Jensen board course

[CaliDreamin4Life]

Anyone take is for written boards? Please comment. Helpful? Waste of money?


Thanks

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[sethco]

Waste of money if you are scoring above 50th percentile in ITEs, IMHO.

 

[Yo GabbaPentin]

Waste of money if you are scoring above the 5th percentile. Same goes for the Ho course for the orals. You made it this far on your own. Why do you need these clowns to help you close the deal?

 

[deleted171991]

You don't need expensive board review books for the written exam (read up on all the subjects from the ABA ITE Content Outline), but the Ho books are very good for the oral boards. Buy/borrow used, 2003 version is good enough.

Jensen is for people who need their (pretty shallow) review book to sound like some crappy motivational speaker.

 

[BPREPassistant]

You don't need expensive board review books for the written exam (read up on all the subjects from the ABA ITE Content Outline), but the Ho books are very good for the oral boards. Buy/borrow used, 2003 version is good enough.

Jensen is for people who need their (pretty shallow) review book to sound like some crappy motivational speaker.

Thanks for your comments, and I always respect and am interested in your points of view. Well. . . obviously no one wants to be a "crappy motivational speaker." Who would want to devote their personal and professional life to something and be thought of in that way? I can't think of anyone. This having been said, it might be of interest to you to know that when I don't try to offer both insights and a little thing called "hope" to many, they feel I have not done my coaching duty and they ask me to try harder to provide both. People do still call and say, "I'm down, very down, can you help me?" Some, especially those who score high on standardized tests and already know it all about everything, don't realize just far down some of their colleagues are during this process--to the point of distraction, extreme anxiety, turmoil, marital discord, divorce, and even worse, etc., etc. With respect to everyone needing the program, I would agree that not everyone does and I would hope those that don't would not come. My hope is that the Board will slack off, will show more mercy, and that I personally now at 60 years old and after 25 years of arduous travel can back off a bit, too. I am scheduling fewer courses, some I guess will be happy to know, even though the need people have for real, focused help is still high. I'm not perfect but few who really know me would say I don't care nor that I ever act arrogantly or in a carefree way in serving my Ace Pilots as their Wingman. I also believe some of these very malicious comments made about me by people who have never really met me nor care to know me at all are probably made by very bright test takers who really don't need my help; they would pass without me or any of my materials, and I wish THEY had never made the decision to reach out to me and to work with me. But some are like me. They need to work extra hard, to focus extra well, and then even to have a good game day. Always my best to all of you. It's a lovely day finally here in Iowa and I'm HOME, not in some hotel, even though, "The highest honor I've had in my life is linking my name with your name in these great events;" Despite some negatives, I still love you guys. Niels F. Jensen. (AKA "The Crappy and Tiresome Motivational Speaker")

Here is a note from someone like me, who needed help. Thankfully, it worked. . .
On 1/26/15 4:05 PM, "DXXXXX wrote:


Can you please forward this to Dr. Jensen? Thanks


Dr. Jensen,


I would like to send you a note of gratitude. I purchased Big Blue and

took your course in San Diego in preparation for repeating the Basic exam

in January. I was one of only 50 candidates that failed. I have a history

of poor performance on standardized tests and I completely agree with you

that it¹s embarrassing already. My PD and ³mentor² attending both told me

in December that they knew undoubtedly that I would fail in January

because my initial exam I scored in the lowest percentile. I told them I

was working with you, reading Big Blue, and completed your course in SD.

I told them you believed I would pass based on the study plan we

developed through Army of One, my scores on exams at your course. They

weren¹t interested, insisted they knew more about board prep than you.

Ha!!! I just smiled and continued our plan- read Big Blue 4x prior to the

exam, listened to the Stats CD repeatedly through November, December AND

on my way to the exam in January. And I found out this morning that I

passed. Thank you for working with me, helping me to find flaws in my

plan before it was too late, and for having confidence in me when my own

program turned their backs on me. I¹m sure they will find something else

to harass me over now. Now to start studying for the Advanced exam. I¹ll

see you in early 2016 at a course to prep for the next battle.


Thank you again,

DXXXXX

 

[IlDestriero]

Anyone take is for written boards? Please comment. Helpful? Waste of money?


Thanks

They seemed to be a big waste of money. I didn't use any of them.
If you are performing very poorly, perhaps this focused study would help.
An exception might be for oral board prep. My program had a comprehensive oral board prep that started in CA1 and they offered to give a few practice exams to anyone that wanted more practice before the real exam. Going in to that exam prepared and practiced on the flow, how to say just the right amount, how to dodge land mines laid out for you, how to stay on target, etc might be critical to people who didn't have sufficient practice. We offer it to our fellows through a short series of lectures and practice exams. Oral exams seem much easier to fail compared to the written exams. You make a failing error and move on and never know it happened. I know a couple very bright people that did well on the written exam, perform well at work in a challenging environment, etc. yet failed the oral exam the first time, including a major academic department chairman.
I doubt these courses are needed by the majority of those taking the exam, but anesthesiologists tend to be pretty risk averse and a bit paranoid as well, so I'm sure they generate millions.

 

[Sonny Crocket]

Everyone in my program used Big Blue. It's good. It at least focuses you. Big blue plus as many mcq's as possible. You should be fine fine.