Everyone gets twitchy during PA school. It’s normal. You’re out of control and pouring through unimaginable amounts of information. It’s a crazy time.
Not too long ago, I got an email from a member of Physician Assistant Exam Scholars. (One of the perks you get as a member is responses to your questions and you get the bumped to the top of stack)
I’m going to keep the name to myself, but see if this sounds like you.
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Hello!
I am a member of your monthly newsletter. I am a first year PA-S. Getting a bit stressed have lots of material and exams end of September and October. Any advice for studying and understanding the material efficiently.
I know how important sleep and balance are but getting wrapped up with my classmate’s stresses and their thoughts on limited sleep and imbalance. Any advice on calming my mind, feeling confident, and continuing my studies for these upcoming exams?
Thanks a bunch!
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Herein you will find a portion of my response.
First of all, DON’T do what works for your classmates. DON’T do what I tell you either.
Test out different ways of handling things. See how different approaches work for you. Sacrificing sleep works great in the short term, especially if you’re young. Your body can handle it for a little while, but NOT for three years. Maybe a week or two. The tradeoff is that your brain won’t work as well, AND you won’t notice it isn’t working as well. That’s where most people function, and it’s a disaster.
(Think about out how you feel after two beers. Your reactions are significantly delayed, but worse than that is that you don’t know it’s happening. You can’t tell. It’s the same thing with brain function and lack of sleep.)
Anyway, let’s stop harping on the sleep thing because we have bigger fish to fry.
You wrote, “Any advice on calming my mind, feeling confident, and continuing my studies for these upcoming exams?”
Yes, and I put it together in a short booklet called No More Test Taking Anxiety
And here’s what you’ll find inside:
* Chapter 1
* A very specific, down in the weeds, easy technique you can use that was taught and practiced by the world-renowned Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn. This one is so easy you won’t’ believe it works. Practice it, and your professors will be flabbergasted at the results you start getting.
*Chapter 2
*A mental trick major league hitters have used for years to keep them calm and focused at the plate in front of thousands of screaming angry fans. How do you think they stay cool as a cucumber? By only working on the mechanics of hitting? Not a chance.
*Chapter 3
*My secret weapon for building ridiculous amounts of confidence right before an exam. Nothing wins (or passes) like confidence. This one will take about five minutes.
* The method I use be sure I get full nights sleep the night before a big exam. There’s no quicker path to failure than spending the night tossing and turning, watching the minutes tick away on the clock while you try to FORCE yourself to sleep. You’ve got to get your brain to stop studying, and this may be the best trick I have. (NMTA is the only place I’ve ever shared this one)
* Chapter 4
* This chapter lays out a plan of attack against “the resistance.” The specifics in here are for the PANCE/PANRE, but the ideas and philosophy hold true throughout PA school. A smart cat like you will be able to see how that can work for you TODAY.
*Chapter 5
* Also geared more towards PANCE/PANRE prep, but if you start practicing with it now, OH BOY will you feel GREAT, but the time you get to the PANCE.
You’ll get the PDF booklet as well as a video recording of a prevention I gave to group of PA-S3s on anxiety just before they got serious about studying for the exam.
There should be enough goodies in there to keep you busy and get your scores up beyond your wildest dreams.
But that isn’t all.
In addition to that, you’ll also get two back issues of Physician Assistant Exam Scholars Newsletter. Two written specifically on this topic. Two issues that have not been seen for some time and may not be seen again. Who knows?
Issue # 020 November 2019 – The Science of Slaying Anxiety: How to Avoid The Downward Spiral of Doom
This issue is a doosy. Filled with things you can put to work right away. Here are just a few
* A paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience that may once and for all prove why, after hours and hours of studying you don’t get the grades you were hoping for. You see what they did was make rats anxious and then measure activity in different areas of the brain. No huge surprise the prefrontal cortex all but shut down in these rats. I’ll explain what that means for test taking and what we can do it about it.
* A major cause of poor decision making (either on exams or in life) and how to avoid it. (Hint: It isn’t alcohol)
* A method that champions at the highest level to all but ensure victory. This one is so ingrained and so sneaky they don’t even know they’re doing it, but it makes all the difference. (I’m pretty sure NOT doing this is the #1 reason people fail the exam. I don’t’ have any proof, but 10 years of anecdotal evidence makes me pretty confident.)
* A three minutes exercise to cram into your already over crowded day, that might change everything.
* Anonio Damaiso, a well known neuroscientist at the University of California, has a unique take on decision making. His ideas may just change how you approach your exams.
* Confidence in the face of stress can not be given. It has to earned. Inside this issue I’m going to give you access to some tools that will help you earn it, and once you do, they’ll be no stopping you.
* And one technique on page 19 that has the potential to banish the negative thoughts and the racing heart forever. It’s one I use routinely. It’s one you likle haven’t heard. I try to put one thing in each and every issue that makes the cost of the whole issue worth it from just this one idea. This one is it.
But the best part of this issue is the core philosophy that makes up its theme. This philosophy will change your scores, but like everything in PAES, it will change much, much more than that. It will boost your opportunities and your experiences for decades to come (zero exaggeration), but this one is NOT for anyone seeking tips, tricks, or hacks. This one must be incorporated into your bones, and that takes a little time. This is not one secret ninja trick that will solve all of your problems.
Issue # 042 September 2021 – Six Techniques to Keep Your Brain From Ruining All of Your Hard Work
– Six simple techniques for annihilating test anxiety (Pages 6 – 15)
– How Francis the Monkey proved one of my favorite theories on test taking (Page 7)
– A strategy I learned from the most decorated Olympian of all time, for controlling your mind before a HUGE event. I mean the guys got 23 gold medals hanging around his neck. It probably makes sense to take a look at what he’s doing. (Page 15)
– The exact script to use when your brain just won’t let you sleep. These twenty one words will take you from tossing and turning to snoring and snoozing. (Page 12)
– Ten things (you don’t have to use all of them) you can do to improve your odds of getting a good nights sleep the night before a big exam. Including my absolute favorite one, that helps you prove to your doubting brain that you’ve done enough work and now it’s time for sleepy time. (Pages 13 – 14)
– My very not secret or sexy four step bedtime routine that helps me get to sleep fast. (Page 15)
– A four step process for calming the mind, taught by world renowned buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hahn. (Page 8)
– One way, that takes no time at all, to trick your brain into thinking that you are ready for any test. As that feeling washes over you, it becomes much easier to sit in that chair and focus. (Page 6)
– How a dead smelly foot and a truck load of garbage bags helped me build my surgical skills up to a point that surgeons actually wanted me in the room. (Page 1)
Along with many ways to outperform your cohort on exams, rotations, job interviews, presentations, your first day of work and even meeting your in-laws for the first time. One of my favorite things about this issue is that the techniques and methods we discuss inside have so many applications. Yes, they will help with your exams for sure, but they will help with any situation where you need a little EXTRA.
Here’s the link:
www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/nmta
Brian Wallace
P.S. After your first exam using the techniques in the book, I want to hear back from you with the results.