Passing Strategies: A Helpful Guide for the Psychiatry Oral Exam (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

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.

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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.com Sales Rank: #1,067,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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 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 20, 2007

By	Reb (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

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.