Robert Sheeler, MD

The Willie Sutton Board Review Strategy

September 20, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, board review test prep, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to prepare for the family medicine boards, prep for boards, prep for family medicine boards, the pass machine, willie sutton

Many of you know the quotation from Willie Sutton when asked why he robbed banks he replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” When seeing patients or studying for the board exam, it is equally true that time IS money. So you need to go where the money is! So, what conclusions does that lead to in terms of what are reasonable study aids you can use to focus your time efficiently? Courses and practice exams from American Physician Institute… READ MORE

Board Exam Prep: Picking The Best Module

August 7, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam modules, board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to study for board exam, how to study for my boards, modules for board exams, picking the best module, the pass machine

Okay, I can’t resist. Since I used to be a Magician – “Pick a module, any module, don’t let me see which one.” If you are right out of training and your residency includes Obstetrics and a lot of hospital rotations, you might actually be able to pass any module you choose. But if you have been in practice for a while, and your interests have narrowed, then your knowledge base has probably narrowed as well. If this is the… READ MORE

Dark Alley’s and the Internet When Studying for Your Boards

June 26, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam, board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to study better, the pass machine

No, I’m not talking about the “dark web” or anything controversial. I’m talking about something that is much more subtle and potentially devastating to your board review strategies – the allure of more interesting things you will encounter while looking up answers you need. I treat looking up a fact I need while studying for the boards like going into a dark alley. I increase my alertness, look around for what I came for, grab it, and get out quick.… READ MORE

How Stress Can Ruin Your Board Scores

June 7, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam test preparation, bob sheeler, exam stress, how to, how to reduce stress for exam, robert sheeler, stress and boards, stress relieving tips, the pass machine

Stress can you ruin your board scores. It sounds like a cliché, but actually, it is true! Stress leads to fight, flight, or freeze scenarios. When our autonomic nervous systems are out of balance, we can go into overdrive or we can freeze up completely depending upon whether the adrenergic nervous system or the parasympathetic nervous system is over-activated. Neither one of these is helpful for a good outcome in your test scores. Acute stress and chronic stress can both… READ MORE

Finding the Sweet Spot on What to Study

May 24, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam study material, board exam study prep, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to study for the boards, the pass machine, what to study for boards

It turns out, there are several different types of “sweet spots” you should know about when you are picking what to study for your board exams. Some of them have to do with the types of material that the board focuses on, and some that the board avoids. Others have to do with the timeliness of the material, both in terms out how recent it is and how relevant it is to current practice. Brand new material tends to be… READ MORE

Sleep and Memory Incorporation for Board Exams

May 9, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep tips, board exam test prep, does sleep affect memory, dr robert sheeler, enough sleep to pass exam, how much sleep should i get for my board exam, memory and sleep, proper sleeping habits, sleep and board exm, sleep and memory, sleep before an exam, the pass machine

Sleep is important for a lot of reasons. One critical function of sleep is memory incorporation. This is when memories go from short-term storage into long-term incorporation. Obviously, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to study all day and then lose everything that you put in your brain because your sleep is inefficient or disrupted. Here are some things that can help your sleep to be more complete, deeper, and more effective. Number 1: Know your sleep number –… READ MORE

Pump Iron for Your Board Exam

April 17, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: blood flow to the brain when working out, board exam prep, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, bob sheeler, boosting brain cells by working out, does working out improve studying, HIIT for studying, robert sheeler, study tips, working out helps you study, working out improves studying

I think you should pump iron for your board exam – both literally and figuratively. A board exam is unlike almost anything else we encounter in our busy daily work as physicians. It requires several hours of extended, high performance to interface with the material presented, interpret it, and come up with the answers they are looking for. To succeed in an environment like this, I suggest it is highly relevant to practice up to this level of intensity of… READ MORE

5 Hacks to Get Your Board Exam Studying on Track

April 4, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam study prep, board exam study tips, how to focus while studying, how to study better, robert sheeler, studying, studying focus tips, studying for board exam, the pass machine

It’s easy to get derailed and have your board exam study session go into a tailspin. When you are not having fun, every diversion can turn into a time trap. One thing you can do is invest your passion into learning new material or being totally up to date on your areas of interest. Here are five more hacks you can use to keep your board exam studying in the “power zone.” Paradoxically, the best study plans involve time away… READ MORE

4 Things You Can Do Right Now to Avoid Procrastination

March 14, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: how to not procrastinate, how to stop procrastinating, procrastination, procrastination tips

It’s hard to dive into things that are big, amorphous, and not necessarily fun. Studying for a board exam can fit all of these criteria and be something that is easy to put off again and again. When I took my NBME part one exam, I hated Anatomy. I spent most of the year studying Pharmacology and Physiology because I love them. Studying Pharmacology and Physiology for me is like eating chocolate; great. But studying anatomy just wasn’t doing it… READ MORE

The Best Way to Lock in What You Study for the Board Exams

March 8, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam study tips, bob sheeler, dr sheeler, how to prepare for a test, how to study for the boards, how to study for your boards, robert sheeler, study tips, study tips board exam

There are countless ways to study for the board exams, and you may already know what works best for you. But if you find that you study materials and then do not really remember them when you need them, you might want to try this program. The first priority when you study for the board exams is to have accurate targeting of the material you want to learn. When I work with individuals, I look at their board scores and… READ MORE