As many of you know, boards “advice” is easy to come by. Whether by way of a professor, an SDN thread, or an upperclassman who claims to have set the COMLEX bell curve, “expert” advice is easy to find. It seems as if everyone has an opinion or a magic solution. The problem is…every solution is different. It also seems like everyone says a different subject was unfairly weighted on their exam. What began as a simple quest to gain knowledge, can ultimately leave you frustrated and in a daze as to how to prepare yourself for exam day.

The fact is, no amount of advice will replace the knowledge you must attain from studying and taking practice questions. Some exam experiences may have weighted certain topics heavier than others, but by no means is that predictable and by no means will an 8-hour exam cover only one or two topics. You must be prepared to encounter a broad range of topics no matter what.

Now, lets look at some facts. There are some area the NBOME continues to focus on each year, and we can use this knowledge to drive our study efforts. For example, we know that COMLEX Level 1 is heavy on Path, Pharm, and Micro…so additional effort geared toward these subjects is a must. Level 2 CE is a little more ambiguous, but again, we know the exam loves to test OMM, OB/GYN, and medical ethics so focus in these areas is time well-spent.

We all know colleagues who seem to score highly with minimal study effort. If you are one of them, I commend you. If not, you may find it both tempting and frustrating to take advice from these individuals. Unfortunately, most of us are not this way. Hopefully by know, you are comfortable with your learning style. Some of us highlight, some of us underline, and still there are some of us who must rewrite before the information sticks in our minds. Whether you like to read alone or work better in groups, something has worked for you or you wouldn’t have made it this far. The key is knowing what works for YOU!

I remember a wise professor once telling me that my medical school experience would be similar to standing in front of a spouting fire hydrant with my mouth open. Needless to say, it was. Gearing up for boards can be a daunting task. Most of us tend to gravitate to subjects we enjoy and focus our study efforts accordingly. If you are applying Neurology and reading about cerebellar tumors as we speak, you may want to ask yourself why?

Consider taking the following approach. Take a few minutes to make a list of all the subject areas that will be tested on your boards starting with your least favorite and ending with your strongest subject. Then, start from the top and construct a dedicated study schedule geared toward mastering your least favorite subjects first. If you are into sports, think about it like a football team gearing up for the draft. If you are the Saints and have one of the most effective offenses in the game, maybe it’s time to draft some defensive talent? It is often said that a team is only as strong as its weakest player. The same goes for your study program. A critical step in your preparation lies in the ability to first recognize then address your areas of weakness.

Although you may have an idea of this in your mind, it is best to use an objective assessment tool. Some turn to a single assessment exam such as COMSAE for this purpose. Others use subject charting similar to what we offer with COMBANK for this purpose. Regardless of how you do it, it is very important to objectively identify your strong and weak areas. The more insight you have into this, the better off you will be.

When it comes time to creating a study plan, we advocate for one that takes a balanced approach. Once you’ve exhausted yourself with subjects you despise, reward yourself with some you love. By no means should you ignore your strengths; just make them stronger. Balance in your study program will allow you to improve your defense while fine-tuning your offense. Once you fill in your gaps, you will be unstoppable on game day!