Excelling in the NBPME boards

[smartman716]

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I have heard of good and bad students failing the boards. For those who excelled on the NBPME boards what were your strategies? What were the things you did differently from others starting on your first day in school till you took Part III and aced it? Please share with me and others your success tips. Thank you!

 

[PMSIII]

Well passing boards is usually a reflection of your work throughout your podiatry school career. Part I for example is a basic sciences emphasis, so the key is to really work hard and learn as much as you can during your first 2 years of school. Additionally, study aids like USMLE step I First Aid guide, Pharm/Path/Micro Flashcards, as well as Lower extremity anatomy notes are key.

Part II is an emphasis on clinical podiatric medicine and surgery. So there is a heavy emphasis on subjects like Anesthesia, Surgery, Radiology, Internal medicine, Dermatology, etc. This again is a reflection of your work during your third year of classes/rotations in addition to your clerkships as well. As mentioned in other topics here on this forum, some people use manuals like Presby, as well as pocket podiatrics, and to some extent McGlammry's textbook of Foot and ankle surgery. I personally also reviewed Dr. Kushner's NBPME part II guide (available on Amazon).

I haven't taken part III yet so I can't comment on that. However, I want to say that in summation, the key to these boards is to really do well during your classes and clerkships. You shouldn't be "cramming" before these boards. In fact, the study aids and tips that I mentioned should be used to reinforce what you already know or refresh your memory on certain subjects.

 

[Feli]

...the key to these boards is to really do well during your classes and clerkships. You shouldn't be "cramming" before these boards...

I definitely agree with this. Boards are taken to ensure you have reached the minimum competency level, and the basic goal is just to filter the people who have deficiencies. Unless you were really sleeping through lectures and barely passing courses, you shouldn't have much of a problem. You definitely still want to study, but the way I approached boards was using the 1-2mo before the pt1 exam as a chance to really review basics sciences - esp anat, pharm, and pathology - before I started clinic. Pt2 will be fairly easy due to all the studying you just did for residency interviews, but you are getting near starting residency and it is always good to brush up.

As far as main study materials:
-For pt1: First Aid for USMLE pt1, Crashing the Boards, BRS Pathology, lower anat and pharm course notes.
-For pt2: Pearls for NBPME pt2, Foot and Ankle Secrets, Presby manual.
-For pt3 (I don't take this until June): probably same materials as pt2... maybe add ABPOPPM review guide if you can get it.

 

[navyprincess]

I took part III last June, I studied about a week before to brush up on the fracture classifications. It is basically testing you over what you see everyday (it was computer based and you had to interpret horrible quality radiographs). There were questions pertaining more toward treatment of podiatric issues and complications (including surgical).

As for part I and II: Part I, I used USMLE review book and Part II, I used the residency review book and presby manual.

 

[navyprincess]

I took part III last June, I studied about a week before to brush up on the fracture classifications. It is basically testing you over what you see everyday (it was computer based and you had to interpret horrible quality radiographs). There were questions pertaining more toward treatment of podiatric issues and complications (including surgical).

As for part I and II: Part I, I used USMLE review book and Part II, I used the residency review book and presby manual.

 

[navyprincess]

Yes, there are good and bad students that fail these tests, I think it is probably due to test anxiety (after all it is $900 that is on the line!). Remember what you learn in Anatomy/Physiology, a little stress is ok (can actually help you get through exams) but too much stress can be catastrophic.

 

[gustydoc]

There isn't really anyway to know if you excelled at the tests since you do not get a score breakdown unless you fail and ask for one. I thought part one and two were fair. I studied for part one as if I were preparing for the USMLE. For part two I read the podiatry institute manual, which a great refresher of the stuff you should have a pretty good grasp of by your fourth year of pod school. Unfortunately you don't get to find out if you missed a dozen questions or none at all, but for me getting the letter saying I passed was good enough. 😀 When I was a student at Iowa our dean would put together a presentation with the results of how the class before us scored on each section of the test. It was great because it gave you an idea of what areas you might want to concentrate your study time on based on how the class before you who took the same classes did. Every dean gets a score breakdown when a class takes part1 or 2. Unfortunately not all of them like to share the information.

Once you are in residency you take an in-training exam every year and you score is broken down and compared to residents all over the country. Even though soem of the questions are stupid and the x-rays can be hard to read it gives you a great indication of where you stand compared to your colleagues.

 

[whiskers]

For starters the definition of a "good student" is still up in the air.

Certainly it DOES NOT include people whose grades are inflated 20% or more simply because of their testing resources that happen to be very similar to previous tests or are in fact, the same exact questions stolen from the test the previous year.

But unfortunately, for you, seems to encompass these same students who hide behind the good grades that their dishonest behavior was responsible for.

I honestly believe that this is a major contributor to the "great divide" that you speak of. I.E. "I was a good student that couldn't pass the boards."


. . . . . . . . m. ..... .. oo. . . .n. . . .b-o-o-t, fashion Statement Break...



These people should be honest with themselves and admit that they

were-a-guzzlin'-a-few-too-many-short-cuts

and need to cut back on them and actually study on their own.



Anyway,

In the end, taking short cuts will get you..

Guaranteed.. And using the excuse

"But I was a good student"

. .. .. is really a lame one .. The end./

 

[PodunkUDPM]

For starters the definition of a "good student" is still up in the air.

Certainly it DOES NOT include people whose grades are inflated 20% or more simply because of their testing resources that happen to be very similar to previous tests or are in fact, the same exact questions stolen from the test the previous year.

But unfortunately, for you, seems to encompass these same students who hide behind the good grades that their dishonest behavior was responsible for.

I honestly believe that this is a major contributor to the "great divide" that you speak of. I.E. "I was a good student that couldn't pass the boards."


. . . . . . . . m. ..... .. oo. . . .n. . . .b-o-o-t, fashion Statement Break...



These people should be honest with themselves and admit that they

were-a-guzzlin'-a-few-too-many-short-cuts

and need to cut back on them and actually study on their own.



Anyway,

In the end, taking short cuts will get you..

Guaranteed.. And using the excuse

"But I was a good student"

. .. .. is really a lame one .. The end./

When was the last time you were in a classroom? Just curious...