There are some things that are really hard to learn, like vaccination schedules and HIV meds. There are other things that are really easy to learn like the treatment for preeclampsia. Medication names are really really hard for me. From the way I pronounce drug names, I’m sure you see that I struggle in this area. On the other hand, orthopedic tests like Phalen’s sign are easy for me to remember. Developmental milestones used to be impossible for me to remember, but now that I have two kids, they’re pretty easy.
I want you to start noticing what is easy for you to learn and what is hard for you to learn. What’s easy to remember and what’s hard to remember. My study time is spent 2:1 on the easy things vs the hard things.
One of the keys to success is learning to manage your study time. Time is finite. Your retention of information is finite. You have to manage your time and what you study, or you won’t get to even all of the important stuff. You can’t disregard everything, but you can pick a few things you struggle with and push them to the back. If you have time and you want to go back and look those things over in more detail, great. But if you don’t have the time after studying the “easy stuff,” then you never had the time in the first place.
They will ask you easy questions.
I hear from students all the time about how “they don’t test key words anymore”, and how the questions are “much harder now”. I completely disagree. You will see a few very easy questions. Questions that are extremely straight forward and simple. There won’t be many, but they will be there, and you have to get them right. These are gifts. Then they will stack 2, 3 or even 4 easy things into one question making it look like a hard question, but if you know the easy things, the whole question is easy. As far as key terms, they are in there, but they are hidden.
You may not see “A tall thin 18 male y/o presents with difficulty breathing.” But you may see “A high school basketball player presents with difficulty breathing.” Do you see the difference? In both cases we are talking about a tall, thin teenage boy, but in the second version you have to think a little to get there. That’s a question stem leading you to a spontaneous collapsed lung, by the way.
If you know the key terms, answering these questions becomes much much easier. If you don’t, they seem impossible and you don’t think there are any easy questions on the exam.
If you’re looking to learn key terms, The Final Step is for you. If you’re looking to take it step further, if you want to learn how to pick out the important stuff, then you’ll want to get your hands on the March issue of Physician Assistant Exam Scholars.
In the March issue, we focus on keeping you from getting lost in the details.
“Brian, how do I know how much to study? How do I know when I’ve covered enough details?” The March issue is going to answer that so that you’ll never have to worry about it again. You’ll be able to focus on the important stuff and maybe get to the other details if you have a little extra time (who has that?).
It goes to the printer on March 1st. Join now to make sure you get this one:
Physician Assistant Exam Scholars Newsletter
Brian Wallace