by rn2crna

How did you study for boards? How long did you study after graduation? Any tips for someone getting ready to take boards in about 2 months?

Re: Board prep

THis is what i did... after graduation i did NOTHING, for 3 weeks, except for feed my soul. THEN i scheduled my nclex for september and made a schedule to study 2 hrs in the am and 2 hours in the pm... i took weekends off and studied religiously on weekdays... and i won't say it was was a breeze when i finally went to take that test... but it was SO much easier than i thought it would be.
To recap:

Feed your soul
Be disciplined
Take breaks

You'll do fine!

Re: Board prep

I'm assuming you are talking about CRNA boards as this is in the CRNA section.
I would suggest a review course like Valley. They organize the stuff you need and give you bits and pieces you may have missed in your schooling.
Take time off after school. You do need to refresh, otherwise you will not study in ernest. Then take the material you have to study. Divide it into 4 sections. Know you have to get thru each of these sections each week. Get up in the morning, eat breakfast, go to where you will be studying (library, dining room, whereever) and study until lunch. Eat a quick (30") lunch and get back tot he books. Break every 2 hours to stretch and "digest" the info. Do not answer the phone, email or your spouse. Make no exceptions during your study time. Do this for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week (taking one day off for your spouse/family).
Get thru the info in 4 weeks. (memorize everything) then the last week go back over the stuff you had a hard time with. Don't take "sample" tests. They just confuse you. When you go to take the exam, you will remember some of the various answers that weren't right.
Study materials; I used Valley and Morgan. A couple of chapters in Nagelhout, but mostly Morgan and Valley. I guess I also used the diagrams in Cousins Neural Blockade book also.
Good Luck!

Re: Board prep

I started reviewing months in advance following the schedule in the Valley Review. I took a few days off after graduating, then followed a rigorous study schedule similar to Quiigley. I studied hard for a couple weeks, took my big test on a Saturday and started my new job on Monday.

Re: Board prep

Thanks for the replies. I took Valley in January. I have made it through the entire sweat book and Morgan & Mikhail but have yet to make it through memory master (just bits and pieces). I am taking a total of 5 weeks off between graduating and working and I was just hoping this was enough time to study AND take a break.

Re: Board prep

plenty of time. Good luck!