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Educational and Student Success Center

test preparation

Board Prep with BoardVitals

UAMS students preparing for USMLE, NCLEX, and NDBE exams have access to BoardVitals, a high-quality, effective, and powerful board prep tool available through the UAMS Library. Effective June 30th, the Library is adding new test banks, including PANCE, NAPLEX, Dental Hygiene, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Nursing exams, including Psychiatric-Mental Health NP, Critical Care Nursing, and FNP.

As a result, more UAMS students will have access to board review questions from leading medical publishers, research institutions, and clinicians. Users can identify their strengths and weaknesses and create customized practice tests. You get explanations with each answer and links to references and additional sources.

Learn more about Board Vitals won the UAMS Library website, or contact the Library reference department at 501-686-6734, or at LibraryReferenceDesk@uams.edu.

Tech-Wise Test Preparation

Most of the programs at UAMS have at least one board/certification exam, and scheduling some group review time is an effective test preparation strategy. Trying to explain a concept to someone else tells you just how well you understand the material. However, some students attend their classes online, and aren’t able to come to campus to meet with their peers. Using a tool like Google Hangouts is a great way to meet online to answer questions and review content. You can share your screen in a video call, which makes group test preparation sessions much easier to facilitate.

Up to 9 people can join your Hangout, which will accommodate most study groups. But, what if you wanted to host a larger review session? Maybe you wanted to combine with several study groups for a comprehensive test preparation session, or to share information about the exam. Is there a tool that could broadcast your session and allow more people to participate?

Test Preparation for a Bigger Audience

I recently learned about live reviews for AP exams in US History, European History, and Government hosted by Keith Hughes and Tom Richey using Hangouts on Air. The two teachers broadcast their discussion of AP exam topics through their YouTube channel. Students from all over the country joined the hangout, submitting their questions through Twitter and Instagram. The teachers had their students monitor the Twitter and Snapchat feeds, identifying questions for the teachers to answer. In addition, they were able to guide students to their video resources for more information about topics they should review before the exam. Using a platform like Twitter or Instagram as a backchannel for questions, comments, and suggestions allows more people to participate directly.

Google provides plenty of resources to help you get started with your own Hangout on Air. You can get started with step-by-step instructions on Google Help or by visiting the Google Help YouTube channel.

Whether you are a distance student or just looking for alternative ways to host group study sessions, Hangouts on Air can offer you options for large group test preparation.