Do you feel like your recertification is sneaking up on you? We know that exams aren't the only thing on your plate. With a busy career, family, friends, and everything in between, it can be hard to get as much time to study before your exam as you'd like. Even if you’ve fallen behind where you’d like to be in your study plan, you can still finish strong in the last month so you can confidently tackle your exam! Here's how:
Make Self-Testing Your Top Priority
Study for your ABIM MOC program exam by self-testing.
Self-testing is one of our favorite evidence-based ways to solidify knowledge and build recall speed! It's the most effective way you can prep for boards, especially when you're getting close to exam day. Our Board-Style Q&As include two modes so you can choose your study experience.
Set your session to study mode to see detailed explanations after you submit each answer so you can learn why you were right or wrong. Plus, our digital learning tools are interlinked, so you can get more context and expand your knowledge with a single click to the same topic in the digital Core.
Prepare yourself for the real thing by starting a session in test mode for a realistic, timed board exam experience. You can choose what topics to cover, add filters, set the number of questions you want to answer, and set your time limit. You won't see any answers until you complete your test session. After you submit your final answer, you'll see a detailed report of every question you got right, wrong, or skipped. In reading through these reports, make sure you understand why the right answer is right and why the wrong answer is wrong.
When you come across any questions you don't know the answer to, try practicing your ability to recall the answer on your own first. If you’re not correct, check out that same section in the Core and review all the knowledge you need to know on the topic in context.
Practicing your recall repeatedly over time (especially leading up to exam day!) is the perfect way to strengthen that knowledge and make sure it sticks, so it’s there when you need to remember it on exam day!
Study Somewhere New
Study for your ABIM Recertification exam somewhere new.
Another great science-backed study tactic to employ is studying in a new environment. Studying at your desk can be a reliable part of your routine, but switching up your study location is the perfect way to give your brain more chances to recall the must-know information when you’re taking your ABIM Recertification exam.
How does it work? When you learn new information, it enters your brain through the hippocampus and converts into a neural code that can be stored and accessed later, first as short-term memory and later converts to long-term memory… this process is called encoding. Every sight, sound, and smell around you becomes a new cue in your memory. And, the more cues you have, the more chances you’ll have to recall information correctly when you need it most.
Encoding improves when studying in varying surroundings and with mild distractions. So, set yourself up for success by giving your brain more memory cues and try studying in a coffee shop, park, or cafe a few times before any scheduled assessments.
Stay Healthy Leading Up to Exam Day
Prioritizing your health before your maintenance of certification exam will go a long way.
This one might be obvious, but it matters more than you’d think. The stress of the exam, work, and making important care decisions daily can take a big toll on your body and mind.
Make it a priority to get at least 30 minutes of exercise and 7-9 hours of sleep as many days as possible leading up to your assessment this year. Exercise and sleep help your brain stay alert, clear, and ready to recall all the medical information you've learned. So, help your brain help you! Keeping your brain healthy is just as important as filling it with all the essential medical information you need to know. A healthy brain will be able to store more information and successfully recall it when you need it during your exam or treat patients.
Are you looking for even more evidence-based brain-hacking techniques to prep for boards? Check out our StudyWise Guide to learn more about the MedStudy Method and study stronger than ever before.
