OKAP Preparation Pearls

By Sami Kamjoo, MD

The Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) exam is an important test not only for Written Boards preparation, but also because it is reviewed by some Program Directors as you apply for Fellowship, which may influence how you match.

Preparation for the OKAP exam should not be thought of as a one week or one month cramming session, but rather a disciplined schedule starting your first year of residency. The Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) should be your first study source during the year, and as you get closer to the exam in April, you can use other review and question books.
Everyone has a different studying style, and what works for your co-residents may not work for you. Try not to compare yourself to others, as this may discourage you. Instead, find what works best for YOU and stick to it.

Here are some tips that I have gathered through the years that seem to work for most people:

• Try to read everyday – at least 30 min to one hour. Stick to a schedule early in the year and try to finish all of the BCSC books (or a least cover the main sections – Cornea, Retina, Peds, Neuro, Glaucoma, Path).
  
• Do the questions in the back of all the BCSC books – these are very good and representative. Repeat these questions again in March or April.


• Optics – Last Minute Optics is a good book to review a month or so before the exam.
  Review books: Review of Ophthalmology (Friedman) is very good, and detailed. The Chern Review book is also excellent, although more outdated than the Friedman book. Ophthalmology Board Review (Tamesis) is also another good source, but may not be very comprehensive, and mainly covers highlights of most topics (and therefore not very detailed).


• Questions books: The Chern & Wright Review Questions in Ophthalmology seem to be most representative of the OKAP exam, although the OKAP exam is probably a little more difficult than this book. The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Question book is overwhelming and too detailed in my opinion; the questions are not very representative of the OKAP exam, and the style of questions (matching, etc.) does not correspond to OKAP questions. Another question source is the Provision Series from the AAO bookstore – these are decent questions, although I thought the difficulty level was easier compared to the OKAP exam.


• Pathology Review – One week or so before the exam, flip through the BCSC pathology book and look at the pictures/slides, as well as the captions. Also review the Tables – these are usually where the tested material comes from. Another good source that people have recommended is Eye Pathology: Atlas and Basic Text (Eagle).


• Start an “OKAP Quiz” session at your residency program. The Chief Resident or another resident can find 10-20 questions that all the residents can do together every week and discuss your answers (of course the quiz should not be graded so people are more comfortable).


• Lastly, focus on your weaknesses: This is how you improve your score. Look at your performance on the question books and see what subject you need improvement in. If you have already taken the OKAP exam last year, then look at your breakdown for each subject and focus on the subjects that you did not do well on. Your previous year OKAP performance also comes with a section that gives you hints on the type of questions that you missed. Look at these and review them so that you do not miss these types of questions again this year.

As we go complete our training and jump through the hoops, all while taking test after test, remember that at the end, you are doing this for one thing: patient care. The knowledge that you are working hard to acquire in order to successfully complete these tests will ultimately be used to better treat your patients. Good luck.