Transcript Test-Taking Techniques

MED-PEDS Board Review
Welcome
Review Course Format
Multiple-Choice Questions 101
Shalini Chandra, MD, MS
Board review med/peds style
Focus Focus Focus
Focus on Content Specifications
and/or Inservice Topics
Class Responsibilities
1st year: Pulmonary
2nd year: Rheumatology and GI
3rd year: Nephrology/Urology, Heme/Onc,
and Dermatology
4th year: Cardiology, ID, Endocrine
Chief and attendings: end of section quiz
Format of the presentation is up to you
Basic Study Tips
Nothing can replace effective study
habits or knowledge about the
subject being tested!
Things to keep in mind…
There are 3 kinds of studying…
Studying for your own understanding
Studying for your patients
Studying for the BOARDS!
Certain topics are favorites of test-writers.
For medicine go through old in-service
topics. For peds go through old in-service
topics as well as content specifications.
In Hindsight…
Pick your study book early!
Don’t waste too much time or money reviewing
too many books. Pick one or two and stick with
them!
Some Medicine options: Mayo, CMDT, MKSAP,
Hopkins
For Peds, Nelson’s is probably the ideal way to go if
you start early, MKSAP is a great second choice, but
bottom line is know the content specifications!
When you read…
Survey the chapter headings and
subheadings
Try to think in terms of
Common etiologies
Classic clinical presentation
Preferred diagnostic tools
1st, 2nd, and 3rd lines of treatment
Prognosis
Primary & secondary prevention
When you read…
Get a spiral notebook and take your own
notes while reading the chapter
Summarize in your own words
Pick out the most important stuff
Make pictures, tables, mnemonics
Write down “catchy phrases”
Jot down things in triads or groups
Jot down classic features of syndromes
When you read…
Explain the concept to yourself or to
someone else
Your grandmother should be able to
understand your explanation
Ask yourself to explain the same
concept the next day or a few days
later
Test-Taking Techniques
Multiple-Choice Questions 101
Develop skills which increase your
command over the testing situation
How to be “Test-Wise”
To increase your chances of selecting the
correct answers, you must:
Maintain control…Don’t Panic!
Think positive!
Use skill and forethought to analyze a test
item before selecting an answer.
Remember you spiral notebook
Remember your lectures
TRUST YOUR RESIDENCY!
Break the question down into its
components
First, glance at the last 2-3 lines of the
stem…you might not need to read the
entire stem!
Read the stem circling key words
Pay close attention to what the question is
asking for
Cover the options, and come up with your
own answer
Hopefully, one of the options will be similar to
your answer
Break the question down into its
components
First, glance at the last 2-3 lines of the stem…you
might not need to read the entire stem!
Read the stem circling the key words
Pay close attention to what the question is asking
for
Cover the options, and come up with your own
answer
Hopefully, one of the options will be similar to your
answer
Examine all options…
If you can find your answer great, BUT
read through ALL the options!
An option may contain accurate information, but
it might be wrong because it does not answer
the question.
Look for “Not”, “Except”, “Never”, “Avoid”,
“Contraindicated”, “Unacceptable”,
“Unrelated”, and “Least”
If all the options appear correct, reread the
question…you may have missed a negative word.
Identify key words in the stem
that set a priority.
Look for words such as “first”, “initially”, “best”,
and “most”.
These words modify what is being asked.
This type of question requires you to put a value
on each option and then place them in rank order.
If you are having difficulty ranking the options, eliminate
the option that you believe is most wrong among all the
options.
Next, eliminate the option you believe is most wrong
from among the remaining 3 options.
Peeking into a test-writer’s
mind…
A clue is the unintentional use of a
word or phrase that leads you to the
correct answer.
A word in the stem may be identical or
similar to a word used in the correct
answer.
Make sure the grammar in the question
fits the option
Identify specific determiners in
options
Options with words such as “just”,
“always”, “never”, “all”, “every”, “none”,
and “only” are absolutes and usually
wrong
Identify opposites in options
Sometimes there will be 2 options that
are opposite to each other. When
opposites appear in the options, either
one of them will be the correct answer,
or they will both be wrong
If you correctly evaluate opposite
options, you can increase your chances
of selecting the correct answer by
50%.
Identify equally plausible/unique
options
Items sometimes contain 2 or more
options that are very similar.
If 1 option is no better or no worse than
the other option in relation to the
statement presented in the question,
chances are they are both wrong
Identify duplicate facts in
options
Options sometimes contain 2 or more
identical or similar components.
If identify 1 component as being correct,
you usually can eliminate at least 2 options.
If you know insulin must be given, obviously any
answer without insulin is wrong
If you don’t know insulin must be given, but it’s
in three of the five answer choices, chances are
the other two choices are wrong
Identify relationships…the
center of attention
Analyze all the options and see if one
option is related to all the others,
especially if the others have no connection
with each other…that’s likely to be the
right answer
Don’t forget the teacher…
Some test writers like to teach
through their question. Usually they
tend to be a little verbose. If you
think this is the case, pick the
longest answer.
Identify options that deny
feelings, concerns, or needs
Options that imply any of the following
regarding the patient are generally wrong
everything will be all right
deny patient feelings
change the subject raised by the patient
turf responsibility to other members of the
health care team
Practice Practice Practice!
Think positive!
Don’t over-read the question
Don’t get mezmerized by fancy words you
don’t know…trust yourself!
Concentrate on the stuff you know…come
back to the hard stuff
Make educated guesses…
Try not to just pick ‘C’
Don’t say “Three Bs in a row…it can’t be B”
Why did you get that wrong?
You don't remember seeing that
before…you never studied the topic or not
well enough anyway…go back and re-read
The option you picked is true, but doesn’t
answer the question…watch for best,
first…etc…read each question carefully!
You chose a partially correct answer. Don’t
miss all of the above, or questions that
have components…read all the options!
Why did you get that wrong?
You misunderstood the concept…go back
and re-read, recite and review.
You could not apply the concept to a new
situation…you got caught in the twist…reread, recite and review.
This is common especially for people who study
only from test questions.
You misread or overlooked something in the
stem, the question, the options…pace
yourself-don’t rush!
Why did you get that wrong?
You over read the question…Remember the level of
the test…esp. for Step 3! Some questions are
straightforward…
If you know it’s right, pick it and stick with it!
Don’t second guess yourself.
The option you picked is true, but doesn’t answer
the question…watch for best, first…etc…read each
question carefully!
You chose a partially correct answer. Don’t miss
all of the above, or questions that have
components…read all the options!
Why did you get that wrong?
You made a calculation error…esp. with stats
questions…go slow and re-check your work
You fell into a myth trap…too many B’s or don’t
pick all of the above…trust yourself and guess by
elimination.
Bad question. Sometimes practice questions are
questions that got rejected from the real boards.
Test anxiety. This is real. Practice at least one
test in a “test-like setting”
If you have physical impairments or learning disabilities,
apply for accommodations early! It can be a long process.
Test Day
Follow your regular routine the night
before a test
Arrive on time for the examination
Bring the appropriate tools
Manage the allotted time to your
advantage
Check your answers and answer sheet
Don’t save all your bubbling to the end
Now that we’re ready…
Hi ho, hi ho, to board review we go….