74 on NBDE Part 2...Please Help

[DrJoeProscia]

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Just got my score back today and immediately wanted to jump into oncoming traffic. I went through the deck once and studied the Tufts book for pharm and went over some old exams. Is it worth auditing or is it just a waste of time? Has anyone actually had their score changed? And as for the second time i take it, I heard there is no "curve" or whatever they do. Is this true? As for studying, has anyone tried the board busters? How good are they? Any help would be great. And has anyone failed the first time and passed the second time? I'm just feeling really down and feel like no matter what I do its going to be a lost cause. Thanks in advance.

 

[peg lateral]

Just got my score back today and immediately wanted to jump into oncoming traffic. I went through the deck once and studied the Tufts book for pharm and went over some old exams. Is it worth auditing or is it just a waste of time? Has anyone actually had their score changed? And as for the second time i take it, I heard there is no "curve" or whatever they do. Is this true? As for studying, has anyone tried the board busters? How good are they? Any help would be great. And has anyone failed the first time and passed the second time? I'm just feeling really down and feel like no matter what I do its going to be a lost cause. Thanks in advance.

I went through every section of the decks once except for pharm, which I only reviewed selected sections that I felt like I would need to know more for myself as a practicing dentist (i.e. ACE inhibitors, diuretics, Ca channel blockers, diabetic medications, NSAIDs, narcotics) and then I reviewed the Tufts pharm review as well. I went over a few old exams too, but it definitely wasn't my primary focus. Something else I reviewed was the First Aid for Part II, which I thought was a nice review for key points. I did not use Board Busters at all, and I don't really know much about it. I personally would not audit-- I think it would be a waste of time since I have never heard anyone get their score changed, much less anyone actually appeal their score. I would just buckle down and study more. Study everything, but focus more on the sections that you did not do as well on. Of all the people that I have known to fail Part I or Part II, they have all passed the second time around except for one person who I heard had to take Part II a third time. You should do fine, just set aside time every evening to go through 20-30 cards from the decks. Doing so was more manageable for me, and sometimes I would be able to go through those 20 cards more than once in an evening if I wasn't tired or had time. It wasn't quite as overwhelming. I also spread my studying out over the course of 6 weeks, starting in November and taking my boards right before Christmas.

 

[DrJoeProscia]

Thanks for the response. Its reassuring to hear that ur friends passed it second time around. I just don't know about the decks. I might try doing the Mosby's book this time and see if I do any better. What do you think?

 

[caffeinehigh]

Thanks for the response. Its reassuring to hear that ur friends passed it second time around. I just don't know about the decks. I might try doing the Mosby's book this time and see if I do any better. What do you think?

I personally know of two people last year who both scored 74 on the first round due to using Decks alone, and both audited with no increase in score. The second round both students used Mosby and passed. I'm not really endorsing any one method to study though... Whatever works for you. Good luck next time, don't stress!

 

[onelove4uk]

According to the 2011 NBDE Technical Report (pdf), out of the 13% that failed Part 2 on their first try, 47% of those then failed Part 2 again on their second try. Based off of other people's scores (on SDN) who failed and then failed again, it does seem that there is less curve. Don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but if this is the reality, it means you have to really study hard and do well on your second attempt. I used Board Busters and it was okay....there was a buncha crap on the exam that wasn't anywhere in the book. I feel like I wouldn't have gotten them right even if I studied for a year. Nothing you can do about those. I think there were a few repeats from ASDA released questions. This might be kind of hard now but try remember some questions from your exam and look them up in case they're repeated?? Good luck...

 

[DXBAlexTex123]

MAy you please give further recommendations for the time management u did.. for someone who graduated 4 years ago, if they study for 7-8 hours a day.. how long will it take them to accomplish preparation and when do u suggest they take the exam? ur reply will be highly appreciated.

 

[canine crusader]

Part 2 is gonna change each time you take it. For a while, lots of people were taking it atleast 3 times before passing. Somehow, the failure rate shot up like a firecracker. I just took it for the second time and nothing that was on it the first time was on it this time. You can study for a year straight and still probably get the same score because if you really look at the questions, your rationale may be different from the test makers. Some questions of course are cut and dry, but there are a lot that you have to make the best decision with the information that you are given. You won't be able to tell if the curve is worse each time as you are taking the exam. I think scores are also relevant to who took the exam the same time you did. Those scores are compared and that's how they get the national mean average. My best suggestion is to study Decks, old exams, and Mosby's. They are the best resources to me. Have knowledge about it all and be relaxed so that you can recall the information and use your best rationale. I think QUALITY studying over QUANTITY is better. You can study all day, but if you are not learning or retaining, you are still gonna mess up. You will never know what they are gonna focus on until you get to the test. I obsessed over Pharm decks and the stuff I thought was super important was not discussed in any of my questions. Hope this helps!

 

[peachesny]

I'd suggest 6 weeks studying, about 6 hrs every day.
Do Mosby's, decks, Tufts pharm package, and OLD TESTS!!! (Do the old tests a few times actually)