How To: Choose the best path when studying for your Psychiatric Board Exams!

An image reading "Choose the best path when studying for your Psychiatric Board Exams!" - in the image is a dark path for stressful exam prep OR a light path for easy studying.

When taking your journey there are many choices you can make that will either help or hurt you in studying. Would you want to take a path that seems rocky & has a higher chance of failure OR one that is sunny & straightforward?

Everyone is different when it comes to taking tests & exams BUT, if you go into your exam with a clear plan your odds of passing become so much higher already!

🤨 “So what’s your advice then?”

You’ve taken tests all your life & know what works for YOU. Take a look back at some of your best / worst tests. Write down the areas you think hurt you & those that helped so you won’t make the same mistakes. Just focus more on the positive areas than the negative.

If you spend more time worrying & less time studying/creating a plan you’re just going to make things worse. You’ll just stress yourself out. The exam is only a small moment in time so don’t let it run months of your life.

⏰ Since we’re talking about time, remember to pace yourself!

Some people finish within seconds to spare & others finish early, but again, we’re all different. There are a few strategies that you can put into place. We’ve outlined two, but we recommend researching more about what others have done.

1️⃣ Review & Tag Method:
Read your question & choose the answer you think is right after thinking quickly about it. Tag questions for review & return to them later. This will keep you moving quickly through the exam hitting questions you’re confident about. When you complete the questions go back & spend more time on the ones you weren’t sure about.
(*Some exams do NOT allow tagging. DM us if you want to learn if you’ll be affected).

2️⃣ Using every second:
It’s not a race, so if you’re the type who feels more confident taking it slow then do it! Spend as much time as you can considering each option & remove the choices you know that wouldn’t be correct. It’s better to answer every question than to leave it blank. You still have a higher chance it’s right.

When your exam is done, leave it in the past. There’s no point saying “I should’ve done this”.Well, that’s enough for now so we will focus on what to do AFTER your board exams in a future post…

Stay tuned!

Did you know we offer additional tutoring? Contact us today to learn more! OR Jump right in with our FREE question banks!