AP/CP board May 2013

Started by redapple123
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gbwillner said:
I had a lot of trouble getting good sleep because of the stress. I went to my PCP and told him I needed short-term help being able to relax and sleep- I got on Ambien for the week of the exam. I think this really helped me, and I was more or less relieved when I was able to get half a good night's rest the day of the exam. I was awake enough to pass it anyway.
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Will try that gbwillner. Thanks.
 
Some say CP Compendium is enough
some say 'more' than enough (someone said they've read half of the book and passed 😛
some say its not enough at all.

We'll see, I am memorizing absolutely everything in Compendium. After the exam, I get to choose one of the above three :laugh:
 
Just knowing the Compendium well is not enough to get all the questions right but it is more than enough to pass.
 
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BoardShivers said:
I did not want to start a new thread just for this stupid question of mine.

How do you deal with panic attacks while preparing for boards? How about panic attack the night before boards, or 1 hour or say 2 minutes before boards. I am thinking beer the night before won't help. Maybe a movie? Maybe I should go to an isolated place and scream at the top of my voice.😱
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The night before (both nights actually) I made myself a pitcher of margarita, put it in my sippy bottle, put my swimsuit on and went and sat by the pool people watching until I was ready for a good night sleep. Next morning I felt refreshed and ready for the battle.
 
Perry Mason said:
The night before (both nights actually) I made myself a pitcher of margarita, put it in my sippy bottle, put my swimsuit on and went and sat by the pool people watching until I was ready for a good night sleep. Next morning I felt refreshed and ready for the battle.
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And what was your strategy the next time you took the exam? LOL.
 
Are there really questions about % on boards? I mean "what % of women aged 20-45 will have fibrocystic changes?" really???!! There is a % fact involved in every entity and every lab test. Are we supposed to remember all those numbers? :scared:
 
BoardShivers said:
Are there really questions about % on boards? I mean "what % of women aged 20-45 will have fibrocystic changes?" really???!! There is a % fact involved in every entity and every lab test. Are we supposed to remember all those numbers? :scared:
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Stop freaking out. Of course there are going to be questions that are ridiculously unfair. Guess what? You don't have to get all the questions right. You'll pass as long as you get 1/2-3/5 of them right.

Study all organ systems in detail for AP, look at lots of slides, go over the aunt minnies, and you will be all right.
 
gbwillner said:
Stop freaking out. Of course there are going to be questions that are ridiculously unfair. Guess what? You don't have to get all the questions right. You'll pass as long as you get 1/2-3/5 of them right.

Study all organ systems in detail for AP, look at lots of slides, go over the aunt minnies, and you will be all right.
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Dude! You are funny. Your first line brought me peace.😍
Then I read your second line and I am back to square one.:scared:
 
BoardShivers said:
For that matter, you know what consistently relieves my panic attacks? I just need to say "It is OK if I have to take it again!!!":meanie:
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Obviously full-blown panic attacks are not helpful, but fear of failure when you are studying helps since is drives you to work harder. It is a matter of finding a balance. Immediately prior to the exam when I was quite well prepared is the time when I found it most helpful to tell myself that failing the exam would not be the end of the world.
 
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Yeah, the hard thing for some med students and residents to grasp is that just passing boards is OK. No one will ever know (including you), or care, whether you essentially aced it or tripped in when at the last second they dropped a bad question you missed. Having absolutely no clue what the answer is to a few dozen questions on these kinds of full day exams is pretty much expected. This is why so many people talk about "high yield" preparation. There is essentially no way to ace these kinds of exams -- those who write the questions can't answer all the questions the other submitters write, and frankly some are quite debatable (though in theory those questions are culled). Instead, you try to do well on the bread & butter and classic-if-rare stuff, and snag a few extras at the margins.

Unfortunately a lot of people feel like they're on the cusp between passing and failing, and those people feel like that one question they might get by studying all night the night before the exam is going to actually help them over the hump. In reality, chances are a good night's sleep will save you more questions than cramming, but some folks can't find enough peace to sleep before an exam -without- cramming. Everybody's different. If med school & USMLE didn't prepare you for your psychology of taking a major exam already...
 
When do the results come out? And when is the next chance to take the boards? I am wondering how long is the time gap between results and re-exam.
 
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