Study materials used for boards that actually helped...

[Imgtnold]

---

Members don't see this ad.

For those of you that passed boards...CONGRATULATIONS!!😀! Im sure thats a huge weight off your shoulders!!! I am taking boards July 2011, and was wondering what materials you used that were the most helpful. I hear USMLE First Aid and Lower notes alot...thanks for your help!!!🙂

 

[ldsrmdude]

I didn't think that First Aid for USMLE helped me that much. LEA notes are good. Plus something that shows some of the anatomy in diagram form (if it's not in your notes). I used the PI Manual for some of it, there is also some drawings in Pocket Podiatrics that you could use. I wouldn't use them for your whole LE study, but it's nice to just have a little book that you can carry around and flip open every once in a while, especially if you are like me and find some of the anatomical relationships hard to remember. I used a pharm review book a little, but I had just finished our 3-quarter long pharm course a month earlier, so I didn't spend as much time on that as say biochem from the first year. Seeing what others in my class and on this forum have thought though, I am not sure there is anything really well suited for preparing you for NBPME Part I. Good luck!

 

[MaseratiGT]

I liked Lippincott's review books. I had the biochem & micro. The books go over specific sections then have a quiz at the end of each one. I found those useful.

For path, I used "Lange Smart Charts: Pathology" by Robert Groysman. Pics and easy to navigate tables and charts. I would also recommend this to use as a class supplement.

I agree with ldsrmdude and didn't think FA was all that great, although I did like some of the pneumonics. I did think that it covered phys enough though; at least for me.

Pharm - I made notecards as I went through the course and used those.

General - I used class notes.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it!

MGT

 

[jdikis]

I used the USMLE Step 1 review book (basically due to lack of a better option), Lower Limb Anatomy notes (which were far more detailed than required on the test), Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple, and notes from a few classes (Pharmacology, Neuroanatomy, Biochemistry, etc.).
The test is designed so that many people will get a lot of questions wrong so that they can scale it to where a certain number of people pass. If the test was easier, they wouldn't be able to scale it backwards (to make some people, who did well, fail). Hence, the test will always seem very difficult.

Certain schools will prepare students better than others (as evidenced by a history of pass rates), so if you go to a school (and that could be any of the 9) that doesn't have a great pass rate history, you might need to go above and beyond in the studying. Just something to consider. Hope this helps.

DMU 2012

 

[Paulywog]

Not sure if I believe the previous comment. I think the board pass rates are more determined by what schools take a few more under-prepared students that shouldn't have made it in in the first place. These schools might take the extra students for the money rather than only accepting competent individuals. Some of the schools have smaller class sizes and get better qualified students. I would agree with the statement that some schools prepare their students for certain subjects better than other schools. Does anyone know when the stats come out for how each school did in each section of the boards?

 

[jdikis]

Not sure if I believe the previous comment. I think the board pass rates are more determined by what schools take a few more under-prepared students that shouldn't have made it in in the first place. These schools might take the extra students for the money rather than only accepting competent individuals. Some of the schools have smaller class sizes and get better qualified students. I would agree with the statement that some schools prepare their students for certain subjects better than other schools. Does anyone know when the stats come out for how each school did in each section of the boards?

I definitely agree with you that a few schools take some less-than-qualified students due to the financial benefits of having a large class (especially those that are a self-sufficient pod school and rely on those dollars). This can certainly come back to bite them when boards time rolls around.
I'm not sure if that pass-rate information is ever officially made public (??). I know that there has been a push recently for the NBPME to release this information publicly, as a school obviously won't release their pass rate if it is sub-par. I don't see how it is fair to incoming students to not know the pass-rate of the school they are interested in (which is really the only standardized way to compare the schools with each other).
IMHO the NBPME could do a few things much better than they do. Publicly releasing each school's first time and second time pass-rate (and how they did on each section), online score availability (similar to the COMLEX and USMLE), online sign-up and payment for the test, and an improved website are a few ideas I had in mind. Unfortunately I'm not in charge, so they will probably remain just ideas for now... 🙂
DMU 2012

 

[Paulywog]

I agree. They need to post the board scores and breakdown scores of each section. Having the schools results out to the public could force the deans to improve the sections they are poor in. Pre-pods could have information to compare. Schools might stop taking low GPA/score applicants to improve their board results and then Podiatry would be more competitive to get into. One-step closer to vision 2015. Show us the Scores! Someone start a facebook page!

 

[dtrack22]

Show us the Scores!

Have you tried mailing the examiners Mardi Gras beads?

 

[Paulywog]

Have you tried mailing the examiners Mardi Gras beads?

👍

 

[air bud]

How do you guys feel about using Lippincott??

I have the pharm already, and I like the setup. I looked at BRS and didnt like how compact it was, it seemed hard to focus on stuff.

I can get a bundle for 165 and then 20 percent off now.
Includes - Pharm, Micro, Immunology and Biochem.
Good idea?

I have also bought FA.
Along with class notes, this should be good, right?

 

[Paulywog]

BRS seems hard to focus right now but you will love BRS Physiology and Pathology once you take those classes. I liked Lipponcotts for a few subjects. Dont get too carried away with all of these review books. Ask around your upperclassmen and see if they have these books on pdf. All of these books are floating around.

 

[air bud]

i already have taken path and phys and got mid 90s in both. Are most of these books going to cover the same stuff, just present/organize it a little different? Like I said, BRS just seemed so cluttered. Make the pages a little bigger and give stuff more room.

 

[Paulywog]

i already have taken path and phys and got mid 90s in both. Are most of these books going to cover the same stuff, just present/organize it a little different? Like I said, BRS just seemed so cluttered. Make the pages a little bigger and give stuff more room.

People learn in different ways. many people I have talked to from different schools thought the same as I. If you did as well as you did in your classes and you look over some review books, you will be fine. A long as you are not learning many new things while studying for boards, you are fine. Going over board review books while taking the classes is a good thing. You will be well prepared.

 

[TheBee]

They need to publish board pass rates PLUS the percentage of students who sat for boards in July versus January. Some schools don't require their students to sit for the first offering of boards, while others do. This affects pass rates immensely!

 

[air bud]

They need to publish board pass rates PLUS the percentage of students who sat for boards in July versus January. Some schools don't require their students to sit for the first offering of boards, while others do. This affects pass rates immensely!

Do you know which schools allow this? Is this how NYCPM had 76/77 pass? Isnt there more than 77 students in the class of 2012?

 

[dddunit]

So after reading lots of threads on sdn it seems FA+LEA notes+BRS physio+BRS pathology covers all the bases.

Base the breakdown:
-general anatomy
-LEA
-biochem
-physio
-microbio/immunology
-pathology
-pharmacology

am I missing any supplements that I mentioned above (BRS physio +BRS pathology) that I may be missing to cover the holes in FA?