Success on the ABS exam requires you to study, just like other comprehensive exams. The key difference is the breadth of the content on this exam. The ABS is designed to assess the wide range of content and concepts that are relevant to optometric care; this is not something you can master in a week. This is why a long-range study plan is necessary. By the end of your second year in the OD program, you have been introduced to and tested on a significant chunk of the content covered in the ABS exam. The summer after your second year is the ideal time to draft your study plan and begin in earnest before the fall of your third year. Research demonstrates it takes at least 4 weeks to establish a new habit, and it takes less cognitive energy to continue a habit than to create a new one.  If you can establish a study rhythm over the summer months, it will be easier to maintain when the fall semester begins.

Create meaningful milestones

Studying for boards is a vague and large-scale goal. According to psychologist Dr. Mary Murphy’s research, we can be more successful in achieving goals if they are more concrete and have meaningful milestones. Without a clear idea of what success looks like on your goal, it is difficult to make progress. Further, sometimes we become so outcome-focused that the goal seems out of reach; this is another barrier to progress. So what can you do? Murphy offers the following guidance in her Substack post:

1. Refocus on process over progress: instead of “I’ll review all the concepts from Ocular Biology this week,” Try “I’ll spend an hour each day this week reviewing the Ocular Biology concepts x, y, and z”.
2. Create many milestones to support your long-term goal: Make the goals as small and time-contained as makes sense for you (these are your milestones). The balance is about being able to see progress but avoiding tedium. Meaning: hourly goals may be too fine-grained and semester goals too big, but daily or weekly may be your Goldilocks zone. Failing to recognize the importance of our environment or of engaging community—and instead relying solely on our own grit or willpower—makes it harder to get where we want to go.
   – Dr. Mary Murphy
3. Share your goals with others: tell a friend or classmate about your goal and ask them to be your accountability partner. Better yet, plan a group study session for the end of the week for added accountability and opportunities to learn by explaining concepts to others.
4. Check in on your progress and modify your milestones and/or study strategies: studying for an exam or reviewing a concept might lead you to revisit something you hadn’t planned for. That’s okay! Check in with your plan and adapt as needed. This is also the point “phone a friend” which might be an actual friend, classmate, or faculty member. Don’t just keep trying to study something if you’re not ready for it or it’s not making sense.
5. Find your community: recruit others to join you on the journey. Talk openly about what’s working and not for you. Even if you think you study best alone, find some way to engage with others about boards study on a consistent basis.
6. Reduce the friction between you and your goal: even the best-laid plans can be derailed by situational factors. Find ways to make studying easier to focus on or more interesting. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Having a dedicated study space at home or school where the only thing you do in that space is study may help you to stay on task. Get some fun pens or your own whiteboard to use only when studying.
7. When things don’t go according to plan, get curious: instead of giving up and vowing to “start again next week,” ask yourself: what happened that interrupted your progress? What can you do differently moving forward? Then, adjust your milestones.

Identify study blocks

Avoid relying on an intrinsic desire to study. Humans can be quite creative in our invention of means to procrastinate or otherwise distract from tasks that do not have an immediate or direct return on investment. Studying for boards is a marathon, or maybe even an ultramarathon which means that you should be dedicating time to training for it most days of the week. Beware though, that attempting to study for very long blocks of time can be detrimental to your learning. Try a Pomodoro or similar method to keep your attention sharp for a maximum of 2 hours at a time.

A Pomodoro consists of 4-25 minute working sessions separated by a 5-minute rest for a total of 120 minutes. After a Pomodoro cycle (4 working sessions) you take a longer 20-30 minute break before starting a new round. The takeaway here is to not go over 2 hours in a single study session and to take productive breaks – that will allow you to decrease the cognitive demand on your brain. This is not a time to pick up your phone, open up social media, or shop online. If something is competing for your attention, write it down on a post-it and set it aside until your two-hour study block has ended.

Example study session using Pomodoro

• 11:30-11:55 – Write out everything I know about cornea; draw cornea diagrams
• 11:55-12:00 – Walk through the house; pet the cat
• 12:00-12:25 – Teach the cat the structure and function of the retina
• 12:25-12:30 – Stretch and get some water
• 12:30-12:55 – Write out differences between the types of glaucoma including relevant prelims and treatments
• 12:55-1:00 – Step outside to embrace the natural light
• 1:00-1:25 – Select a topic from microbiology. Write everything I know about this concept/process. Review notes to find additional details to add to this description.
• 1:25-1:30 – Take some deep breaths and play with the cat
• 1:30-1:35 – Review progress during this study session and identify topics/concepts for the next session

Create an ideal study environment

The human brain is not good at multitasking. (You may be an exceptional student, but you’re not an exception to how human attention and focus work.) Identify a space at home or at the school where you intend to spend the majority of your study time. Prepare the space and yourself to (1) have all your necessary resources, and (2) minimize distractions. (See #6 above about reducing friction.)

Use this list as a starting point for the resources you may want to collect and have readily available for study sessions. You may not need all of these things or there may be additional items that would be helpful to you.

Study resource list

• class notes
• iPad and/or laptop
• timer app
• scratch paper
• post-it notes
• pens or pencils
• healthy snacks (avoid high-sugar treats that can cause extremes in your blood glucose levels)
• water
• headphones

Minimizing distractions

Studying in a loud environment or switching between your notes and messaging a friend increases the cognitive demand on your brain. Creating a space where you can mono-task for an hour or two will improve your focus and make your efforts to learn more effective. You do not have to conquer the laundry mountain or wash every dish before you begin studying, but you should give yourself permission to focus on only your learning for the predetermined amount of time. Below are some practical tips for creating a productive study environment.

• If you share study space with family members, roommates, or friends, let them know in advance that you will be studying and should not be interrupted unless there is an emergency. Being direct and proactive helps to protect you and them from awkward interactions while you are studying.
• Determine what topics you will cover and locate any relevant notes/diagrams/slide decks before starting your study session.
• Turn your phone completely off or set a “Focus” to prevent notifications from apps that may compete for your attention.
• Turn off TVs and other screens that are not being used for learning purposes. If that’s not possible, orient your body away from the screen.
• If there is a lot of background noise, try a white noise machine or listen to music without words while wearing noise-canceling headphones.
• Dress in layers so that you can keep your body at a comfortable temperature.
• Choose a location where you have sufficient space to spread out your study materials and maintain a healthy posture. (This is rarely a couch or your bed.)

Check in and modify your study plan

Even the best-laid plans can go awry. Do not be discouraged if it is more difficult to focus on studying on certain days or if specific topics feel challenging. In some cases this means you’re learning, in other instances, it’s just a rough day. Regardless, be kind to yourself, how would you console a friend in your situation? With compassion for yourself, get curious about what’s not working for you. Ask yourself:

• Is there something unresolved between you and your partner, a family member, or a friend that is distracting you?
• Would you learn more effectively at a different time of day?
• Are there bodily needs you are neglecting such as sleep, nutritious food, and physical activity?
• Do you need an accountability study buddy?
• Are you struggling with a concept that a classmate, an AI, or a faculty member could help you work through?

The takeaway is: If things aren’t working well for you, get curious about why and reach out for support. For more about the affective components of learning, jump to the respect the brain body connection page.

Closing note

If you feel anxiety or other psychological factors are interfering with your ability to plan a study schedule or study, please contact the well-trained folks at Counseling and Psychological Services. If you’re not ready to talk to someone about your situation, start by checking out the CAPS recordings page.