yet another boards question

[cherryalmond]

So I am taking the psyc boards in May and want to start readiing a bit now since I'm on a light rotation. I have searched the forum and read the sticky on the written boards and there are a few book recommendations but how do you decide which to go with. I mean is it like usmleI where everyone was glued to their First Aid book memorizing it so should I pick one book and just do that and one solid question book? Or get those beat the boards binders and just use that? and what about this kaufman course that i keep hearing about? It's kind of a big decision since for usmle I i took the kaplan course with live lectures, which i hated, and I know i would've done much better just memorizing first aid like everyone else seemed to do.
I've asked people in my residency program who have taken it already and everyone used something different it seems. One person just did questions from Focus; someone else studied from some series of books from a drug rep (i have no clue what this is). So i am a bit confused which to go with, and somewhat worried as I am not the best test taker.
thanx!

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[Anasazi23]

The written boards have a relatively high pass rate, so I think that as long as you pick a study regimen that makes sense and appeals to you, that's the important thing.

I know what you mean though - it seems as though in medical specialty boards, the study standard becomes less clear.

Personally, I figured I coudn't go wrong with a book from the APA, so I read that one, and I also heard positive things from past residents who passed about some of the question books, so I used those too and supplemented weaker knowledge with more comprehensive texts when I needed it.

The Kauffman course is popular and useful clinically as a practicing doc, but I wouldn't say it's necessary to pass. I didn't take the course as I have problems sitting through lectures that are going through someone else's pace. Further, when you study alone, you can focus on things you need, rather than being forced to listen to a topic in which your knowledge base is already strong. Other people are obviously different and get more out of a lecture type format.

In sum, I'd pick a general review text that seems to fit your style, and some question books that are reputable. The sticky list should fit your needs for this.

 

[cherryalmond]

thank you
is this the apa book you used:
American Psychiatric Publishing Board Review Guide for Psychiatry (2009, Paperback)

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Publisher: Amer Psychiatric Pub Inc
Publication Date: 2009-05-06
Language: English
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 1585622974
ISBN-13: 9781585622979

Product ID: EPID71956258

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[cherryalmond]

another question: what do people do with their notes from the kaufman class and beat the boards after they pass; i wonder if they keep them or sell them
anyone know?

 

[Anasazi23]

another question: what do people do with their notes from the kaufman class and beat the boards after they pass; i wonder if they keep them or sell them
anyone know?

I don't think that book existed when I took the boards, or it was brand new and I already had one. I'm sure that the topic areas covered are at least reasonably realted to the test content. Plus, there is something to be said for new editions of books related to medicine, and old knowledge gets replaced. Further, most of those types of general review books give you a short but sometimes valuable primer on how the test operates, how to study for it, etc, etc.

I'm not sure what people do with their old course books. I'm sure some sell them, others I know are often given away. Don't bother with ebay though, as these are all copyrighted and the publishers are constantly scouring this stuff for infringement. Sometimes they sell the lecture notes separately, so that's an option. That stuff becomes more relevant for the orals, I think, for which the study selection becomes much more grim. Enjoy!

 

[whopper]

I know what you mean though - it seems as though in medical specialty boards, the study standard becomes less clear.

One thing I learned from Kaplan was to just get the books, study them and forget about paying for lectures. The books were affordable, the lectures were expensive and they pretty much just went over what was in the book, but for an incredibly cheap price of about $50/hr.

Out of all the materials I used, the best material was Spiegel's book of questions.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...sychiatry&cid=16667685010880611168&sa=title#p

Good questions, high yield, written in the board style, and great explanations.

Only problem was that the questions were not grouped by subject. So if you just studied bipolar you won't be able to go to a bipolar question section and answer.

The Kaufman notes, while highly effective IMHO was more of a high yield, "we're here to get you to pass, not to teach you psychiatry or neurology" type of approach. While that's fine, some people want to get more out of their studying experience than to simply pass. I do not mean that sarcastically--in our profession, to study for the written boards in addition to residency or being an attending is very difficult. I thought the notes were highly effective, high yield and great for those that don't have much time and want to do a sprint type study style. If you spend 2-3 hours a day you can go through the notes 4x (which IMHO is to the point where you have a strong command of the data in the notes) in about 2 months.

I also used the Beat the Boards notes. These were very comprehensive and you will learn psychiatry and neurology if you use these notes. Problems are that you need plenty of time to study them (at least 4 months if you study 2-3 hours a day) as they are hundreds of pages worth of notes. The neurology section IMHO was not very good, but the psychiatry section was phenomenal.

 

[cherryalmond]

I think i might buy the beat the boards notes as i feel i haven't read enough in my residency; but it's so ridiculous how much these notes cost----1000dollars for beat the board notes! and 1000dollars for kaufman notes! I mean it's ridiculous how much money these board exams plus preparation costs. hopefully i can find someone in my program who has the notes already.
Any significant difference between last year's notes and this year's? i doubt it right