I got an email from a student the other day. I didn’t ask permission, so I won’t share their name. But they had a question that comes up a lot. And by a lot, I mean all the time.
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After listening to your podcast, I realized a lot of the high yield topics you discussed were showing up on my exams. In an effort to focus my studies to what is most pertinent and get a better grasp on concepts, I thought your study materials could be useful in narrowing down my focus. I have a problem with wanting to know too much or getting lost in the details which is not helpful when we have such limited time in PA school.
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This is a place where tons of people get killed. They try to memorize everything. They try to highlight and read EVERYTHING.
They hook themselves right up to the fire hydrant, let someone turn it on full force, and then wonder why they’re drowning.
You can’t see the forest for the trees.
You get so lost, down in the weeds, that you have no idea what’s going on. You’re studying medicine at a microscopic level, and you forget to ask the patient how they’re feeling.
I don’t cover the details in my reviews. I don’t look through microscopes.
What I do better than most (my superpower, if you will) is looking at the big picture and connecting the dots. I figure out the key ideas—the key concepts. I pare out the most important, most relevant, and most likely to be asked on a test material and I hit it hard. I let the rest fade out.
You may be smarter than me. You may have a better memory than me. I know I can’t hold it all. I also know that I don’t have to, and neither do you.
The September issue of the Physician Assistant Exam Scholars Newsletter will show you how to connect the dots. You’ll learn to toss out your lists and stop trying to “memorize” so much. I’ve got a better way. A way that will have you remembering more for longer with less work. Sounds good, right?
Well, the deadline is approaching to get the September issue before it goes to the printer soon—time to make your decision:
Physician Assistant Exam Scholars
Brian Wallace
