2012?! Holla!

Busting out NBDE II review materials. 

Hi Everyone! 


I know I have been M.I.A. for quite awhile now… but why dwell on the past, I am here right now :) 
Yesterday I was a part of a panel of 3rd years that spoke to the 2nd years about the NBDE I. It was interesting to hear how other people in my class studied and to see the looks of terror on the 2nd years faces as we explained the test. Jk. I think we (the 3rd years) tried to simplify things for them and maybe even down played the effort that goes into preparing for that test. 
When I got home from school yesterday it kind of hit me that I have to start prepping for boards again this year… NBDE II to be exact. This test is a bit of a concern to me as I hate standardized tests and the fail rate is significantly higher than part I. After giving plenty of advice to the 2nd years yesterday, I decided that I was going to revamp my study style a bit for part II. 
When asked what I would have done differently about prepping for part I, I said I wished I would have taken it earlier. So, I decided to take my own advice and I am going to take Part II as early as possible (with in reason of course.) We are allowed to take it from July-Dec I think and I would like to take it mid-end of July… Just get it done with right away. That does mean that my summer is going to be filled with studying, but thats alright… gotta put in the time at some point, right? 
Hopefully everyone had a productive and happy 2011! Here's to an even better year in 2012! Happy Wednesday. 


P.S. For the 2nd years that couldn't make out the non-sense I was rambling on about… here is a link to a post I had written about how I studied for part I. Click here. 

Done!

How gorgeous is this?! Heavenly! ^

My reward for finishing…hitting the open road. ^

I have had a lot of people contact me and ask how the test went… my most honest answer is that it was hard. But that is to be expected, right?! I will give you a play by play of my day…

• Woke at 5am… I had 4 alarms set. (paranoid much?)
• Got ready and grabbed coffee. (don't worry I had my lunch packed and my clothes laid out from the night before…2nd grade style.)
• Went to Denny's for breakfast and some last minute review…and lots of coffee. 
• Arrived at the testing center at 7:30am.
• Went through check in and processing (included 2 ID's, photos, and 19 million finger prints)
• Started test at 8am. 
• Finished my first 200 questions and took my lunch break around 11am.
• Checked a few answers I didn't know (got them wrong), chugged a Rockstar, ate a banana and went for a walk around the building. 
• Started the second half about 30 min later. 
• Finished the test around 2 pm. 

And that was that. The questions aren't crazy or full of foreign information… I think that is actually what made it frustrating for me. There was a lot of info that was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't quite remember. I have heard that no one walks out of that test feeling awesome, and that held true for me. But after a few days of relaxing and not having to think about it, I am feeling better about the whole thing. Vacation is wonderful and I am relaxin to the max. Good Luck to anyone else preparing… you got this. 

The view from out condo.. Life is good. ^

Holy Schmoly…

My study set-up…soon to be dismantled :) ^

Well it's that time…you know, that time I have been slaving away for and stressing for? Come on… it's BOARDS time!! I was pretty sure that the day before my boards I would be a nervous wreck. I thought I would be pacing, frantically reading notes, and calling friends who took it for advice. Boy was I wrong…I did all that yesterday! (JK.) No, no, no in all seriousness, I do feel surprisingly relaxed today. I am reading through a few notes and I plan on being done with studying rather early in the day. For me, preparing for boards has been much more of a marathon than a sprint. I started preparing a while back (January?) and I have kept a decently steady pace throughout. I knew when I woke up this morning that this is my rest day, a day to be proud of the work I put in, be confident in what I know, and not to worry about all the stuff I don't know. I am actually a little excited for my test tomorrow, finally able to relieve my aching brain of all this extra information and then dash off for a much needed vacation with my husband. I hope you all have a lovely Memorial Day. Happy Monday! 

How I am studying for boards

Where the magic (?) happens! ^

I figured since all I do is study lately, it is only fair to give you a more in depth look at my method of getting insane amounts of information into my brain. FYI: NBDE part I has 4 sections, Gross Anatomy, Biochemistry/Phys, Microbiology/Pathology, and Dental Anatomy. 
While still in the "gathering supplies" stage of boards studying, I had heard that if you do dental decks (DD) twice, then you will pass. Being the worry filled person that I can be, I thought, "Well if it is practically gaurenteed… then that is what I will do."  That was way back in January though, and I only made it through Gross Anatomy and part of Biochemistry and I was bored of them. So I decided I needed to revamp my plan. 
Plan B: I had been sent a huge all inclusive NBDE study guide from a friend of mine awhile back. I had opened it before I started DD, but when I saw the crazy-ness the document contained, I freaked out and decided I wanted nothing to do with it. After my plan A (DD) failed, I decided to give the document another shot. I had each section printed out (about 500 pages total) and bound and I dove in head first. I started with the Gross Anatomy (GA) again and I carefully read all 120 something pages and took notes in the margins (to ensure active studying). Then when I finished I went back to the beginning and wrote my own note pages on what I thought was the most important, or stuff that I was forgetting a lot. Then, I re-read my notes and I took two practice tests on that section. Exhausting. 
I did that for all four of the sections. I know, I am off my rocker. 
After doing the read, re-write, review, test method for each section, it brought me to about 5 days ago. (yes, it took that long… keep in mind I was in school full time while doing this… if you forget that it seems like an insane amount of time to accomplish the task at hand.) 
So now what? I am about a week and a half away from my test and I am feeling like I am forgetting information as fast as I cram it in. 
My plan for now until boards is as follows. I went all the way back to GA again and skimmed the document and re-read my notes I had taken (and added some). Then I did 200 practice questions out of First Aid Questions for NBDE I, followed by a practice test from the ADA. Yesterday, I did the same process for Biochem/Phys and today I am working on Dental Anatomy. Saturday I will tackle Mico/Path, and then start cramming Sunday morning for my Behavioral Psych Final on Monday (yes, I am still in school). The rest of that week will consist of old exams, and review of information I can't seem to remember (there seems to be a lot of that). Then May 31 I take my test! YAY! And the morning after I leave for vacation with my husband :) 
Wow. I just re-read all of that…and I sound nuts. Haha. In all honesty, I just don't want to have to take this test again. My Dad always told me, "If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing right…the first time." I agree and I am studying for this test like it is going to be the hardest test I will ever take…shoot for the moon, eh? 
Thanks for reading all this non-sense. I am excited to get this test out of the way, have a short break, and start summer school. I believe we will be in the clinic a lot, so I will have tons to blog about. Happy Friday! 

Name that tooth...

This is a new game I have been playing with myself… it is called "Name that tooth." I am so burnt out on reading studying material that I have resorted to pulling out random teeth (not my own obviously) and setting them on the table and figuring out the tooth number, and then listing as many facts as I can about it. Not sure if this is effective, but I can't read anymore. 

I tried to move my board test day up… like sooner.. and I got shut down. Everywhere is booked solid, so I guess I will have to keep playing study games with myself. 

Happy Sunday everyone! Give your Mom a smooch today. 

Monday=Funday

So today is Monday. I usually am not a fan of Monday's, but today wasn't so bad. It was nice to see all my friends at school again (I sound like I am in second grade.) Everyone was in such wonderful moods because they had just enjoyed a relaxing (and hopefully productive) spring break. So as far as Monday's go… I can't complain about this one. 
One of my very good friends took her boards today. I think I was more nervous for her then she was. She finished a little early and she sounded pretty calm when I spoke with her. I can't imagine the relief she must feel! I am super happy for her and I know she did well as she is quite smart… ok now I am just sucking up incase she reads this. haha!
I have a busy week coming up. We are in the dermal system, and we are still working on endo and dentures in ECD. Additionally, I have an afternoon i'm spending at an elementary school doing oral health screenings and I have my final practice session before my FMX competency in radiology. All while continuing to study for boards. Whew! I may have to just IV the coffee into my veins this week :) 
This is a random picture of my half done denture case that will get some TLC this week. Pictures to follow… of course!  

Happy Monday!!! 

Spring Break Partyin!

Spring break huh!?! Is this some kind of sick joke? I don't think I have ever spent the majority of my vacation time at a library or some other studying facility. It makes me a little sad to spend this time taking millions of practice tests, reading (and re-reading) notes, and flipping through dental decks. But in all honesty, I know it is for the best. I will be glad when I am not as freaked out before the boards. (I say that more as a wish… like I am hoping I won't be as stressed later on). 
I also have had some company here the past few days which has been a blast. I have the most wonderful friends and family and I couldn't be more blessed. 
I promise more dentistry related posts will be coming but I do not go back to school till Monday… and all I am doing out of school is boards junk. 
New Mantra… productivity. productivity. productivity. Cheers!

Coffee and Review

May 31st, 2011. Yep, that is the day I will take the NBDE part I. Im not the first in my class to take it, and not the last, Im right about in the middle. A good spot to be when taking boards…if you ask me. 
How am I studying for boards? I am mostly using Dental Decks and old practice exams. Maybe a little NBDE First Aid mixed in. It is the magic formula? The winning combo? The best plan ever? Not sure yet, but I will be sure to let you know. 
My spring break officially started Friday at 5pm, but it hasn't felt much like a break yet. I am really trying to get some board material covered so that I am on track when May rolls around. Don't get me wrong… I am not working too hard.  I had a lovely morning reviewing old board questions at a coffee shop, followed by an afternoon of shopping :)

Boards. Boards. Boards.

My new mantra? boards…boards…boards… uplifting? not exactly... but it seems to be the only thing on my mind.

I scheduled my testing day for my part one boards today. Terrified? check. Ill prepared? check. Ready to throw in the towel already? check. jk.

I have slowly been digging out old notes and tests, and I even dusted off my boards review book I purchased last year when I was still eager and resilient.

hopefully motivation strikes me soon… really soon.