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Now that we’ve told you some mistakes to avoid when studying for the boards, here are some tips and strategies
that are sure to help you conquer this milestone and hopefully ease your anxiety along the way.
4. Avoid burnout
The last thing you want is to be burned out studying. It can be extremely beneficial to take study breaks. Research suggests that doing
something you enjoy the day before the exam has a more positive effect than continuing to study up to the last minute.
The reason taking practice tests help is that they reinforce your knowledge by asking your brain to struggle with recalling the answers and
practice tests can prevent the effects of stress on memory. According to this study by Smith et al., when participants’ studied using practice tests, they
experienced fewer of the typical negative effects of stress — such as forgetting the answers.
Being prepared for test day means knowing what it feels like to take the exam under pressure. For example, NEJM Knowledge+ contains two
60-question practice exams that simulate the actual timed exam. Questions in the practice exams align with the exam blueprint. Adding this layer of
realism to your prep can increase your confidence and help you be more confident on exam day.