Study Strategies

Study Strategies1. It is important to start your preparation early. There is a lot of time from the end of the Spring Semester until the Board exam on Monday, July 11, 2005. The Summer Session will be lighter this year and that should help. The two weeks before the exam are blocked off for individual study.

A good way to begin your preparation is acquire and organize the materials that you would like to study. Due to the expense of the Dental Decks and review books/manuals, you may want to make arrangements with other students for sharing this type of material.

2. Pick a start date for beginning your studies for the Boards. A good start time might be a week after the end of the Spring Semester. There is a lot of material to cover: in some cases, it has been as much as a year and a half since you studied the material in Dental School. If you start early, you wont feel nearly as much pressure later on.

3. Make a schedule for your study time and stick to it. You may want to consider forming study groups for covering material such as test questions. This will not only help you adhere to a schedule, you can also benefit from the knowledge of other members of the group and possibly learn new test-taking skills.

As you are studying, you will get tired and your studying may become less effective. For those days that you are able in put in more hours of studying, you should make sure to take some nice breaks to refresh yourself!

4. As you prepare for each section of the Board, refer to the Examination Specifications in the Appendix at the end of the Syllabus. For each section of the Board, the specifications outline the material on the exam and the numbers of questions for each area in the section.

5. One of the favorite ways for preparation involves the review of questions from released National Board exams, the Dental Decks and review books/manuals. This works best for the Dental Anatomy/Occlusion section of the Board; for the three Basic Science sections of the Board, this material is not as comprehensive. Note: If you have old exams and quizzes from your classes, the multiple choice questions should be an excellent source of additional questions.

When reviewing old questions for the Basic Science sections, I suggest that you have a good medical dictionary such as Stedmans at hand. You should first answer the question and check your answer try to see if there were key words that you missed in answering the question. This is important for improving your test-taking skills; this is one of the easiest ways to improve your test scores). If there are terms that are not fresh in your memory, you should next look those terms up in the medical dictionary. These terms may be the answer or topic for questions on the Boards.

Some of the released Board exams have multiple-multiple choice questions. It is my understanding that this type of question is no longer used on the Dental Boards.

Note: The Board review books published for medical students are an excellent source of questions. However, some of the questions are at a higher level than needed. Please skip these questions.

In general there is a tendency to include more application type questions on the Dental Boards. However, the vast majority of questions are still the basic types of multiple choice questions. I would try to master the regular type of questions before worrying about application type questions.

6. The review of course material (such as monographs, handouts and PowerPoint presentations) can also be very helpful. Please refer to the Examination Specifications in the Appendix; this should be helpful in identifying study material that will be high yield for your efforts.

Test-taking Strategies

1. On the Basic Science sections, there may be a good number of questions that may not know this would not be unusual. Please stay calm and do not get wound up like a French clock. If the test on a section is hard, it will be hard for all the students taking the test. You will need fewer correct answers to do well.

2. Please read the questions and answers carefully. Frequently, there will be a key word that will help you choose the correct answer without spending too much time on the question.

3. Writing in the exam booklet is allowed: it is a good idea to circle key words in the question. It can also be helpful to put an X by the answers that you feel are incorrect. Some individuals prefer to draw a line through the incorrect answers. This can help you get the correct answer or improve your odds if you have to guess.

4. If you are struggling with a question, please (1) put down an answer, (2) circle the number of the question in the test booklet, and (3) come back to it later. Note - if there is a question that you feel that you have absolutely no clue about, put an X through the number of the question rather than circling the number. It is important that you give an appropriate amount of time to the questions that you have the best chance of answering correctly. Note: there is no penalty for guessing, but you dont want to spend two much time on a question the first time through the exam.Make sure that you answer all of the questions before you worry too much about the hard questions. The last 10 or 20 questions may be easier. Lets make sure that we answer the easy questions first. Then we can worry about the harder ones. On the second time through the test, review the questions with circled numbers first.

5. On the exam you will be given two sections at a time. Divide the allotted time in half. Dont spend too much time worrying about one section and put yourself in a bind on the other. You can do whichever section you want first; this is a matter of personal preference.

Some individuals prefer to start with the section that they feel will be their hardest. This has the advantage that the student will be freshest for the harder section. Doing the harder section first does have the potential to wear you out before you get to the easier section.

Other students prefer to start off with what they feel will be the easiest of the two sections. This has the potential to leave more time for the harder section.

Anatomic Sciences and Biochemistry/Physiology will be given in the morning (3.5 hours). Microbiology/Pathology and Dental Anatomy/Occlusion are given in the afternoon (3.5 hours). 6. Plan on getting to the exam early; be sure to bring your #2 pencils with a good eraser. It is also important that you get a good night's sleep the evening before the exam. NATIONAL BOARDS, PART I

DENTAL EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS ANATOMIC SCIENCES [100 QUESTIONS]I. Gross Anatomy* [50 questions] A. Head

1. Oral Cavity

2. Extraoral Structures

3. Osteology

4. TMJ and muscles of mastication

B. Neck

C. Axilla, shoulders and upper extremities

D. Thoracic cavity

E. Abdominopelvic cavity

F. Central nervous system and neuroanatomy*Note - The following topics will be considered under each category of Gross Anatomy:

(1) Bone, (2) Muscles, (3) Fascia, (4) Nerves (peripheral and autonomic), (5) Arteries, veins and lymphatics, (6) Spaces and cavities, (7) Joints and ligaments and (8) Endocrines and exocrines.II. Histology [23 questions] A. Ultrastructure

B. Basic tissues

C. Bone, cartilage and joints

D. Lymphatic and circulatory systems

E. Endocrine system

F. Respiratory system

G. Gastrointestinal system

H. Genitourinary system

I. Integument

III. Oral Histology [16 questions]

A. Tooth and supporting tissues

B. Soft oral tissues

C. Temporomandibular joint

IV. Developmental Biology [11 questions] A. Osteogenesis

B. Tooth development, eruption and movement

C. Facial and branchial arch development

D. General EmbryologyBIOCHEMISTRY-PHYSIOLOGY [100 QUESTIONS]I. Biological Compounds [10 questions]

A. Sugars and carbohydrates

B. Amino acids and proteins C. Lipids

D. Nucleic acids and metabolism

E. Nutrients and minerals.

F. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

II. Metabolism [17 questions] A. Bioenergetics B. Enzymology C. Catabolism D. Anabolism E. Urea cycle F. Regulation G. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation III. Molecular and Cellular Biology [10 questions]

A. DNA/RNA and protein synthesis B. Genetic engineering C. Cell cycle

D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

IV. Connective Tissues [8 questions] A. Soft tissue B. Hard tissue/calcification C. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation V. Membranes [4 questions] A. Structure

B. Function

C. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation VI. Nervous System [6 questions] A. General properties B. Central nervous system

C. Autonomic nervous system

D. Somatic nervous system

E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation VII. Muscle [6 questions] A. Skeletal

B. Smooth muscle

C. Cardiac muscle

D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlationBiochemistry/Physiology continued on next page

VIII. Circulation [9 questions]

A. Fluid content and dynamics

B. Coagulation

C. Cardiodynamics and electrophysiology

D. Regulatory mechanisms

E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

IX. Respiration [6 questions]

A. Mechanical aspect

B. Gas exchange and transport

C. Regulation

D. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation

X. Renal [8 questions]

A. Functional anatomy

B. Blood flow and filtration

C. Reabsorption and secretion

D. Regulation

E. Acid-base balance

F. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlation XI. Oral Physiology [3 questions]

A. Taste

B. Mastication (with reflexes)

C. Swallowing

XII. Digestion [5 questions]

A. Neuromuscular

B. Secretions

C. Absorption

D. Regulation

E. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlationXIII. Endocrines [8 questions]

A. Pituitary/hypothalamus

B. Reproduction

C. Signaling systems

D. Pancreas/parathyroid

E. Adrenal/thyroid

F. Intradisciplinary and clinical/cross correlationMICROBIOLOGY-PATHOLOGY {100 QUESTIONS]I. General Microbiology [21 questions]

A. Microbial biochemistry and physiology

B. Microbial Cytology

C. Microbial variations and genetics

D. Sterilization and disinfection

E. Biology of microorganisms

1. Bacteria

2. Viruses

3. Fungi

F. Antibiotics and chemotherapy

G. Oral ecology and epidemiology

II. Reaction of tissue to injury [10 questions] A. Inflammation and repair

B. Physical and chemical injury

C. Hemodynamic disorders

III. Immunology and Immunopathology [13 questions - at least 3 on oral immunology]

A. Host defense mechanisms

B. Hypersenstivity

C. Immune system

IV. Microbiology, Immunology, and pathology of Specific Infectious Diseases

[22 questions - at least 8 on oral diseases]

A. Bacterial

B. Viral

C. Fungal

D. Chlamydial and rickettsial V. Systemic Pathology [22 questions]

A. Cardiovascular

B. Respiratory

C. Gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary

D. Genitourinary

E. Blood-lymphatic

F. Endocrine

G. Musculoskeletal

H. Genetic diseases

I. Nervous system

VI. Growth Disturbances [12 questions]

A. Non-neoplastic

B. Neoplasms - etiology, epidemiology & biology

C. Specific neoplasms

DENTAL ANATOMY AND OCCLUSION [100 QUESTIONS]I. Tooth Morphology [44 questions]

A. Primary

B. Permanent

1. Incisors

2. Canines

3. Premolars

4. MolarsII. Pulp Cavity Morphology [5 questions]

III. Calcification and Eruption [6 questions]

IV. Principles of Occlusion and Function [37 questions]

A. Functional Anatomy

1. Interarch (static and movement)

a. Anterior teeth

b. Posterior teeth

2. Intra-arch B. Masticatory physiology and biomechanics 1. Temporomandibular joint 2. Muscles and ligaments

3. Determinants of occlusion

V. Clinical Considerations - Tooth Morphology and Anomalies [8 questions]