0071643192.pdf

TEST-PREPARATION STRATEGIES

When you work in the emergency department, knowledge and experience are

your friends. The greater your experience with and understanding of a given

complaint, the faster you will be able to help your patient. And while it may

seem that the amount of information that could be included on an emergency

medicine certification exam is unlimited, it is not. Like most of the exams you

have taken in the past, this one tests a finite body of knowledge. The material

on the exam is readily identifiable and studying can greatly improve your com-

petency with it. In short, you canmaster the content of this exam. What’s more,

preparing for the exam should make you a more confident and capable emer-

gency physician. You are no longer simply studying for an organic chemistry

test; you are preparing for a career as an emergency physician.

How much time you allow for test preparation will depend on your interest in

the formal study of the material and how likely you are to pass the exam with

minimal preparation. If you consistently score above 85% on in-service or

practice examinations and are currently practicing emergency medicine and

reading regularly, you probably won’t need to study too much. Most people,

however, need 2 to 3 months to study for the exam. Giving yourself adequate

time makes the experience richer and more enjoyable, and enables you to inte-

grate your clinical experience with what you are studying. We recommend

that you read this book in its entirety at least two months before the exam

date. Use this initial read to identify the gaps in your knowledge and facts that

you want to memorize. Use practice test questions, such as those found in

PEER VII, to improve your test-taking skills, to further identify knowledge

gaps, and to add to your list of facts to memorize. Two weeks before the test,

review the book again, focusing on areas of weakness. Avoid trying to cover

new ground, and instead spend your time reviewing core knowledge and

memorizing your list of facts.

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES

Knowing the right answers is the most obvious way to pass the test, but

studying is not the only way to prepare. Knowing how to take a multiple choice

test can also help. There are five key components.

First, anticipate the answer as you read the question. With most questions,

you should already have an answer in mind before you look at the choices.

For example, a question might describe a young lady who presents with odd

neurologic complaints. She is not obviously sick, and she reports that she had

a different neurologic problem two months ago. Just as when you listen to real

patients describe their symptoms, a differential should form in your mind. At

the top of the list for the test patient should be multiple sclerosis. If you are

confident in your answer, you can avoid wasting the time it takes to carefully

consider the merits of each answer choice. Instead, you can scan for the one

you know is right, check the alternatives to make sure they don’t compete

with your anticipated answer, and move on.

xiv