AAD
  • Registration
  • Daily Coverage
  • Industry Highlights
  • Product Samples
  • Small Exhibit Spotlight
  • Program
Topics
  • Daily Coverage
  • Industry Highlights
  • Product Samples
  • Small Exhibit Spotlight
  • Program
Resources
  • Registration
Facebook iconInstagram iconTwitter icon
Mar 17, 2023

Easy does it

A more effective way to study for your board exam


Sima Jain, MD, FAAD
Sima Jain, MD, FAAD

U023 – Board Review: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Friday, March 17 | 4:30-5:30 p.m.
New Orleans Theater B

The dermatology board certification exam by the American Board of Dermatology is the testing pinnacle that challenges every dermatology resident. One of the most daunting challenges may not be the exam itself, however, but rather the stress and fear that accompanies the method by which many dermatology residents study for the exam.

“You don’t need to study harder to pass your boards with flying colors, you need to study smarter,” said Sima Jain, MD, FAAD, author of Dermatology: Illustrated Study Guide and Comprehensive Board Review, one of the most-read board review study guides. “There is a way to study for the board exam that doesn’t have to be stressful. Studying smarter helps you pass your board exam more easily but more importantly, also makes you a better dermatologist in the long run.”

In this afternoon’s session, “U023 –Board Review: Work Smarter, Not Harder,” Dr. Jain will discuss effective ways to prepare for the dermatology board exam. The key to acing your boards, she said, is not about memorizing details about skin conditions.

Deeper understanding required 

The specialists who write board exam questions aren’t looking for rote memorization, Dr. Jain explained. They are looking for understanding — the ability to synthesize patient history, visual clues, and clinical elements to guide clinical decisions.

“Learning the buzzwords does not mean you understand the disease,” Dr. Jain said. “Dermatology residents are bright. They are used to being the top of the top students and often do very well on exams. However, this exam is different. Passing the board exam is about understanding information, not memorizing more information. Focusing on effectively understanding the different aspects of skin disease from the start is less stressful than trying to cram more facts into your head. And you will be much more successful when you finally sit for your exam.”

The smarter, more effective way to study is to go through multiple question and answer banks and boards study charts to determine your own strengths and weaknesses to guide and focus your study. It is an important way to gauge if you truly understand the material and make sure you are truly translating everything you have learned to help your real-life clinical acumen. Spending more time with skin atlases can also improve understanding and illustrate diagnostic clues that can be difficult to understand in text form.

Picture this

It helps to review as many photographs of skin conditions in as many different skin tones as possible. Some dermatology training programs have the benefit of an ethnically diverse patient population. Other programs may not be home to a population that is as diverse, which can leave residents unsure when examining skin of color, as skin conditions look different in different skin tones. 

“I trained in Chicago, and our patients were ethnically diverse, but if you haven’t had that kind of background during training, you could miss a diagnosis because a rash might not look the same in a patient with skin of color. This is where photos can help supplement your clinical training. It all comes back to being a good dermatologist,” Dr. Jain said. “And this way, you’re not studying harder, you’re studying smarter.”

“Studying smarter takes a lot of angst out of the board exam,” she said. “That exam is just one day, and we want you to pass with flying colors. We also want you to pass with flying colors every single day while you’re practicing. You can meet both of those goals by studying smarter.”

The AAD has curated an extensive list of resources for boards study at www.aad.org/education/residents/external. The AAD also has a large archive of Boards Fodder study charts at www.aad.org/boardsfodder.  

Visit AAD DermWorld Meeting News Central for more articles.

Interesting Stories
Residents and Young Physicians: Your Guide to the AAD Annual Meeting
Presented by Neutrogena
Residents and Young Physicians: Your Guide to the AAD Annual Meeting
Advancing Therapeutic Conversations
Presented by AbbVie
Advancing Therapeutic Conversations
Join Us to Learn More About SOTYKTU<sup>TM</sup> (deucravacitinib):
Presented by Bristol Myers Squibb
Join Us to Learn More About SOTYKTUTM (deucravacitinib):
Prurigo Nodularis and Atopic Dermatitis:
Presented by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Prurigo Nodularis and Atopic Dermatitis:
Janssen-Sponsored Symposium
Presented by Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Janssen-Sponsored Symposium
What makes a biosimilar and an Interchangeable biosimilar different?
Presented by Boehringer Ingelheim
What makes a biosimilar and an Interchangeable biosimilar different?
Beyond the Scalp: Deciphering the Complexities of Alopecia Areata...
Presented by Pfizer Inc.
Beyond the Scalp: Deciphering the Complexities of Alopecia Areata...
More in AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Safi Bahcall
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Nurture the unexpected
Mar 20, 2023
Richard L. Gallo, MD, PhD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
New approach uses microbiome to treat skin disease
Mar 20, 2023
Camp Discovery 92
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Refer a patient to Camp Discovery!
Mar 20, 2023
Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
A question of belonging
Mar 20, 2023
David J. Margolis, MD, PhD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Dermatologists top the list in antibiotic prescriptions
Mar 20, 2023
22 698 Ia23 Web Card 3x2
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Mark your calendar for Innovation Academy 2023
Join the learning
Mar 20, 2023
Getty Images 479036574
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Save the date for the 2024 Annual Meeting
Mark you calendar for AM2024
Mar 20, 2023
2022 03 21 12 20 34 6238b40dd1e28
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Access your Certificate of Attendance
Download online
Mar 20, 2023
2022 03 21 12 26 25 6238b55bf2d38
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Claim CME
Claim CME
Mar 20, 2023
Aad March20
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Session highlights for Monday
Mar 20, 2023
Jane Margaret Grant-Kels, MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Ethical dilemmas hiding in plain sight
Mar 20, 2023
John T. Schiller, PhD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Taking on cervical cancer, one shot at a time
Mar 20, 2023
AAD
Facebook iconInstagram iconTwitter icon
© Ascend Media All rights reserved. DermWorld Meeting News Central is a publication of the American Academy of Dermatology.