NBEO Part 1 - study advice

[LUC78]

Hi there,

I just wanted to crowdsource and get some opinions on how people who have taken/passed NBEO part 1 studied and what kind of materials or books they found most helpful. KMK and optoprep are the big 2 but it seems like my school keeps steering us away from solely replying on KMK -- especially for students who need to re-learn their base knowledge, which I feel like is me because I wasn't as serious first year as I am now.

Also how are optoprep questions/using those as your main source. All non-optometry people I talk to who have taken STEP exams, etc swear by just doing question banks as much as you can and taking detailed notes on the explanations as your way of learning the content. However, I dont know how good of a question bank optoprep is.

Thank you in advance

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[someguy313]

Hi there,

I just wanted to crowdsource and get some opinions on how people who have taken/passed NBEO part 1 studied and what kind of materials or books they found most helpful. KMK and optoprep are the big 2 but it seems like my school keeps steering us away from solely replying on KMK -- especially for students who need to re-learn their base knowledge, which I feel like is me because I wasn't as serious first year as I am now.

Also how are optoprep questions/using those as your main source. All non-optometry people I talk to who have taken STEP exams, etc swear by just doing question banks as much as you can and taking detailed notes on the explanations as your way of learning the content. However, I dont know how good of a question bank optoprep is.

Thank you in advance

I'd say like 70-80% of my studying came from KMK. The rest came from my old class notes and other resources I had (Will's Eye Manual, Remington's Anatomy textbook etc.). My school told me the same thing about not relying on KMK, but I honestly feel like they're just out of touch lol. And I'm someone who struggled a lot through opt school and I felt KMK was great and sufficed almost on its own. hope that helps!

 

[UnicornOpt]

I just read school notes, and I read an intro textbook for nursing school students that was at my library. I figured if nurses (mid-levels) had to know the basics of eye stuff, I should at least know what the basics they ask are, similar to how jeopardy science categories are usually questions still not super niche in-depth answers. I was the only person in my class who didn't sign up for KMK. A lot of my classmates loved it and some thought it was a waste of money. But it seemed like a good bonding experience for my classmates to compare notes with it. I just did my own thing. NBEO was easy for me, granted this was 10 years ago.

Another rule I used was if different classes/textbooks overlapped and talked about the same topic and details of the topic repeatedly to reinforce it, then it was probably going to be asked. Ocular pemphigoid, probably not important. Myasthenia gravis, ARMD, Enhlar-Danlos, plaquenil, yes.

 

[LUC78]

Thank you both for your advice! One quick question but how did you work your way through KMK/how many times did you review it? im going through the videos as they recommend but i feel like its taking a lot of time and don't know if its worth it!

 

[tritoneyes058]

I personally got OptoPrep because my school did a prep course with quizzes and exams that pulled from that source, but that was really all I felt OptoPrep was useful for as far as Part 1 goes. I think it's overkill to have both- but if it gives you that peace of mind than go for it. If you are considering one or the other my vote would be for KMK. KMK does an excellent job at hammering you on the basics. I still felt like I needed to consult my class notes for optics and binocular vision which are pretty large categories. I also would just stick to the KMK schedule so you can ensure you don't fall behind- but again everyone will be different on that based on their baseline knowledge.

 

[LUC78]

Thank you for the reply! Ive started on KMK but my question now is what is the best way to actually study the material? And transfer it into long-term memory.
I feel like solely watching videos and taking notes is too passive, as is just re-reading the section multiple times. Ofc there are the review questions/flashcards but they're usually just from a pool and not specifically testing me on the section i'm currently studying. I definitely am planning on supplementing w both. But I really just want to know how to make my time going through KMK worthwhile.

 

[tritoneyes058]

For me, I felt like each pass with the passive type studying did solidify my foundation. I would highly recommend following the KMK schedule if you can- prioritizing your weaker areas. Practice tests are where you will really see what you know/don't know- great for identifying these areas of weakness. It's probably the most critical part so you can better time manage and spend more time where needed. Other than that- it made me feel better to look over everything at least once or twice because anything can really come up on the test and seeing things I already knew was still a good way to keep the material fresh.