Certification Exam

[gobucks1013]

Hey all!

I'm sorry I've been MIA for a few weeks, but I have been studying balls-to-the-wall for my boards that I took THIS MORNING!

I don't know how those of you who are CRNAs felt after your exam, but I'm kinda feeling numb right now. I took 90 questions and the test shut off. From what I understand, that probably means I did well enough to pass with only 90 questions or I failed miserably. I'd like to think it's the former!

Some of the stuff I felt like I knew pretty well, but there were a few things on there that I had no clue. It kinda makes you mad that you bust your ass all through anesthesia school and study everything you can get your hands on, but still they seem to find obscure questions that you know nothing about.

Don't get me wrong, I think the questions on the exam were fair for the most part, but I also feel like some of them weren't an accurate reflection of my knowledge base or abilities to make clinical judgements. (just need to vent for a sec)

All I know is that it feels so strange to not have anything thing to do with myself now that the test is done. I can't work yet (no GRNAs practice in Ohio), I have no more careplans, readings, studying (provided I pass), clinicals etc. You're so used to going 1000mph for the past 3 years of your life and suddenly it comes to screeching halt one you take your boards and your waiting for your results. I feel lost!! :dunno:

Just out of curiosity, how long did it take most of you to get you test results? I've heard 7-10 days is average. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :pray:

[aaron 465]

Two thoughts-

1) If the machine turned off after 90 questions and you thought that there was a fairly large percentage of hard/obscure question, I think that would mean that you were working at the high end of the CAT model - Translation - I think you probably smoked it.

2) Since you are now without reading assigments or other school work, go out and have a little fun for all of us for whom the light at the end of the tunnel is some large wheeled vehicle screaming in our direction.

Aaron

[susswood]

I take the test in two weeks! Tell me, how did you study and what did you feel was most helpful in preparation?

[gobucks1013]

Hi Susswood!

First, congats on getting done with school! It's a big relief, isn't it? By the way, to all of you who are just starting, you'll be amazed at how fast the time will go for you! I promise!

About studying for boards, I don't know if you come from a program that encourages you to attend the Valley Review, but mine does. I went to Valley last October. I truly centered my studying around Valley's content. I'm the type of person that learns best by writing things down as I go. I went through Valley's memory master content and wrote out every "lightning bolt" and "bullseye" item. About 550-600 in all. I reviewed all the other content in each section of Memory Master by reading them as I went along. Then, I went over all the notes I had taken from memory master about ten times before the test. Just re-reading and re-reading.

Valley's Mixed Reviews are good to know also. I had 4 sets of those and I learned all the content covered in those.

I also took the mock certification exam in the back of the Valley Sweat Book 2 days before I took the real thing. I missed 24 out of the 183 questions and I went back and reviewed those topics in the sweat book and all my text books.

It's just such an overwhelming amount of info! (as I'm sure you already know) Everyday for the past 3 weeks since physically graduating and bein done with clinicals, I got up at 7am had my hubby take our son to the sitter on his way to work and I was parked in the library from 8-9am to 3pm. After my 17mo old (yep, that's right, had a baby in the middle of anesthesia school! Not on purpose but he is truly a blessing) went to bed I re-read my notes each night for 1-2hrs.

I'm glad I scheduled my test when I did because I think I needed the mild "sense of urgency" to really intensify my studying and keep me focused. Plus I did not want to agonize over it any longer!

Best of luck to you! Keep working hard over the next 2 weeks and you'll do great!

[NursePink]

My test results took 2 1/2 weeks to get back. I can totally relate to your feeling of lost. I was that way too. Even after being official for the past 2 months... I still have lost moments! haha I'm already getting frustrated a bit b/c I feel the info slipping away from my brain. Not TOO frustrated, but a little. haha

Suss, I studied much like gobucks. Valley stuff. Same focuses. I did read some extra OB & peds b/c my instructors notes were much more thorough than the Valley lectures. I reviewed some physiology in the Guyton book... whatever I was fuzzy about. I just didn't want too many sources to cloud my judgement. I spent about 6 - 8 hours/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks studying.

Hang in there. The light is brightly shining through the end of the tunnel!!

All the best!

[MmacFN]

Awesome Sue!

Im sure you did well!

[TranMan]

It's been 4 years since I passed my boards but my studying was also Valley focused as well. A senior student who went through the course gave me the materials. I was confident that I wouldn't benefit much from the seminar over the content, so I elected not to go.
For the boards, I started studying 2-3 months in advance. About 2-3 hours a night and more on the weekends. All I did was go throught the sweat book (a duplicate of the memory cards). I wrote out and may sure I understood every question (over 1000) - if memory serves me correctly. I then read over all the questions one more time prior to the test and did a ton of practice questions from the back of the book and from other students.

I did not touch the big Valley folder or the memory cards. I just carried the sweat book ? (the smaller one) around and studied strictly out of that.

[susswood]

Everyone....

Thanks for the advice. I think I am on the right track, but I get discouraged cause I feel like there is no way to know it all perfectly. I realize I don't need 100% on the exam, nonetheless, it kills me when I forget little facts and numbers.

Well, I still have two weeks to go, so I suppose I wil be ready by then.

[abowles]

I just took my certification exam last week - still waiting for the results - I don't know what to do! Should I continue to study, try to enjoy a non-anesthesia book, take a trip? Until I get my results, I kinda feel like my life is on total hold. BTW, I went to Valley, studied the Sweat Book - and the Memory Master - AND the mixed reviews. As a matter of fact, our program required us to take weekly exams over 40 pages (per week) out of the Memory Master. NONE of the stuff on my certifcation exam was in Valley. I wish that I had not wasted the money for the review course or the materials. As a matter of fact, I have heard many other classmates state the same. Good luck to all out there preparing for boards. I suggest: Anesthesia and Co-Exisiting Diseases, just straight Miller, and Prodigy Anesthesia.

Good luck!

[heartICU]

I just took my certification exam last week - still waiting for the results - I don't know what to do! Should I continue to study, try to enjoy a non-anesthesia book, take a trip? Until I get my results, I kinda feel like my life is on total hold. BTW, I went to Valley, studied the Sweat Book - and the Memory Master - AND the mixed reviews. As a matter of fact, our program required us to take weekly exams over 40 pages (per week) out of the Memory Master. NONE of the stuff on my certifcation exam was in Valley. I wish that I had not wasted the money for the review course or the materials. As a matter of fact, I have heard many other classmates state the same. Good luck to all out there preparing for boards. I suggest: Anesthesia and Co-Exisiting Diseases, just straight Miller, and Prodigy Anesthesia.
Good luck!

I disagree. I found Valley to be worthwhile, and while Prodigy was good for practice, I found several errors. It irritated me to study something that had that many errors, but I did use it to study, for what it's worth.

[abowles]

I found more mistakes in Valley. The "problems" in the Prodigy program were all corrected (there were only 3 that I ever found) and the revisions are available to anyone who buys the software. I studies version 1.3 which had all corrections made. If you bothered to check the references in the answer list, you would have found that the mistakes came directly from the quoted source(s). BTW, I passed!

[ADMIN]

abowles!!!!


CONGRATZ added you to the CRNA Grp!!!

[MmacFN]

congratz!