Author: Kate Myers, MS, CGC
Defending your thesis, graduating from a Master’s program, accepting and starting a new job, figuring out how to navigate life outside of grad school – that is A LOT to have accomplished within a matter of months. There’s just one more thing on your journey to becoming a certified genetic counselor: the Board exam. Preparing for your Board exam may seem overwhelming, but there are so many resources available to you to help you complete this final step. Here are just a few tips and tricks that I found helpful while I was preparing to take the Board exam last summer.
Stick with the Study Method that Works Best for You
There are many ways you can study: flash cards, review courses, watching videos, reading textbooks, sending your program faculty questions via email, and taking practice exams. You just completed to years of an extensive training program – you know what study method works best for you. If you learn best by rewriting all of your notes, grab some fun new pens and write away! If you learn best by listening to lectures, download some to listen to in the car or while you go grocery shopping! Utilizing the methods that got you to where you are now is key for Board preparation.
Set a Schedule & Start with What You Know
One of the most helpful things for me was setting a study schedule. I had a week-by-week breakdown of content to review, and a plan of what resources I could use for each topic. The Board exam covers a lot of material. Having that structured breakdown helped keep me on track, even when things started to feel overwhelming. I also found it helpful to start with studying the material that would be most applicable for my new day-to-day life as a practicing GC. Being a pediatric cardiology GC, I dove into all things cardiovascular. If you took a position as a cancer GC, start with cancer content. If you’re now a lab GC, review the worlds of cytogenetics and molecular genetics. Studying what you do every day is a good way to ease into prep.
Perspective
There is no doubt that your grad program prepared you well for the Board exam, but hearing the same content from other perspectives is incredibly important. Remember that the Board exam uses questions that have been written by GCs across the profession. This was one of the best things about utilizing a Board review course! Review courses feature lectures from many different professionals and institutions and can provide a fresh take on content previously learned.
Social Studying
As GCs, I think it’s safe to say that we value social interactions with our peers. Use that to your advantage! Form a study group as a way to prepare. You could work together with your classmates, your new colleagues from your institution, or even join a Facebook study group. Having other people to study with will make it easy to talk through challenging topics and hold yourself accountable for keeping up with the studying on your own. I had a study group with a few of my classmates that were in the same area and I found myself actually looking forward to studying!
Give Yourself a Break
One of the most important things I learned was to give yourself some time off while you are preparing. Recognize that what you are doing in preparation is A LOT. Take time off for yourself and for your mental health. It can be hard to take a step back, but you will not be any less prepared if you take a weekend off. As a treat to myself, I would read a non-genetics related book (which was a very infrequent thing during grad school) and watch reality TV (which I admittedly still did frequently in grad school). Taking time to do something I enjoyed made me feel rejuvenated and helped make studying a little more tolerable.
Exam Day – You’ve Got This!
On the day of the exam, try your hardest not to cram. You’ve already studied the material, you are prepared! Instead, spend some time doing something to put yourself in a confident, calm, composed head space. Go for a walk outside, do a mindful breathing exercise, or listen to your favorite pump up music (one of my program directors had a phenomenal Spotify playlist). Even if you feel too anxious to eat, be sure to have a good meal before you take the exam. Go in confident, remember to breathe, and know that you are more than ready.