Hello my nonexistent readers! I haven't really blogged in a while, but sometimes I will stop by and think about getting back into this again.
Looking at the stats for my site, the number one, most hit generating post is the one about how I studied for the first part of dental boards: NBDE Part I. Not that it went "viral" or anything, but it's by far and away the most looked at entry to this day. I even had two random people comment!
So, in honor of that post, and the fact that I recently passed the second part of boards, I decided to... write about how I studied for NBDE Part II! This will be far less intense, because I was far less intense about studying for this test except for the last few days of studying. Let's just keep it real. I am going to keep the questions the same as my original post, but answer for this time around. Let's get started!
How long did I study?
-I had Board Busters and Mosby's at hand for the past couple of years (thanks, old roommate!) and starting from this past summer, would take a gander at Board Busters off and on. However, I could not get into it! So I didn't really start until I bought Dental Decks from a classmate about a month before my exam. Thus, it was probably about four weeks with increasing intensity toward the end. Unlike the first part of boards, I had clinic everyday until 5:00pm, so I didn't get to study until evening, which limited the amount of hours I could study each day (minus weekends).
What did I use?
-Dental Decks almost exclusively. I barely looked at Board Busters and did not use Mosby's at all. However, crazily going through extra material in my panicked state a couple of days before the exam, I noticed that I truly do like the organization of Board Busters and almost wished I used that rather than Decks.
-Old released exams. I felt like this added to my stress because I kept missing A LOT of questions on each exam, but I used the time going over the answers as a means of learning more information. These are very useful for getting a feel for the questions on the exam and finding out weak areas.
How did I study?
-I divided each section/subject of decks and tried to go through one section a day. Some days were better than others. If I felt comfortable with the question and information on the back, I moved on to the next question. If I didn't, I studied the material and set the card aside in the "I am not comfortable with this" pile. This took me about two weeks studying 3-4 hours a day, maximum. Some days it was an hour, and there were some days I don't even think I really studied >_<
-As the test dates loomed closer, I started getting more serious about studying. Once I finished going through the decks superficially, I took the cards in the "I am not comfortable with this" pile and read them word by word.
-I didn't want to take the practice tests until I felt like I thoroughly went through the Decks, so I didn't really look at any of them until a few days before the test. This is where I wish I had a few extra days. First, because I rushed through the questions since I was in a time crunch and wanted to get through as many tests/questions as possible. Secondly, either because I was rushed or needed to spend more time studying random topics/facts from a given section, I kept getting questions wrong, leading to barely passing scores on the old exams. I was STRESSED. I literally wanted to change my date because I didn't feel ready.
However, since my first test date was on a Monday, and I was panicking on Saturday and Sunday, when Prometric was not available to change test dates, I was forced to take the exam or pay to retake it at full price. So I took it.
The first day, honestly, was the worst. I felt horrible after the first day. I took the entire time, and when reviewing questions, I changed some that I later found out were wrong. Always stick with your gut/first answer, people! I tried to study a bit more for the second day, but I was wiped out and decided that getting proper sleep was better than trying to cram a couple of more facts into my brain.
The second day was much, much better. The case based questions were straightforward, at least to me, and it was only a half day. The only complaint I would make on this day was the quality of the radiographs. But, you gotta make do.
I was so relieved to be finished with the exam the second day that all my worries floated away. I made peace with the fact that I may have had to re-take the exam, and was generally calm about it all for the past couple of weeks. I only started getting nervous after getting the letter in the mail. But let me tell you, it is one of the greatest feelings in the world to know you passed! Praise God.
