Hi Sisi,
Thought I'd reach out to you. I wrote the following to another candidate who didn't fair so well on this past July's boards. I'm hoping it might give you some insight into how I approached boards.
"Sorry to hear about your results. I think regardless of pass/fail this whole process has been a humbling one. For me, the questions I got wrong were not for lack of knowledge but mostly because a) I misread the question or b) my line of reasoning was off. Instead of continuing to study notes I practiced writing down on paper key terms from the stem and further defining the answers (ie. answer a is static, answer b is dynamic, answer c doesn't address this key word in the stem etc). I did this when I took the PEAT practice and retired test. Doing so prevented me from being this passive participant to a more active one (if that makes any sense). At least for me, it helped me pass this July's boards.
Regarding questions that you're getting wrong, is it due to lack of knowledge (that was the case for a few questions for me), or was your line of reasoning off (a majority of the time for me)?
This was my first time taking the boards but I was seriously worried after taking the O'Sullivan tests. I had no idea how to improve my critical thinking skills so I ended up looking up stuff online and went to the bookstore to see if there was any exercise books to help with that. After doing some research on improving critical thinking skills I ended up making a set of rules for myself to remember:
1) summarize the stem
2) categorize the answers into commonalities OR re-define the answers into simpler terms
3) are two answers very similar? If yes, then I can probably* eliminate them
4) is an answer something that I'd rarely see in the clinic? If yes, then I can probably* eliminate that answer
5) are there two completely opposite answers? If yes, then one of them is *probably the correct answer
(*note that I said probably and not definitely)
Develop a strategy for yourself, a set of rules to follow, when answering questions.
For the practice questions I had already seen, I practiced the steps listed above despite knowing the correct answers already.
Keep doing that routine you set for yourself until it becomes a habit.
Keep your head up, you'll pass so long as your honest with yourself regarding where your deficits are and you address those deficits properly (if that makes any sense).
Feel free to PM me if I wasn't clear on anything. I tend to have a convoluted way of stating things. Lol."
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