Review Courses for Writtens

[txdoc2b]

Besides Jenson, anyone know if any GOOD and helpful written board review courses that are WORTH the money and HELPFUL? I'm really gonna need a little bit of study boot camp. Taking off July and starting job after boards to study. I know lots of people go to Jenson's, but just wanted to see if there is anything else I should consider.

Thanks!

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[rsgillmd]

Besides Jenson, anyone know if any GOOD and helpful written board review courses that are WORTH the money and HELPFUL? I'm really gonna need a little bit of study boot camp. Taking off July and starting job after boards to study. I know lots of people go to Jenson's, but just wanted to see if there is anything else I should consider.

Thanks!

My program paid for us to take a board review course, so I took Osler. It is more lecture based. Jensen is more question based. The way I see it, I can do plenty of questions on my own.

My course had some poor lecturer's but according to the lady regiistering the attendees, Osler reads the feedback and takes it seriously. So the ones that are consistently viewed as bad are weeded out.

The main thing I got out of the board review course was that it forced me to sit down and study all day (approx 10-12 hours including breaks).

I know some friends who liked Rashad's course, and others who hated it. He usually hold his on a cruise ship, so I can't imagine being able to focus for any length of time.

 

[CambieMD]

The main thing I got out of the board review course was that it forced me to sit down and study all day (approx 10-12 hours including breaks).

Please save your money. You can pass the written exam on your own. Reading through one central source several times prior to the exam will do more for you than any review course. Going over questions in a logical fashion is a very high yield activity.
Does Jensen have magical questions that are on the pulse of the exam? I don't think so. The pricipals that are tested every year do not change.
I used Rashads' review course. I do not think that it helped me. Going over questions really helped. Some of my friends went to Jensens' review. They also wasted their money.

Remember that your time is limited. You don't want to waste your time in activities that will not help you to pass your exam.

Cambie

 

[txdoc2b]

Thanks for your opinions! I really think I do want to do a review course, if for nothing else, to get me thinking about nothing but the anesthesia board material for a few days. Plus, I really havnen't done all that well on ITE's in the past, so I do have a lot of work to do. Anyone else have any opinions about Rashad? The one with dates I can actually go to is in DC. It seems REALLY expensive for 4 days. ($1500) Worth it? Any other opinons?

Thanks!

 

[txdoc2b]

Also, I was just reading about the MedText review materials. Anyone have any opinions about their questions and key word reviews? Are the helpful? Anymore helpful than any other question book?

Just want to know as many opinions as possible before I purchase!

Thanks

 

[Noyac]

Thanks for your opinions! I really think I do want to do a review course, if for nothing else, to get me thinking about nothing but the anesthesia board material for a few days. Plus, I really havnen't done all that well on ITE's in the past, so I do have a lot of work to do. Anyone else have any opinions about Rashad? The one with dates I can actually go to is in DC. It seems REALLY expensive for 4 days. ($1500) Worth it? Any other opinons?

Thanks!

Well, there's no way to know if it is worth it. If you pass then maybe it was worth it but then again maybe you would have passed anyway. If you fail then it wasn't worth it. That's how these courses work. They feed on our insecurities. Is that a bad thing? I don't necessarily think so as long as it isn't intentional.

I did the Jenson Big Blue mostly b/c I had read everything else with the exception of Big Miller ( I did focused reading in Miller) and needed a change of gears. I don't know anything about the other courses.

When it came time for my orals I did Jenson's course b/c I was tapped out and couldn't make myself read any more. 4yrs of med sch and 4 yrs of residency, man I was done. I had one more test to take and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus I was working like crazy and just didn't want to read anything when I got home. I did the Jenson Oral review course also to see how I would perform in front of a crowd (there were about 500 people in the audience/course). This proved to me that I could concentrate under pressure. Neil's stood up after my interrogation and shook my hand, "Son your ready". That helped confirm my position that I didn't need to do anything more. I definitely could have skipped the course and done well but I would have been wondering if I was ready all the way until the Orals. Now I knew I was ready and I could relax. I was able to go out and have dinner the night b/4 and the pressure was manageable. In the Orals I was again calm and relaxed. At the end, one examiner stood and shook my hand just like Neil's did and said, "nice job." Their not supposed to do that. They are not supposed to give you any feedback.

I could have saved $1500 but I made it up soon enough at work and I think the confidence it gave me was worth it. You never really know how well you are prepared and therefore, every little bit helps. At least this is how I looked at it.

 

[CambieMD]

Thanks for your opinions! I really think I do want to do a review course, if for nothing else, to get me thinking about nothing but the anesthesia board material for a few days. Plus, I really havnen't done all that well on ITE's in the past, so I do have a lot of work to do. Anyone else have any opinions about Rashad? The one with dates I can actually go to is in DC. It seems REALLY expensive for 4 days. ($1500) Worth it? Any other opinons?

Thanks!

I did Rashads' course. I passed the writtens but I don't really think that it made a that much of a difference for me.

I tell residents to pick a central source for info and know it well.

The written exam is a knowledge test. Know your key words and you will be fine.

If you are hell bent on spending large amounts of $$$ you can send me $1500 and I will tape myself reading questions from my lap top. If you don't like that idea, I can make up my own questions book space in a hotel and review questions with a group whose IQ probably places them in the what top 5% of the population. You cannot keep my magical questions either. how much sens does that make?

I want to save you from wasting your money.

Cambie