Should I take a Review Course in Preparation for the Boards?

By Molly Ritsema, MD

Everyone studies for exams differently and the Boards are no exception. Some people are able to read through textbooks a few weeks beforehand and pass with flying colors. Others use a combination of studying on their own and in groups, often starting months before big exams. Then there are those who want the timely overview provided by review courses.

I am a fan of review courses, having taken one during residency, another prior to the written exam, and a third prior to the orals. But they are not for everyone, so you should consider the pros and cons of review courses.

Pros:

1. Broad overview of all topics close to exam time: If you are a glaucoma fellow or recently started practicing, you may not see much pediatric ophthalmology or remember those white dot syndromes. A board review course will refresh your memory close to exam time.

2. Reviewing (or re-learning) a difficult subject with an expert: Many of the review courses are taught by experts in their field who have literally written the textbooks we use to study. Although some people learn easily by reading, others absorb information better by listening. Having Dr. Guyton or Dr. Hunter explain optics can do wonders for your optics board score.

3. No distractions, just time to concentrate on studying: Especially during your first year of practice, it can be exhausting to spend your days working and nights and weekends studying. A board review course can be exhausting itself, but there are no distractions. It’s just time for you to focus on studying.

4. Seeing old friends and colleagues: Admittedly, there’s not a lot of time to socialize, but it’s fun to catch up with your colleagues at lunch or at the end of a long day and hear about their experiences in work or fellowship.

5. Confidence in taking the exam: After studying on your own, then taking a review course, you’ll know you’ve pretty much done everything you can to prepare for the Boards. After a series of mock oral exams in front of a group of your colleagues, the real exam can seem less daunting. You may pass the exams without taking a review course, but you’ll certainly feel more confident going into the exam having done everything you could to prepare.

Cons:

1. Expense: This is the main downside of review courses, as the course fees range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, not to mention the travel costs. On the other hand, you can get CME credit for your time.

2. Loss of vacation time and/or income: Taking a week off during the first year of practice can be difficult or even impossible for those in private practice. Even for those in group practice or fellowship, taking a week of your vacation time to study may not seem like the most relaxing use of time.

3. Stress! Sometimes being in a roomful of stressed-out people who are taking the same exam can make your nerves worse. If you were someone who hid in the library stacks to study for your USMLE and OKAP exam, a board review course is probably not for you.

4. Time away from family: Even if they accompany you, you won’t see much of them.

When it comes down to it, you should study for the Boards just as you’ve studied for exams all your life. After all, you’ve studied effectively enough to get you where you are today. I have always liked review courses, mainly because they give me structured time away from work and home, where I can concentrate on nothing but studying. There are no phone calls, no patients to see, just time to learn. Plus, I find that review courses make me feel more comfortable taking exams, mostly because I’ve done everything I can to pass! Whatever you choose, know that the pass rates for the written and oral boards are high, so the odds are in your favor, with or without a review course.

Sidebar: Should I Travel with My Partner to the Review Course? By Anonymous.

Like this article’s author, my better half traveled to attend review courses during and after our (nonetheless) successful courtship, and I joined the good doctor twice. We are on speaking terms again, so I can reveal that, when it comes to accompanying your beloved ophthalmologist, you are darned if you do, and darned if you don’t.

Sharing expenses in San Francisco made a trip to that gem of a city more affordable than otherwise, but there’s no sleeping in when your partner is up and at ‘em bright and early for class every day. At the end of each day, you’ll have plenty of time to crave sushi or another local specialty, because the doctors aren’t released until well after your jet-lagged stomach expects food. Sight-seeing highlights such as biking across the Golden Gate Bridge are truly spectacular, but get used to asking other tourists to photograph you, because your partner probably can’t join in. And be sure to gauge the doctor’s mood when you come back to rave about the views; after looking at a projector screen all day, he or she might not appreciate tales of actual sunlight.
On the other hand, it’s hard to be supportive from afar. Not only was I jealous about missing out on San Antonio’s River Walk and barbecue, I was less able to serve as a “port in the storm” via telephone than in person. Looking up restaurant options on Google Maps for your partner is no substitute for making a home-cooked meal or going out on a date after a long day of lectures. The time home alone was useful for catching up on chores (one party’s share of which had not been done in some time), but you have to be careful about knocking over stacks of textbooks, which can result in injury. And whereas reunions after time apart are still sweet, yours might be shortened by the resumption of studies at an even more fevered pitch.

All in all, the review courses are so intensive that, if you come along, you really can’t disrupt your partner’s studying, but you also can’t team up for a true vacation. Traveling to a review course destination in which you have work, family, or friends is more ideal, unless you get recharged by sight-seeing alone. And staying home can provide some of the absence which “makes the heart grow fonder” of an ophthalmologist who just might be slightly less lovable during this stressful time.