material.

I feel that the guide is not too different from studying for the naplex (aside from the biostats, outcomes chapters). What is the feedback people have from using simply the chapters provided by ACCP? I also have ordered the biostats for rph guide recommended by others. Is the duration of study time adequate or should I up the hours. Since the released the stats with 67% pass rate, kind of lit a fire under my ass lol.

I appreciate any advice and can help others if possible. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I heard the ACCP study guide is enough study material. and I heard from others that had taken the test and passed that you need to study about 5 hours per week and that is it
 
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pherszdo said:
Hello all,

New to the forums. I am a clinical rph in critical care (no residency though, dont ask how lol) and have been practicing for almost three years. I will be taking BCPS in sept-oct and need some advice from those who have taken it already. I will registering for the exam Tuesday. I am currently using the ACCP 2013 guide to study from and have been studying about 5-8 hours a week. I also precept students which I try to incorporate into making/reviewing material.

I feel that the guide is not too different from studying for the naplex (aside from the biostats, outcomes chapters). What is the feedback people have from using simply the chapters provided by ACCP? I also have ordered the biostats for rph guide recommended by others. Is the duration of study time adequate or should I up the hours. Since the released the stats with 67% pass rate, kind of lit a fire under my ass lol.

I appreciate any advice and can help others if possible. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I took BCACP last year. I've never taken biostatistics before, so it was hard for me to understand the lecture. The lecture that saved me was the one from BCPS 2010 by G. Robert DeYoung. He explained things really well. :)
 
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Kuvan said:
I took BCACP last year. I've never taken biostatistics before, so it was hard for me to understand the lecture. The lecture that saved me was the one from BCPS 2010 by G. Robert DeYoung. He explained things really well. :)
Click to expand...
Do you have this DeYoung material with you still ? I was told this current guy from Purdue really is not very good at explaining the stats and confuses more people than help them. so I can get or buy that DeYoung material from you, that would help me great deal
 
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rxjc said:
anyone know if the accp study guide 2012 version is alot different than the 2014 version?
Click to expand...
i have both the 2012 and 2013, and the only that has changed is whatever new guidelines or drugs that have come out, have been inserted/replaced what was there.

Anybody who used ACCP and took the exam care to comment on how the question format and style relate? I have heard that the questions from accp are not representative of what is on the exam.
thanks
 
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pherszdo said:
Anybody who used ACCP and took the exam care to comment on how the question format and style relate? I have heard that the questions from accp are not representative of what is on the exam.
thanks
Click to expand...

I studied ACCP Updates in Therapeutics for the 2012 exam and passed with no problem. The people who write the review chapters are not the same people writing the BCPS exam questions for that year; however, the style is the same. Some of the questions are going to look really familiar to you. Many of the questions are going to seem very random so you will be worried until you get your official results.

25% of the exam is Stats so if you have that down you are going to be just fine.
 
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Drakulie said:
Do you have this DeYoung material with you still ? I was told this current guy from Purdue really is not very good at explaining the stats and confuses more people than help them. so I can get or buy that DeYoung material from you, that would help me great deal
Click to expand...

Check your inbox. :)
 
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i only used the 2013 ACCP study guide and powerpoints to prepare for the exam. reading over each section multiple times and taking all the pre/post tests as well as the mock exam online. i dont think its necessary to buy other exam materials like ASHP etc. i also found my study guides on Amazon, for much cheaper than ACCP
 
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Kuvan said:
I took BCACP last year. I've never taken biostatistics before, so it was hard for me to understand the lecture. The lecture that saved me was the one from BCPS 2010 by G. Robert DeYoung. He explained things really well. :)
Click to expand...
Hey, can I ask if you still have the stats material by DeYoung?
 
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I am having a hard time understanding the stats as well..I feel that the ACCP notes are not very well explained in the lecture. Is the material from Dr. DeYoung worth it? and can someone please PM me with info how to get it! Thanks all and good luck studying
 
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