Advice for shelf exam retake (ob/gyn and peds)

[zeppelinpage4]

Hi everyone. I'm in desperate need of some advice for re-taking my ob/gyn and peds shelf exams.

Unfortunately, due to some mental illness issues, and some mistakes with studying, I did not pass these exams. My school has been very supportive and said I could take as much time as I need to get my mental health worked out and study for these exams so I can pass the re-takes.

I just began getting treatment for my anxiety and I'm hoping that will help. But, I also know, I need to hit the books hard and make sure I pass these tests, and if possible do well. Passing is 7th % ile at my program but I'd like to do as well as possible.

Rundown of what I did on my first attempts:
Pediatrics:
-I read select high yield chapters from BRS peds
-Scored (50/100 raw score) 1%ile on the shelf

Ob/gyn:
-I read CaseFiles front to back and did all the questions in the book
-I did all of the Uwise questions
-I downloaded a practice NBME self-assesment the night before and scored a 69/100. I then briefly reviewed topics my self-assessment said I was weaker on
-I can't view my final score, but I know a student passed with a 63/100 so I must have scored lowers than that.


I'm hoping to dedicate 3-4 weeks for ob/gyn, and 4 weeks for pediatrics. Is that enough time to prepare well for these exams?
Also, I hated BRS peds, is there any other good review book for pediatrics I should consider reading?

And, I could use some advice on how to approach re-studying for these tests. I'm planning to tackle ob/gyn first since I just had that clerkship and it's fresher in my head.

My plan:
Ob/gyn (3-4 weeks):
-Re-read CaseFiles
-Do Uworld

Peds (4 weeks):
-Some sort of review book (I could use a recommendation)
-Do Uworld
-Do Pre-test pediatrics

Is the above plan reasonable to get through in an 8 week time frame?
Anything else I should add or consider removing? Like Online MedEd, or Kaplan, or DIT?

Thanks!

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[md4dawin]

What I thought was highest yield =
Peds:
Emma Ramahi HY Peds
UWorld Peds
OnlineMedEd

OBGyn:
OnlineMedEd
UWorld Peds

Focusing on only those and finishing them, then going back over missed questions, was enough to do relatively well on those 2 shelves. Good Luck. Is your school allowing any more retakes for future shelf failures?

 

[zeppelinpage4]

What I thought was highest yield =
Peds:
Emma Ramahi HY Peds
UWorld Peds
OnlineMedEd

OBGyn:
OnlineMedEd
UWorld Peds

Focusing on only those and finishing them, then going back over missed questions, was enough to do relatively well on those 2 shelves. Good Luck. Is your school allowing any more retakes for future shelf failures?

Thanks very much md4dawin. I'll definitely take a look at those.

They didn't tell me what the policy would for about future shelf exam failures and retakes. I'm hoping if I can get my anxiety under control with the meds, and if I can learn some better study habits and techniques for these make up exams, I can do better on future exams. They just said that once a student fails two shelf exams, they are halted from continuing third year until they re-mediate the failed exams. If I fail the remediation then I have to re-do the entire clerkship.

I successfully passed IM and surgery before my peds and ob/gyn rotations. So, after making up these two shelf exams, the clerkships left for me to complete would be primary care and psychiatry.