STATMed Can Help
“ I just failed my boards! Can STATMed help me?”
First of all, I am so sorry you failed your boards. This happens way more often than people think, and we deal with this situation all the time. Hopefully, we can help! Whether or not we can help you specifically will depend on the nature of your situation. Read on to find out more, or contact us directly for a no-strings-attached interview.
What medical board exams can STATMed help with?
The USMLE 1, 2, & 3, COMLEX 1, 2, & 3, Shelf Exams, In-Service Exams, Specialty Boards (IM, EM, Peds, Anesthesiology, Family Med, OBGYN, etc.), NAVLE, NAPLEX, or other related medical board exams
What ways can STATMed help me?
We can help by redesigning the way you take tests. This means looking at the way you read and navigate questions, narrowing your choices, and selecting your answers using the parts of what you know. We also look at redesigning how you study (including time management, generating workflow, and tracking progress).
We have two main one-on-one platforms to achieve this for those struggling to pass board exams; they are offered year-round and are customizable to your busy schedule:
1) STATMed Boards Test-Taking Workshop: For the self-identified “bad test-taker” who knows enough to pass the boards but can’t show what they know on boards-style exams. The Workshop emphasizes building our meticulous test-taking system to limit the burden on working memory, addressing issues where reading and thinking intersect and overwriting bad behaviors with good behaviors. At the end of the day, bad test-taking is bad behavior. Training tools teach you how to “play the game” using our system AND how to be your own “coach.”
2) STATMed Boards Study Skills Course: For someone who needs the optimal way to get the most bang for their buck every time they sit down to study, using the best tools to emphasize organized encoding and retrieval of the vast amount of information required to pass boards. This includes an array of study skills like frameworking, dynamic reading and marking, retrieval practice, time maximization strategies, workflow generation, and study tracking tools to put our students in the driver’s seat of all aspects of studying learning. This is great in general but especially valuable when re-studying for your boards.
What would be the best platform for me? I definitely want to do something different this time around!
That’s music to my ears. You should indeed want to prepare differently this time! After all, there is some truth behind the saying, “Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.” And working with us will likely provide a very different approach, which should be exciting and motivating. While there are plenty of programs that tell you WHAT to study, very few teach you HOW: How to study; how to maximize your time; how to take board-style exams. And we are great at what we do.
But then, things get a lot more personal based on your specific needs and situation. As noted above, you can reach out any time to set up a no-obligation chat where we can hear your story, answer your questions, and help us both decide which platforms, if any, are the right fit for you right now. Or you can consider the following parameters as an initial measuring stick (but I’d still want to talk to you personally to make the best recommendation for you):
STATMed Boards Test-Taking Workshop students usually say things like:
- I know that I know enough of the material to pass …. I teach my peers. I perform well clinically. Upon reading missed question explanations, I realized that I should have gotten 40-60% of my missed questions right. I am just a terrible test-taker now!
- On practice tests, I constantly narrow down to two and pick the wrong one.
- I over-think the questions; people tell me to “trust my gut” but I don’t know what that means or how to do it.
- I either go too fast and make careless mistakes or go too slow then have to rush at the end.
STATMed Boards Study Skills Course students often say:
- I am familiar with most of the material, but I don’t know the details well enough
- I study all the time; I never studied so hard or so much….but it just doesn’t stick the way I need it to
- I have all sorts of resources I toggle between, but how do I master all of it?
- I never really learned the best way to study; I am not afraid of hard work, but I need to learn to study smarter, not harder.
- The study advice others give me: re-read content, re-watch lectures, tons of Anki, tons of questions….it just isn’t working for me. I need to learn the best way to study for me.
So do I have to do both?
Definitely not! Some people automatically know they want one versus the other. Sometimes we talk and figure out which one is right for you, and you confidently do that one option. Sometimes doing both is the right fit. Some students will do one platform, then decide whether or not to do the second. There are a handful of combinations here, and we can help you figure out the best steps for you. One of the great values of STATMed is how personalized and one-on-one we can be.
So feel free to reach out and learn more.
Sound familiar? Check out our podcast for more studying and test-taking strategies!