Passing Strategies: A Helpful Guide for the Psychiatry Oral Exam [Paperback]

Michael G. Rayel MD (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0968781608 | ISBN-13: 978-0968781609 | Publication Date: April 2002

An indispensable companion to assist candidates in achieving success in both exam preparation and performance. This guide provides practical strategies for passing the psychiatry oral exam. Through frank dialogue interspersed with humorous anecdotes, it provides personal vignettes and the experiences of others for practical methods for success. This helpful compendium anticipates the common questions that exam candidates most often ask. It is a textbook, guidebook, and workbook all in one. Realistic success and failure scenarios are provided as are representative examination dialogues.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Drawing on his experience as a former board examination candidate and a casualty of the process, Dr. Michael Rayel combines fact and humor, personal vignettes and the experiences of others to demonstrate practical methods for successful exam preparation and performance. Passing Strategies, with its many tips, solid advice, and appropriate humor will help allay the dread and exasperation confronting oral exam candidates.

From the Author

This book stems from reflections on my professional and personal experiences relevant to navigating the oral exam. I trust that you will find the practical strategies in the book useful. Since there is no magic, infallible method which guarantees success, preparing oneself systematically is therefore of utmost importance.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 87 pages
• Publisher: Soar Dime (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0968781608
• ISBN-13: 978-0968781609
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,266,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide for Psychiatry Oral Boards, June 13, 2006

By 

Doc G (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passing Strategies: A Helpful Guide for the Psychiatry Oral Exam (Paperback)

This book will not give "everything" you need to know to pass the ABPN Part II exam (aka Oral Boards), but it will give you an excellent framework on how to organize your studies for the exam. I used this book during my studies for the exam and I passed on the first try.
What I found most helpful was:
1) Rayel gives a list of the most common dignoses encountered during the exam. I studied until I knew these inside and out.
2) The book has excellent outlines for presenting the "live patient", with helpful vignettes.
3) At the end of the book is a list of commonly asked questions which were helpful to gauge the actual questions.
The only drawback to this book is it doesn't describe the new vignettes which are now included in addition to the videotaped patient. However, since these vignettes are brand-new (as of May 2006), it isn't a fair criticism. I would expect the vignettes to be covered in later editions.

2.0 out of 5 stars Covered better in other books and mock orals, February 19, 2007

By 

Reb (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Passing Strategies: A Helpful Guide for the Psychiatry Oral Exam (Paperback)

This is a decent book but I wouldn't spend the money on it again; the information is also covered in "Boarding Time" in an easier to read format. There's nothing incredibly helpful in it, it's just another point of view about how to approach the boards. I passed, but I can't point to any particular helpful information in this book that contributed to my result. If you are studying with friends, buy one copy and pass it around.