Coming back to PEBC.

To help others, following is what I did:

1) I printed out the PEBC competencies and stuck them on my wall in front of my
study desk. Marked their percentages, and calculated the amount of Qs asked in
each competency.
2) I got a big calender (in which I can write my daily schedule) and got it affixed
on my wall.
3) I devised a plan. Plan was in relation to the competencies, and how much effort
each competency needs. I fixed a schedule to eat well, exercise well and sleep well
alongwith my 10-12 hours of daily studies (out of which usually 6-8 hours would
be procrastination, lol)
4) I would wake up, eat well, hit the gym moderately (not intense), and feel fresh
to study. I would read until daytime, take lunch, take a break of 30 mins to any
kind of enjoyment activity (to avoid burnt out feeling). I would get back to book,
read till 4ish, take a nap. wake up, do just 6-8 mins of running on treadmill, feel
fresh to start again. study until dinner, hang out with family for 30 mins, then back
to books until as long as I can keep my eyes open.
5) Now, here is the success formula. Yes, there is not magic book. But you can
make your own magic formula here . The mind-set needs to be changed compared
to what we are used to from back home. Desperate times, desperate measures. SO
what new I did was, after I finished learning a topic, I video recorded my own
lecture. Its like, I gave myself a lecture in that video. Because the biggest
complaint I had after failing 1st and 2nd attempt of MCQ was that Iam not able to
retain all info in my mind. I tend to forget it. I need to revise again and again. and
that is the key. REVISE, REVISE AND REVISE. don't let info sit in mind for over
a week without stirring it again. otherwise forget about it. it wont come back to you
when you need it the most during exam. So, I found out that if i read a chapter, I
know all ins and outs of it. but only until the night, the next day, or max 2 days.
then I start loosing little details and remember only a structure of the concept. after
a week or so, that structure collapses also, lol. So, I found that I need to have a way
to remember all the minute details, as good as it is once I finish a chapter freshly.
Thanks to technology, phone video making seemed like the easiest method. I
started video recording my own lectures. for example, I finished pyelonephritis
topic, I video recorded it, taught myelf in that video, all the minute details to
remember. I taught myself in such a way, where Iam talking to a patient
sometimes. Sometimes Iam talking to a doctor, like hey doc, our patient diagnosed
with pyelonephritis needs to be treated for how many days? and my doc asks me, is
it mild/ moderate or is it severe? then I answer back accordingly, etc. The point is,
you need methods to not only retain info, but find ways to implement it in real life
scenarios. We are soooo used to mugging up information with much lesser
applicable benefit from it. Thats why phD failing wouldnt be a surprise, if his
knowledge cant be applied properly to real life scenarios in real Canadian
pharmacist's daily routine.
6) Every day morning, I would watch atleast 3-4 of my last week's videos, then
start new topics. I made it a routine for 3 months. I watched, re-watched and re-
watched my videos again and again. Each video was almost 20-30 mins long. For
big topics like community acquired pneumonia, my video was split into 3 of 20
mins each. Big topics, more time. simple.
7) I told a friend of mine about my videos concept. He was like "can you share
your videos with me?". Ofcourse I can, but whats the point. It kills the entire point.
It kills the purpose. Watching my video is no use, you better watch videos of
experts out there. The idea is to have your own lecture for yourself. You know
what makes you remember things more than others.
8) When I made videos, I opened the book and when Iam teaching myself, the
video captures the book, the text, the clinical study, CPS or other resources. This
didn't only left an audio imprinting, but also visual imprinting of each and every
concept.
9) Another important advice, I took CTMA charts (flowsheet diagrams) and
combined them with TC flowsheet diagrams. So, it gave me info in a flow. Starting
from OTC going all the way till prescription drugs. Again, it helped in visual
imprinting in my mind. In exam, I would close my eyes and I would recall the
diagrams. It really helped.

I hope some of my tips or methods might help you guys.