Personal Tutor for Boards? Any advice on studying?

[GBCrzzyy]

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Hello everyone! I'm curious to know if anyone has considered getting a personal tutor for boards or has actually done so, and if you have then what are your thoughts? I'm a B average student but I feel that I have really struggled at retaining the information from classes. I started studying for the boards at the beginning of January starting with Neuro (my worst system) and I'm concerned because my question average is not good and I feel very overwhelmed at the prospect of actually getting this stuff to stick. I'm scheduled for COMLEX on June 12th and have just started the registration process for USMLE. My dream is general surgery (this could change depending on how rotations go - I like a few others that are less competitive too). My school does Wolfpacc for an entire month which I think will be helpful for me. Currently I'm annotating FA with Uworld and combank and I'm watching Pathoma videos as well. I use Cramfighter to manage my schedule but I've already had a hard time keeping up with the schedule it has laid out for me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Only students that I know that got a tutor were students that failed boards, but if you feel you'd learn best with a tutor, I would highly recommend you do it. If your goal is general surgery, you will ideally have >230 USMLE

 

[GBCrzzyy]

Only students that I know that got a tutor were students that failed boards, but if you feel you'd learn best with a tutor, I would highly recommend you do it. If your goal is general surgery, you will ideally have >230 USMLE

would you by any chance know a reputable source for a tutor?
I'm not totally sure if that is the route I should go in or not yet. I'm not sure if a tutor will truly help me or not. I feel like I have a hole somewhere in what I'm doing and I can't figure out what it is I should be doing to fill it.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

would you by any chance know a reputable source for a tutor?
I'm not totally sure if that is the route I should go in or not yet. I'm not sure if a tutor will truly help me or not. I feel like I have a hole somewhere in what I'm doing and I can't figure out what it is I should be doing to fill it.

No, I don't know any tutors. I would imagine your school knows some already.

It doesn't hurt to have a meeting with a tutor and see what they can offer you. It might be right for you. It might not be. You could always try to see if maybe a structured course like Doctors in Training or something is the way to go. No one solution works for everyone.

 

[Espressso]

The only one I feel as if is legit is found here: https://www.usmlepro.com/ ; they also post frequently on these forums. Board tutors are expensive though.

And I think it's worth noting that many students feel the same way you do. Including myself. You have to remember that just about everyone ends up making it out alive. A lot of students at my school sign up for cram fighter to get "personalized" schedules for them for this spring semester and for dedicated. I think if you can come up with a plan to make a pass through everything before dedicated as well as making 1+ passes through uworld, you can perform well. That's just going off the majority of advice I've read on here, and advice I've heard from mentors in classes above me. Good luck!

 

[GBCrzzyy]

The only one I feel as if is legit is found here: https://www.usmlepro.com/ ; they also post frequently on these forums. Board tutors are expensive though.

And I think it's worth noting that many students feel the same way you do. Including myself. You have to remember that just about everyone ends up making it out alive. A lot of students at my school sign up for cram fighter to get "personalized" schedules for them for this spring semester and for dedicated. I think if you can come up with a plan to make a pass through everything before dedicated as well as making 1+ passes through uworld, you can perform well. That's just going off the majority of advice I've read on here, and advice I've heard from mentors in classes above me. Good luck!

Thank you! My school provides us all with Cramfighter access so I definitely made a schedule with that for myself. Additionally, I have met with some professors to adjust my study plan to better suit me and what I need. I appreciate your input!

 

[Medic741]

Have you given Sketchy Path + Pharm + Micro a go?

 

[GBCrzzyy]

Have you given Sketchy Path + Pharm + Micro a go?

I have used it a little and I may try to use it more. I'm still not exactly sure if it works for me or not yet

 

[Medic741]

I have used it a little and I may try to use it more. I'm still not exactly sure if it works for me or not yet

Sketchy has a lot to do with how you use it. If all you do is passively watch the videos it'll be nearly *worthless* for 9/10 people. What I've found makes sketchy a great learning tool is downloading images to a tablet you can write on, taking handwritten notes directly onto the images, and copying selections from the image-notes into your notes for class to make Sketchy integral to the 'mind palace' you're building. If all you're doing is watching videos it's probably not going to be of much value imo.

Learning how to learn independently is an essential skill and off-loading that ability for later is a missed opportunity to get ready for the rest of your career...