QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON INBDE #2

1) I am confused about INBDE exam pattern!! Can you please tell me more about it?

The INBDE is actually Integrated-NBDE, which means they combine NBDE Part 1 and NBDE Part 2 into ONE exam. Therefore, instead of taking TWO different exams on different days (Part 1 first and then take Part 2 after that), you can now take ONE exam and get it done.

•  Imagine Iphone 10 vs Iphone 11 – different versions, different looks but the core concept is the same with Siri, App store, Itunes etc. Part 1&2 are Iphone 10. INBDE is Iphone 11 – they don’t produce Iphone 10 anymore, only Iphone 11

So, the format is changing but not the content of the whole NBDE thingy. You will still need to have knowledge of both basic science (Part 1 content) as well as dentistry (Part 2 content). New format doesn’t mean you can study less! They will ask questions from both Part 1 and Part 2 in the new exam INBDE.

The ONLY difference between the old and new format is the TIME you spend from applying to passing the exams.

• Old format: Applying for Part 1 —> Take Part 1 (1 day) —> Pass —> Applying for Part 2 —> Take Part 2 (1.5 days) —> Pass

• New format: Applying for INBDE —> Take INBDE (1.5 days) —> Pass

2) Is it written exam or computerized exam?

It is computerized. You will have multiple choice type questions on computer.

Be mindful, when you read info from ADA, you will notice that NBDEs (both old and new versions) are still considered “WRITTEN” exams to distinguish with the Board “CLINICAL” exams where you have to treat patients in front of a committee (also the most important requirement to get license in any state – but I will not go into that topic today). You will take NBDEs/INBDE before applying for International Dentist Programs and the Board Clinical Exam after graduating from that program.

3) Which one do you feel easier? Taking Part 1 & 2 or INBDE?

First of all, if you are still considering taking Part 1 now and have NOT studied for it yet, I will say forget about the old version and just focus on the new version – INBDE. The Part 1 will have the cut-off day on May 31 as the last day you can take it, which is less than 2 months from now.

If you have been preparing for NBDE Part 1 and now facing the choice either going for Part 1 & Part 2 route or INBDE route, I will say INBDE is easier. Why?

• Regarding the stress, INBDE is less stressful because you can finish the exam in 1.5 days. You don’t have to apply for 2 exams, pay money for 2 exams, wait for the response from JCNDE twice, go to test center twice, wait for the results twice, spend 2.5 days for exams (1 day for Part 1 and 1.5 days for Part 2). Imagine how much stress you have for the old route! Less stress = better performance

• Regarding the number of questions, you will have 500 questions in the INBDE comparing to 900 with the old route (450 questions for each exam). Believe me, my brain was fried at the end of Part 1 day so I was exhausted just to think of Part 2 let alone taking it. After taking Part 2, I couldn’t study anything for months as there were no brain cells left (just kidding but that’s how I felt). 500 questions are way better than 900.

• Regarding the content, INBDE requires you to have the same knowledge as with the old route. However, due to fewer questions, they will be very likely to ask questions about very important concepts (how our teeth occlude, the distribution of the Trigeminal nerve, etc) rather than small details (like Krebs cycle or how protein turns into fat). I feel like INBDE is more similar to Part 2 content than Part 1 content, so it is easier for me to understand and apply the information (I was dying every day studying Biochem and Physiology – they are no joke).

 If you want to know more about how to study/prepare for these exams, check out these posts Study for Part 2/INBDE or Question and Answer on INBDE #1!

If you have any other questions about NBDE/INBDE, don’t hesitate to contact me by sending me a message right down below or contact me on Instagram/Facebook/Youtube. This topic will continue to be confusing until they officially discontinue the old version of NBDE and have only one option to choose (INBDE). There is no stupid question as I understand how confusing it can be with one option let alone two options like right now (When I took Part 1 in 2014, there was no old vs new format discussion). Good luck on your exam preparation and stay safe!

Love,

How to study for NBDE Part 2/ INBDE

I know the topic is kinda outdated now with the new format INBDE is coming this August. However, one of the page’s members asked me the question since she just passed Part 1 (Congrats by the way!) so here we go.

Alert: For people who have NOT prepared for NBDE yet, don’t bother taking Part 1&2 NBDE. You should just focus on the new format INBDE.

Alert #2: you can still benefit from this post if you only prepare for INBDE. What I found is that INBDE is pretty similar to NBDE Part 2.

1) When will ADA officially cancel NBDE Part 2?

08/2022. Why? For the people that decide to take NBDE Part 1 until the last day, they still have 2 years to pass Part 2 so they can clear TWO parts of the old format NBDE. If you miss the deadline of Part 1 - 05/31/2020, you can no longer take the old format NBDE – you will have to take the new format INBDE.

            Good: INBDE is ONE exam only instead of TWO exams as of NBDE.

           Bad: it’s a new format so there is no textbook, no released exam, no data yet.

 From ADA: “If a candidate from a non-accredited dental program has successfully completed the NBDE Part I by May 31, 2020, the candidate will still be eligible to take the NBDE Part II until July 31, 2022.”

2) What is the topics of NBDE Part 2?

• Endodontics

• Operative Dentistry

• Prosthodontics

• Pharmacology

• Peridontics

• Patient Management

• Orthodontics

• Pediatric Dentistry

• Oral Diagnosis

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

• Pain Control

3) Which books can one use to study for NBDE Part 2?

·      Dental Decks – DD is like “the Bible” of NBDE. They have different formats that you can buy – the print flashcards, online flashcards, or both. They almost always have edit every year aka “new version” but the core knowledge is almost the same. If you can afford the newest version #13 – go for it. If you can’t, buy older version (just don’t buy version from 10, 15 years ago).

·      First Aid – I used this one combining with Dental Decks. It’s a textbook, not flash cards like DD so I liked it a little bit more when I needed to understand the full concept of some subjects. I think it’s pretty comprehensive and easy to understand. They have TWO version: Textbook version and Q&A version

·      Mosby’s Review: I did not use this one – no specific reason. First Aid was cheaper on Amazon at that time so I got it instead of Mosby’s. It’s pretty popular as well – personal choice.

·      Kaplan Part II lecture notes: Kaplan is very famous regarding any medical/pharm/dental exams. You can never go wrong with Kaplan I feel like. They also have an online course for NBDE, which costs $99 for their question bank or $699 full version with videos and teachers.

·      Dental Board Buster series: I had a copy of the book, but I did not have that much time or patience to go through a whole book. I admire people that can read Dental Decks 3 times, First Aid 2 times, Mosby 2 times etc. You are my heroes! At the time I was preparing for Part 2, I got so bored even after one reading only.

·      Tuft – for Pharmacology. EVERYONE suggests reading pharm from Tuft. I did skip pharma from Dental Decks and First Aid as I read Tuft only. I do feel like they are the easiest to remember although pharma is never truly easy.

·      Released questions from ASDA: that was a lot of money to buy all versions but it’s worth it. I think I bought only the last several versions and skipped the ones they released like 30 years ago.

4) Which apps/online courses one can buy to study for Part 2?

·      Dental Boards Mastery: it’s good! I actually liked it! It is like question bank with answer and explanation so it helped me check my knowledge as well as clear up some confusion I had.

·      Board Vitals: I got it free as I was a student at CU. The school purchased the app for all dental students to use – also questions and answers. I don’t like it as much because the questions seemed too easy comparing to the real test. The way they ask questions was also not similar to the real one. It’s good when you exhaust all the books you have or apps you have and still want to check your knowledge. Good as a complementary tool to study Part 2, not as a primary tool.

·      Kaplan course: as I mentioned above - $99 for question bank or $699 for full course

·      Crack the NBDE: I did not try the app so I have no idea.

Disclaimer: Those mentioned above are NOT the only books/apps/courses you can purchase. Those are only the more popular ones.

Disclaimer #2: You don’t need to buy every single book, buy every single course to pass the exam. If you pass Part 1, take it easy as Part 2 is way easier. My recommended recipe: Dental Decks + ASDA released questions + 1 book + 1 app

5) How do you use books/apps to study?

Try to combine Dental Decks and a book at the same time. Books help to explain the full concept of a subject/topic but they may distract you with too much details. Dental Decks works like a guideline to keep you on track. Whatever shows up on the DD cards, it’s important to know. If you don’t have much time to study, stick to DD. If you have some extra time, read again with a textbook to deepen your understanding and put things in perspective.

It’s up to you to tackle difficult topics first or easy ones first. Some easy ones are Endo, Operative, Perio etc. The reason why those are easier is because we use those knowledge everyday seeing patients. You just need to read through it real quick to update some new information and dust off some old ones. The more difficult ones are Pharmacology, Oral Pathology, Orthodontics, etc because they have so much info to remember! I studied Pharmacology last because I know I can only remember it with my short-term memory. If I chose to study it first, I would forget everything by the time I took the exam. However, if you decide to study 2,3 times before the exam, you can always study it first and study again later to remember better.

I never go to any exam without trying to do question banks (unless there is no question bank). Question bank is the best to fast check your understanding. I usually go through books as fast as I can and spend more time for questions and answers. I tried ASDA released questions as well as the two apps I mentioned above (Board Mastery and Board Vitals) weeks before the exam. If there was one question that I don’t understand the answer or disagree with it, I would check DD or textbook again to clarify.

Those question banks are extremely important with Part 2 because of the 2nd day exam. On the 2nd day, you will have patients’ charts, pictures, X-ray, and you will have several questions regarding the case. It’s different because those questions relate to each other, so you need to look at the big picture. Question banks will help you understand better the way they ask questions, what they want you to know, how they test you understanding. For example: Patient has 1 small cavity DO on tooth #13 that you can easily do a filling. However, the probing depth of the tooth is 9-8-9 (F)/7-6-7 (L) – filling will not be necessary as the best approach is to extract the tooth. So, if you look at the small lesion on the Xray only, the tooth is restorable - but  if you look at the X-ray and probing chart at the same time then no, we shouldn’t keep the tooth.

I hope this post helps you if you are preparing for NBDE Part 2 right now. If you are preparing for INBDE, you can start by studying part 2 the exact same way, then read quickly through Part 1 material right before the exam. Why? From my mock test, INBDE is pretty similar to Part 2. The amount of questions I got about basic science is minimal.

Best of luck!

Disclaimer: These are Amazon affiliation link which means when you purchase on amazon through the link, I will get some kick back. Your price will be the same with or without the link, but I’m forever grateful for your help and support.

*Question and answer on INBDE

Hi guys, I have been received questions about different topics. I think it may be a good idea to share some questions and answers with you as maybe some of you are too shy to ask. No question is stupid question. Here is the first one of the series.

Q: Hey, Hannah, I’ve read your comparison between INBDE and NBDE part1+2. It was very helpful for me to make my decision. Thank you a lot. Besides, I’m wondering about the study material of the INBDE... Is it possible if we will be obligated to review both: NBDE part 1+2´s material, the two dental decks ect... I’ve noticed that the INBDE is more focused in dentistry skills but how long is the biochimistry or the anatomy part and how should we be preparing it... I’m a little nervous about the preparation, and the lack of old exams which are helpful to orientate the preparation. Waiting for your reply, thank you in advance.

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out. I am glad to learn that my post was helpful. About your question, please keep in mind that I am no master in this new format thing as I only took 1 mock test and that's all ^^ However, I will share with you what I would do if I had to take it again.

First thing first, the test was the combination between part 1 - pure science and part 2 - dentistry related. I did not see any question like "what is the molecule of insulin", instead it was like "you will see a patient today to restore a class II, patient was diagnosed with diabetes type II and you know you will need insulin in emergency kit just in case, why do you need insulin?" (This is not exam question, I just made that up). They try to test on how we apply our knowledge in our daily dental life more than memorizing, memorizing, memorizing.

With that in mind, I would still cover both dental decks but with different approach. I would try to find as many questions online as possible to check if I understand the material right and if I know how to apply it when I see patients. Doesn't have to be nbde questions. There's lots of mock questions out there I believe - the main goal is to check if you really understand what you just learn from books. I would not attempt to memorize those part 1 material - if I don't think it's relevant to dentistry at all (you know those topics where you have to scratch your head and ask why you have to know this). I would make sure I understand and master part 2 as much as possible especially when I run out of time for studying. My motto was - “I have limited time and limited brain so I will try to master whatever I can understand and remember - rather than trying to memorize everything and ending up forgetting it all”.

Last but not least, everyone has different set of questions. One may have more part 1-ish and one may have more part 2-ish. Just like with NBDE part 2, my friends and I had so many pharm questions and no restorative ones while another friend taking exam at same center, same day, same time had none pharm question. Obviously I did it so much worse than that one friend but we both passed. Why? They will compare your result with anyone sharing the same pattern - me with other candidates having the "pharm pattern" and that one friend with others having "restorative pattern". So same thing may happen with INBDE, one could have totally different experience comparing to mine. Just keep that in mind. My advice - keep checking all forums/groups to see anyone else taking the mock exam, reaching out to those to see if they had same experience with mine and deciding for yourself how you would study.

Wish you all the luck. Hannah.

Check out the 2nd post of the Q&A series here

If you have any question, no matter how big or small, please don't hesitate to reach out to me either by sending me a message at the bottom of this page or at our facebook page. Looking forward to hearing from you.

*How to score high on TOEFL – Listening and Speaking

When it comes to Advance Standing Program, we can all agree that the first barrier international dentists have to overcome is English - specifically, TOEFL. Being someone who could barely conduct a conversation in English 8,9 years ago, I would love to share with you some steps I took to score 104 points from 70 initially. If you are below 70, you can still benefit from these suggestions as I believe this is the right way to improve each of four skills – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.

A bit about my English journey, my mom put me into English class when I was 3 years old until 6 years old. I am forever grateful for that because I never see English as a total stranger although I was struggling with it for a long time afterward. We do study English in school, but all we learn is grammar and vocabulary – which is almost useless for communication if you can’t pronounce them in a right way. When I was in 11th grade, wanting to study abroad, I went to one of the most popular English center in Saigon hoping to score 60 in TOEFL and I could not help but feel drowning. I did not know where to start as my skills were so bad except maybe reading. I quit after 2 months and then jumped from places to places – no class lasting more than a few months. I just never felt like I was getting anywhere better. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Most of the English classes only gave me one fish a day – I knew more vocabulary, I knew more complicated grammar structure but I did not get the “tool” to improve my English significantly. Until I met a teacher!

- READING -

He was the only one at that time who opened an English class that focused on one skill only – listening. He was the one giving me the foundation that helped me build my future on. He explained that listening is the most important skill one has to master in order to master other skills, like a baby first recognizes people’s voices before imitating what it hears and starts to speak. His method was simple. He gave us different cassettes – 1 “VOA”, 1 “Around town”, and 1 “CNN”. I went there 3 times a week, so each day we would work on a tape. “Around town” is daily conversation, “VOA” is more academic, slow and easier to guess, “CNN” is more modern but harder to understand. My homework is to play the tape and write down whatever I could hear. The part I could not guess the words, I would leave it blank. We also had to guess if it’s a comma or a full stop after each pause. When we came to class, the teacher would play the tape and wrote along on a board the whole piece before asking us which words or phrase we could not catch. He then would play the words again until we remembered how it was pronounced.

I could not believe how many familiar words I pronounced wrongly before and that’s why I did not recognize them. The whole process sounds so boring and super slow right? However, after a few months, I could hear clearly every single word and even after his tragic death, I could still practice that way on my own with any material as long as I have the listening part with full script. I tried to pass on this method with some of my friends but not everyone believed on how effective it could be or not everyone was patient enough to get through “the initial pain” of being so slow. It is interesting how you have to go real slow in order to move fast.

- SPEAKING -

Once I corrected my pronunciation through listening, my speaking skill got better also. Those words that people could not understand when I used before now are easier to understand. When you pronounce a word correctly, people will understand despite the accent. Tried to speak slowly, clearly and with correct pronunciation. The first time I took TOEFL, it was only a mock test as I knew I was not ready to take the real one. I scored 13/30 for speaking. It was a shocking moment to know how “good” I was. I expected less then 20 but 13 was an ugly truth that I had to accept. Determined to improve my speaking, I jumped from class to class again without obvious result. After I finished my dental school in 2011, I registered for a full-time 2-month-long class that helped people who were about to study abroad. It was expensive but one of the best choices I’ve made. The class helped me get over my anxiety/insecurity when communicating in English.

Speaking English all day long in 2 months definitely helped but mainly with daily conversation. Speaking in TOEFL is a different story. You can look up the format of TOEFL Speaking online, but generally they have 6 parts and you have to quickly answer the questions in 45s – 1 min with only 30s-45s to prepare. I could communicate but within that time frame, my brain often went frozen. Fast back 2 years later, I was still struggling but it’s time to think of applying for advanced standing program so I decided to invest in a TOEFL class. I love that class because once again, they gave me a “fish hook”.

The part I am scared of the most is Question 1 & 2. I was good with listening so for Question 3,4,5,6 I could easily draft a note and answer based on that. For Ques 1 & 2 when I had a simple question and just answered it freestyle, I often had no idea what to say. The key is you have to practice thinking in English in order to respond that fast. I would do my normal daily activities and always think of random questions. For example, I would drive around and ask myself “Which color do you like and why?” when seeing red light. It doesn’t matter if I actually love yellow or Red. If I can find an answer easier with Green, I will go with that (Green is the color of nature so green makes me feel peaceful. Green is also my mom’s favorite so it reminds me of her blah blah blah). No one is here to judge you based on what you think, they only want to know if you can answer the question or not in 45s.

There are also lots of mock TOEFL questions on the internet that you can use to practice. On youtube, if you type TOEFL Speaking, there will be mock questions with timer so you can practice in the same concept of 30s/45s/1min timeframe. Practice makes perfect. Don’t think that you can improve your English quickly just by going to class and doing homework as teacher says. Everyone has different ways of absorbing knowledge, teacher will teach you in a general way that can fit majority people, but you need to understand what is your weakness and find a way to improve it.

- to be continued -

*INBDE or NBDE Part 1&2?

I recently got a question of taking the NBDE part 1&2 or waiting until 2020 to take INDBE. I write this post to share with you some information I have regarding this matter. My goal is to share information so YOU can make the decision.

According to ADA, the new format called INDBE will replace the old one starting on Aug 1, 2020. Anyone clearing part 1 before Aug 1, 2020 will have two more years to take part 2 until Aug 1, 2022. Anyone has not taken part 1 before the deadline will have to take the new format instead.

What is the difference between the two formats? First of all, the all format has two parts – NDBE part 1&2 while the new format will have only one exam. With the old format, you will have to apply for Part 1, pass the exam, apply again for Part 2, pass this exam and done. There is no restriction on how soon you can apply between Part 1 & Part 2. My friend took two exams within 2 months. However, applying twice, stress twice, taking exams twice and of course, paying twice is such a hassle that no one wants. With the new format, you only need to pass one exam. Passing one sounds much better than passing two, right?

In terms of cost-effectiveness, the new format will also be preferable. From the ADA website, the cost of Part 1 2018 is $425 and for foreign-trained dentists, they charge $210 more to process paperwork (like verifying information to decide eligibility of the candidate). For Part 2 2018, the fee is $475 for the exam itself and again, $210 for foreign-trained dentists. Therefore, the cost for both exams will be $1320 if you are not student of an accredited dental schools. For now I cannot find any information on how much it will cost to apply for INBDE but I am so sure it will be much less than that – half of the cost hopefully.

In terms of time-effectiveness, it takes 8.5 hours for Part 1 and 12.5 hours for Part 2 (2-day exam) so together it takes 21 hours sitting still for exams. I felt like half of my neurons were boiled after the exams. No one can be at their best sitting for that long honestly. Luckily the new INBDE will also cut half the time – 8.5 hours only. Woohooo!

In terms of exam content, the new INBDE also brings good news. The old format has about 450 items on each part which means about 900 items in total while the new format have 500 items. It’s not only about the length. I remember I struggled a lot with Part 1 because that required lots of recall knowledge while I study by understanding more than memorizing. Honestly, will it make me a better clinician if I can memorize the molecule of lipid? I guess not. Part 2 was better than Part 1 since it was more dental-related. Still, my brain was exhausted after two stressful days. The INBDE was promised “The new test relies less on rote knowledge and information recall than the current NBDE examinations do, and instead it emphasizes the relevance of the basic sciences through test items that link science and clinical application.” I took Part 2 in 2017 while they have the mock exam for INBDE so I was offered a chance to take the mock test to help ADA exploring the effectiveness of the new format. They did deliver what they promised. I think the questions were more clinical-based like how you will treat the patient or how you will proceed in the situation.

What else should you consider between NBDE and INBDE? I suggest you take advantage of this transitioning period. According to ADA, “Under the JCNDE’s Five Years/Five Attempts Eligibility Rule, candidates must pass the examination within a) five years of their first attempt or b) five examination attempts, whichever comes first. Subsequent to the fifth year or fifth attempt, candidates may test once every 12 months after their most recent examination attempt.”

Practically speaking, if you pass Part 1 but fail when attempting Part 2 the 5th time or the 5th year (hope not), you can take INBDE instead of waiting a whole year to take another Part 2. However, let’s hope that no one has to take this complicated route. I hope all my readers will pass in the first attempt!

Will it affect the application to Advance Standing Programs? I do not believe so. As long as you clear Part 1& 2 or the INBDE, you are eligible to apply for ASP. That will help schools actually. With the old format, some schools require only Part 1 to apply while others require Part 1&2. That can potentially cause some confusion for applicants. With this change, schools will require only INBDE so the process will have less paperwork and be less time-consuming.

So what is the conclusion? The INBDE is an excellent improvement. I do appreciate ADA’s effort to make things less stressful for us. However, we are one and half year away from the deadline so if you believe you can pass both Part 1&2 quickly, go for it. It’s like a no-brainer if we just sit and wait to take INBDE instead of clearing NBDE and applying for the next cycle. In case you do not see yourself clearing both part before Aug 1,2020 due to certain situation (finance problem, young kids to take care, working full time, visa issue, etc) then INBDE will worth the wait.

More questions that I did not answer in this post? PM me at https://www.facebook.com/ddsjourney/ or email me at hannah@ddsjourney.com

How to study for NBDE Part 1 - 1

Let’s be honest. Studying NBDE1 by myself while still working is for me one of the hardest things to do. Do you ever have the feeling of passing exam but having no clue how you manage to pass it? Yes that's exactly me. I write this post with a humble mind that I am not better than you and I am not a master on this. I just want to share what I did and hopefully can shed some light on your questions somehow.

Let’s start with material first. The “Bible” of NBDE is Dental Deck. You can either buy the old versions from amazon, ebay or buy the newest version directly from their website www.dentaldecks.com From their website you can either purchase online version, flashcard version or both. It’s very pricey though, from $250-$300. If you are on a budget and feel fine with older versions, amazon and ebay are your best bet. From my experience, older version is fine. The DD company “fix” something every year and I don’t really know what is the difference between the newest version and the previous one. I first laid my hand on DD version 2007-2008 or so in 2012. Later I decided to purchase a newer one from amazon – version 2011-2012. The newest one was 2013-2014 at that time. I passed the exam in 10/2014. No problem at all.

Other than DD, there are so many other resources to choose from. Some of the popular books are First Aid, Mosby, Kaplan, etc. We also have some apps/website like Dental Board Mastery, Board Vitals or Crackthenbde. Choosing which books or app to buy is a matter of personal preference. I myself got First Aid book from amazon. The only reason was that it’s one of the cheapest book I could find. Money was super tight back then. I haven’t read other books or apps yet so I can’t compare for you sorry.

The last but not least, released questions from ADA is a must. It’s not that you will see the same questions in your exam, but that it will help you understand the way ADA putting questions together. One thing my friend told me when I prepared for part 2 (but it should be the same for part 1) is if I scored around 60% or more on those papers, I should do fine at the exam. However I read somewhere on the internet that one should aim for 75% actually. I have no clue. But when I passed part 2, I scored around 60-66% in those questions. These released questions you can buy directly from ADA or again – amazon/bestbuy. I didn't take the test after I finished studying. I didn't even finish studying when I took the part 1 exam. I took it while studying so I had some idea how the questions looked like and which parts would show up again and again.

So, how did I study? Being honest with you, I don’t like DD. It asks you to memorize points instead of the whole concept. I don’t know about you, but for me I can’t study by memorizing. I need to understand the link between this and that, then where it can be wrong, then how we correct it. I started with DD first, then unable to understand I turned to First Aid. It helped for a while but then it became too much. I completely forgot whatever I learned a week ago after cramming too much. I went back to DD and then changed my mind again. Later I found out that it’s impossible to remember everything from these material. Even if I remembered then, if the questions would be a bit different, there would be no way I could apply these memory to answer it. Then I turned to the website I love the most – youtube. There I searched about kidney, liver, nerve, brain, carbohydrate, lipid, cell structure, etc – everything. These videos can go from very basic for general community to specifically for medical students. My logic was easy – if they ask about renal pelvis, at least I should know where it is then I may have a chance to guess the answer. Among all the channels I watched, I think Khan Academy is the best – very informative, easy to remember, basic but not so basic knowledge.

Also from that experience, I found out that I learn by really think about the topic. When I write notes, the actual process of deciding what to put in notes, what not to, what is important, what I-can-never-remember-so-just-ignore-it, etc. Once I read my notes again, it’s not what in the notes I remembered but the way I wrote it. Personally I think it should be the combination of both formats. You can use DD to learn, then whatever you don’t understand, turn to books, apps or youtube. Try different ways of learning. You may be someone learning by ear – if so reading your notes out loud and recording to your phone so you can listen and learn while doing house chores or going to gym. If you learn by eyes, use tons of diagram, colors, arrows,etc.

Another important thing I did was to look for advice. I googled “how to learn NBDE part 1/ 2” and found out several blog pages discussing about this. I learned a bit here and there and applied what I thought would work for me in studying. There is a forum that everyone should know about once they want to chase this dream. It’s called studentdoctornetwork. There you will see groups of medical students, dental students, pharm students, international dentists and so on. People post questions and answer questions on a daily basis. I felt much better realizing that I was not alone and there were so many people also working hard for this.

My last piece of advice in studying NBDE is that you will never remember every-single-little-detail in those materials. It’s just mission impossible. So if you encounter a point that you don’t understand, try one more time then move on if still can't. Save your brain (and time) for things that you can remember. If it costs me 1 neuron to understand and remember the whole chapter, I’ll buy it. If it costs me 2 neurons for only 1,2 pages that absolutely don’t make sense at all, I’d rather spend those 2 neurons to remember another 2 chapters. Go for big concepts. How many percent you think they will ask about the trigeminal nerve, and how many percent you think they ask about metatarsal bones? If there is one question about the latter, there should be at least 5 questions about the previous. I will aim to score 5 rather than 1. I studied thoroughly dental anatomy and decided that I should not miss any questions from this part. I didn’t have time (or courage) to study biochemistry at all so I only learned basic concept from youtube and skipped the whole part. I still passed the board (and that still amazes me until now). I don’t say that you should also skip it, I say understanding the big picture is more important than memorizing little details.

*Fueling the DDS journey aka the money-talking part

Getting dental license in the U.S is a long journey, and how to fuel the journey is a very important aspect. I’ve seen first-hand how impactful it can be to one’s success. Therefore, I want to dive in deeper to this topic today. If you have no time for story, skip to the bottom and read the part in Bold letter of what I've learned through my story.

You may or may not hear my story before I joined UCDenver in 2017. I started preparing for NBDE and TOEFL since 2012. It was lots of money and although I started working, I had to ask for my mom’s help still. She was in the U.S at that time, recently emigrated, recently got a job, was not financially stable yet. She was working, supporting my two siblings in America and supporting me for my education as well in Vietnam. No easy task. We were hand-tight. I still don’t understand how my mom managed that because I graduated now, started working as a dentist here, and trust me, $500 for one exam would still be a burden to me. Every decision back then had to be calculated carefully – which book to buy, which course to take, etc. I recently received a message on which book to buy because all of those NBDE books are expensive. I know exactly what you were talking about! I searched Amazon and E-bay to find the cheapest secondhand book with the not-too-old version (I used version 2011-2012 when I took Part 1 in 2014). You can learn from any book. It’s not the book that matters but how well you understand the material and if you can apply what you understand in answering question. You can buy the latest version of every single book out there and still fail if all you do is trying to memorize all the points.

There is not only money for exams. You also need money for other no name steps as well. Evaluation with ECE! Registering with CAAPID to apply! Asking ECE to send copy to ADA! Asking ETS to send TOEFL score to ADA! And so much more. One wrong address can cost me about $30, $50. Multiple times can easily cost me $100 or more. The money pressure will be there. I do not want to scare you away but I want you to be mindful that this journey is fueled by either money or a lot of money. Up to this point, you have to have money sitting in your bank account for this because no bank will give you a loan for “preparing for dental school” reason. I have to stress it because one reader kept asking me about student loan while not even taking NBDE yet – I found out later – she thought she must have student loan approved before she can apply for dental schools. No! To the day you get the “Congratulation!” email from dental school, you pay everything by yourself and you do not need student loan.

Schools will not ask for financial proof when you apply nor pick you based on your financial ability. Finally the day you longing for for so many years come! You get the call or the email from the director. I don’t think a lot of people sharing what happens next so I will share my story in detail. In the next several days, I got another email from the school asking me if I will accept the position or not. I had three options – decline (if I pick another school)/ defer (one year only)/ or accept. When I chose accepting the offer, I had to send a deposit check for $4000 to confirm that I do plan to come. Of course, this deposit would go to the tuition later. It was a shock to me as I then faced a more serious question – I got accepted now where I can find enough money for dental school with my family’s current financial situation. I had no choice but to borrow money for the deposit. This is my family and my own dream come true, but at the same time, I put tons of pressure on my mom. I had some saving but it was not enough as I spent lots of time studying instead of working. We had to borrow from my aunts, uncles, cousins. Most of them also just recently emigrated to the U.S and had entry level work income. I felt like the most selfish person on Earth to depend solely on family to help me in my own success. I questioned myself if I could barely afford $4000 deposit, how I could afford tuition fee and if I could not, I would lose $4000 for nothing. It was a scary time, but we managed it.

Next step, school asked me to provide financial proof that I could afford at least one year of tuition. I was honestly thinking it would be easy to apply for loan “because I would soon become a dentist here, so bank should love me”. WRONG! I talked to several banks. Some of them need I-20 to process the application but school will not give you I-20 before you give them the proof of the loan. Only two banks accept the application without I-20 so I applied to both. With all the banks, I would need a cosigner as I was not a residence or citizen here, I had no credit history, so they could not trust me. Easy right? I have my mom – a US Citizen – and of course she had good credit history, she was working and had income. On their website, they said something like “cosigned needs to have income of $19000/yr minimum to be qualified” and my mom earned more than that. WRONG again! Both of them declined right away as the amount of money I wanted to borrow ($100000) was way too much comparing to her income (aka her ability to pay in case I cannot). I contacted the school desperately to look for a way out. They suggested me to borrow lesser amount but how I could afford the rest? My extended family was willing to cosign for me as well but their income was just like my mom’s. I turned to the internet asking for advice and help. No one could help and none of the advice worked. I did not want to ruin someone else’s chance and honestly the whole time, this acceptance was too good to be true so in the back of my mind, it was not meant for me. I gave up! I wrote a letter to the program director to apologize that I had to defer one year to figure out about the tuition. It was devastating. The moment I hit the “SEND” button, I was looking at my years of hard-work (and $4000) flying through my hand.

So how did I make it right next year? I did nothing. It was my family. I am still a selfish daughter. I mean I worked harder that year, found a new job, earned more money, saved more but it was nothing when you exchange VND to USD. My dad passed away two years earlier before all of this happened and he left the house for me so I could sell it for my education (Thanks, dad!). I could finally sell the house that year and had a bit more money (Thanks to my siblings that they did not ask for anything when they have the right to take some). My mom (remarried after I deferred) and my stepdad bought a house, their income together was much better than my mom’s alone so my stepdad agreed to help as well (Thanks mom and Sal!). My mom thought I gave up on the idea but I couldn’t. It was not only my effort but also my whole family's and I did not want to see it go in vain. I applied one more time next year secretly and the bank accepted although they gave me an insane interest rate 11.5%. I had to do what I had to do.

What I learned from my journey was:

1) You don’t need to worry about tuition from the start, but do need to think about your ability to afford it – for example if you have someone to cosign, if you have property in your home country that you can take a loan from there (my dad’s house wasn’t qualified for this) or if you and your family have enough savings to pay for school.

2) In the U.S, banks don’t care how much money you owe, they only care how much you own. I do believe what made a difference was the house. The bank evaluated that she owned a house and paid payment every month so she’s reliable. I was scared that she had mortgage loan, so bank would refuse. Everyone in America is in some sort of debt so debt is not a deal-breaker. If you are not in debt, banks won’t like you as much.

3) It will be easier when you have I-20. In order to have I-20, you will need to send school proof of finance. School doesn’t care where or who it comes from, so if you have a friend or family having about $100000 in bank account, you just need to ask them writing you a letter that they agree to sponsor. School will not hold it against the person. The person doesn’t have to give you the money. School only needs the letter to issue I-20 so you can take it to apply for loan. I suggest to ask local banks from your home country, who knows they may have a service that you and I don’t know about.

I always say that I have utter respect to all doctors going through this long difficult journey. That takes a lot of courage and commitment with no guarantee of ROI – Return of Investment. I also say that if I knew what I know now, I might give up from the beginning. If you feel like you don’t understand the steps, or some part is confusing, believe me, it’s a bless. Life will prepare you enough to take all the hardship. What you learn now will prepare you for next year, and what you learn next year will prepare you for a year after that. Life changes, and so do you. When I write this, I keep asking myself if I give out too much information and discourage someone. That is absolutely not my intention. I want to share information to encourage you to be practical and if you are facing what I faced years ago, knowing that you are not alone, and sooner or later, there will be a way out eventually.

Information is GOLD!

P.S. more questions? Please don't hesitate to share with me by sending a message at the bottom of the page or through our official facebook page

TOEFL 100 điểm

Hôm nọ có một bạn hỏi mình về học TOEFL như thế nào để đạt 100 điểm. Thiết nghĩ đây là bước đầu tiên trên hành trình vạn dặm nên khá quan trọng, vì vậy mình viết bài này hy vọng truyền thêm cảm hứng cho các bạn.

Tại sao phải đạt TOEFL 100đ? Vì đây là điều kiện đầu tiên để nộp đơn xin vào chương trình. Hầu như tất cả các trường nha có chương trình Advance Standing Program đều yêu cầu tối thiểu 94đ mới được nộp đơn, tuy nhiên dưới 100đ có rất ít cơ hội được gọi phỏng vấn. Tất cả các chương trình ASP đều là fast-paced program và bạn sẽ bắt đầu điều trị bệnh nhân chỉ vài tháng sau khi bắt đầu học. Ở CUDenver, bọn mình nhập học vào tháng 1, bắt đầu lên lâm sàng điều trị lẫn nhau vào tháng 3 và khoảng tháng 4,5 là bắt đầu điều trị bệnh nhân. Bởi vì nhịp độ quá nhanh nên bạn sẽ gặp rất nhiều khó khăn nếu không giao tiếp được, hơn nữa đây không phải là giao tiếp thông thường mà là giao tiếp chuyên môn giưã bạn và các bác sĩ khác, giữa bạn và thầy cô và quan trọng hơn là giữa bạn và bệnh nhân. Trường không có thời gian để chờ bạn học tiếng anh nên đương nhiên giao tiếp tốt là điều kiện đầu tiên cần có. Fact: 99.9% candidate nộp đơn xin vào trường đều có TOEFL từ 100 đến 120. Trung bình lớp mình là 109.

TOEFL 100 điểm tuy khó nhưng không phải impossible. Vậy mình đã học như thế nào? Trước hết xin hiểu rằng TOEFL là kỳ thi đánh giá kỹ năng. Nó không giống thi toán lý hoá nơi bạn học gì thì thi ra cái đó. Càng không giống thi văn sử điạ ở VN khi bạn có thể không hiểu gì nhưng nếu thuộc lòng thì vẫn đạt điểm cao. Thi kỹ năng đại loại như thi masterchef vậy, bạn chưa bao giờ nấu món đó, nhưng vì kỹ năng bạn tốt, bạn có thể dự đoán được cho bao nhiêu mắm muối thì vừa, hay nên cho thêm gì vào cho món ăn thơm hơn, bắt mắt hơn. Vậy làm sao để rèn kỹ năng? Cách duy nhất là nấu hàng ngày, nấu đủ thứ món chay mặn ngọt, nấu cả món Âu món Á để đề thi như thế nào thì cũng biết làm, có thể không đạt 10 thì cũng đạt 8. TOEFL cũng vậy, học trung tâm nào không quan trọng, học sách nào cũng không quan trọng nếu bạn không “sống” với nó hàng ngày và không tự luyện tập cho kỹ năng của mình tiến bộ lên.

Khi mình bắt đầu tìm hiểu về TOEFL, mình thi xếp lớp thử ở 1 trung tâm được gần 70đ. Điểm viết của mình không quá tệ, it´ nhất không quá sai lỗi ngữ pháp dù cách diễn đạt còn vụng. Điểm đọc cũng ổn vì mình thích đọc sách và đã tập đọc sách tiếng anh từ trước. Nhưng điểm nghe và nói cuả mình thì ôi thôi là tệ. Lúc đó nhìn điểm nói được đúng 13đ/30 mà cảm thấy nhục nhã với bản thân vì xưa giờ mình cũng gọi là tương đối khá av. Đó là năm cuối trường nha. Tốt nghiệp đại học mình quyết tâm học lại tiếng anh cho đàng hoàng. Lúc đó có trường CIE mở khoá học tiếng anh fulltime sáng chiều từ thứ 2 đến thứ 6 luôn để chuẩn bị cho các bạn đi du học. Học xong 1 khoá thì… hết tiền nhưng vì nói tiếng anh hàng ngày nên nhờ đó mình cảm thấy tự tin hơn. Đó là năm 2011. Sau đó là khoảng thời gian đi làm kiếm tiền để học anh văn. Không đi học được nên mình cố gắng mỗi ngày đọc báo tiếng anh. Đọc tin kinh tế chính trị xã hội thì không hiểu gì rồi, chỉ có đọc tin ngôi sao điện ảnh ca nhạc thì hiểu. Kệ đọc gì cũng được, quan trọng là hình thành thoí quen đọc tiếng anh cái đã. Rồi mình nghe nhạc tiếng anh mỗi ngày, không nghe nhạc tiếng việt. Coi tv chỉ coi kênh tiếng anh, rất ít coi kênh tiếng việt. Như vậy coi như luyện được 2 kỹ năng đọc và nghe. Đọc tốt, nghe tốt thì tự nhiên kỹ năng viết cũng khá lên nên mình tự nhủ chỉ cần tìm cách luyện thêm kỹ năng nói. Mình lên mạng, cũng xin tham gia các group chat này nọ để được nói tiếng anh. Lúc đó thèm nói tiếng anh lắm nên có cơ hội nào là chớp lấy. Lúc rảnh thì tự đọc to các đoạn văn và tự chỉnh phát âm của mình với trợ giúp của từ điển và google. Cứ đọc được một thời gian như vậy thì từ từ thấy miệng mình nó dẻo hơn 1 chút, nghe thuận tai hơn 1 chút.

Năm 2013, lúc này trong nhà có chuyện buồn, mình không còn gì ràng buộc với cuộc sống ở VN nên mình quyết tâm đầu tư vào việc học. Mình thi xếp lớp lần nữa được 90đ. Vậy là coi như sau 1.5 năm tự mày mò học mình tăng được hơn 20đ. Khi đó lên mạng đọc, mình thấy mọi người nói tăng lên đến 90đ thì dễ, chỉ cần luyện hàng ngày, trau dồi hàng ngày. Đọan đường từ 90 lên 100 mới là đoạn đường khó nhất. Ví như từ người không biết nấu ăn thành biết nấu ăn thì dễ, còn từ nấu ăn thành đầu bếp rồi bếp trưởng thì đòi hỏi rất nhiều công sức. Biết là vậy nên mình tự nhủ trước khi đi Mỹ thì thi thử 1 lần để biết mình đang đứng ở đâu, đạt điểm càng cao càng tốt sau này qua Mỹ định cư thì may ra mới lên được 100đ. Mình học 2 tháng ở Yola thì lại hết tiền học :D nhưng quan trọng nhất là sau khoá học mình nghĩ ra thêm được cách để tự luyện ở nhà. Phần nói vẫn là phần mình sợ nhất. Mình lên youtube lúc này mới phát hiện trên youtube và internet có nhiều clip câu hỏi mẫu theo kiểu TOEFL. Mình tìm tất cả các clip đó, tự timing canh thời gian 15s suy nghĩ, 45s trả lời như thi thật. Đến khi hết câu hỏi thì mình tự đặt câu hỏi cho mình luôn. Lái xe trên đường đến lúc dừng đèn đỏ thì hỏi vu vơ kiểu “Which color do you like more, red or green?” Đi ăn sáng cũng tự hỏi vu vư “Which one you like more, pho or banh mi?” Nghĩ lại khoảng thời gian đó chắc người xung quanh sợ mình lắm. Nhờ như vậy đến khi thi thật, đầu óc mình đã quen với việc suy nghĩ nhanh, tìm các lời giải thích đơn giản, dễ hiểu. Kỹ năng đọc thì mình vẫn duy trì đọc ha`ng ngày. Kỹ năng viết thì mình cũng tìm topic trên mạng rồi viết hàng ngày. Lúc đi học có lần cô giáo nói giám khảo thường chấm điểm cao nếu dùng idiom hay quotation hay những từ phức tạp. Thế là mình học từ vựng hàng ngày. Các bạn có thể tìm từ vựng hay dùng cho TOEFL trên mạng rất nhiều. Ngoài ra mình cố gắng học thuộc lòng các idiom hay quotation ngắn, dễ nhớ và dùng được cho nhiều hoàn cảnh. Ví dụ như câu “A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” Câu này có thể dùng cho nhiều topic kiểu TOEFL như “có nên khuyến khích thêm hoạt động ngoại khoá hay không”, “có nên xây thêm trung tâm thể thao ở trường hay không”, hay “ vai trò của bố mẹ trong việc học hành của con cái”… Nhờ vậy mà điểm viết của mình được 28đ lúc thi thật và tổng điểm của mình là 104đ, vượt quá sức mong đợi. Đó là cuối năm 2013.

Tóm gọn lại, mình nhấn mạnh vài điểm như sau:

- Trên 100 là hoàn toàn có thể

- Cố gắng rèn luyện từng kỹ năng – điều này cần thời gian dài chứ không phải cứ học vẹt một vài khóa rồi đi thi.

- Tìm hiểu thêm trên mạng - có rất nhiều lời khuyên hữu ích, nên tự chọn lọc cách học. nào hợp với mình

- Có goal cụ thể, không có đích nhắm rất khó để hy sinh thời gian vui thú bên bạn bè mà cắm đầu vào học.

(Mình hằng ngày đều mở website của trường mình muốn vào, đọc mòn website rồi tưởng tượng đến ngày mình đủ điều kiện để nộp đơn. Nhờ vậy mà vượt qua được thời gian 4 năm gian khổ. Mình còn download hình một người bạn trong ngày tốt nghiệp nha sĩ Mỹ làm hình nền điện thọai nữa cơ. Nói chung là thời gian đó lăn lộn dữ lắm :D )

National Board Dental Examination

Hôm nay đang ở giữa kỳ nghỉ nên mình tranh thủ viết một chút về kỳ thi NBDE và format mới sẽ áp dụng trong vài năm tới đây dưới tên gọi là INBDE.

NBDE là kỳ thi vô cùng quan trọng của bất cứ sinh viên nha khoa nào tại Mỹ. NBDE gồm có 2 phần - part 1 và part 2.

Part 1 thường được sinh viên nha khoa Mỹ thi vào khoảng cuối năm 1 hoặc năm 2, bao gồm những kiến thức khoa học cơ bản được chia thành 4 chủ đề lớn: Anatomic sciences, Biochemistry-Physiology, Microbiology-Pathology, Dental anatomy & Occlusion. Sau khi thi đậu Part 1, đến khoảng năm 4 sinh viên bắt đầu lục tục chuẩn bị cho Part 2. Part 2 thường gần với sinh viên nha khoa hơn vì thi kiến thức chuyên ngành, nên cảm giác học có vẻ nhẹ nhàng hơn. Nội dung Part 2 bao gồm Perio, Pros, Operative, Radiology, Oral Path, Pharmacology, Endo, Oral surgery, Ortho, Pedo. Sau khi đậu cả 2 phần thi thì sinh viên sẽ được quyền thi licensing vào giữa/cuối năm 4.

Vậy nếu chúng ta đang ở VN thì sẽ học như thế nào? Thứ nhất là tài liệu học. Bộ Dental Deck Part 1 và Part 2 được xem như “Bible” của sinh viên nha khoa ở đây. Tất cả các diễn đàn lớn nhỏ đều khuyến khích nên đọc qua Dental Deck ít nhất 2/3 lần trước khi thi. Dental Deck là 1 hộp gồm mấy ngàn card, chia thành nhiều chủ đề. Mỗi card sẽ có câu hỏi in mặt trước và câu trả lời cùng với kiến thức cần biết in mặt sau. Muốn mua DD, bạn chỉ cần search dentaldeck part 1/part 2 thì sẽ thấy ngay trang web. DD có 2 dạng online và paper card. Bạn có thể mua 1 hộp gửi về nếu thích dạng cầm giấy học, cũng có thể mua dạng online nếu ngại việc shipping về vn, và dạng này cũng tiện hơn vì đi đâu cũng học được (vì thật sự 1 hộp DD khá nặng, chắc cũng tầm hơn 5kg), hoặc mua cả 2 format. Ngoài ra có thể mua version cũ từ amazon/ebay... vì mỗi năm DD ra một version mới với vài thay đổi, nếu không có điều kiện mua version mới thì version cũ cũng không đến nỗi nào. Mình vừa thi 09/2017 và học version 2013/2014. Ngoài DD ra còn có thể học từ rất nhiều sách khác như Mosby, First Aid, Kaplan, ... hoặc học từ app như cracknbde, dental boards mastery... Mỗi một sách có cách viết khác nhau dù cùng chung chủ đề, nên tùy personal preference mà chọn thôi. Thứ hai là các lời khuyên, tips, review trên mạng. Khi còn ở VN mình hầu như không hề biết là thông tin về NBDE bao la trên mạng. Chỉ cần gõ NBDE vào google, bạn có ngay hàng ngàn thông tin hữu ích. Thông tin đầu tiên bạn cần đọc là từ ADA (mình sẽ post các link cuối bài viết). ADA có file pdf về tất cả những điều bạn cần biết để học và thi, cách apply như thế nào, format thi như thế nào... Ngoài ra studentdoctornetwork forum là 1 nguồn thông tin vô cùng to lớn không chỉ về NBDE mà còn về toefl, cách apply như thế nào, interview ra sao... Họ có riêng mục cho sv nha khoa và cho bác sỹ nước ngoài muốn học và làm việc tại Mỹ. Có 1 số blog khác trên mạng từ những bác sỹ đi trước viết về kinh nghiệm/trải nghiệm của mình cũng rất bổ ích. Mỗi người có cách học khác nhau, nên trải nghiệm cũng khác nhau. Càng đọc, càng tìm hiểu sẽ càng vỡ ra cách nào là tốt nhất cho bản thân mình.

Trải nghiệm của mình đối với kỳ thi này thì như thế này. Hồi mình học part 1, tiếng anh của mình chưa thật sự tốt lắm dù thi toefl có kết quả khá tốt, nên mình chật vật kinh khủng. Hồi năm 1 học giải phẫu ở trường thi có mỗi 5 điểm vừa đủ đậu mà bây giờ phải học thuộc lòng bằng tiếng anh thì học kiểu gì đây vì mình tệ nhất là học thuộc lòng. Học đến phần biochemistry thì khóc lên khóc xuống vì hầu như chữ nào cũng phải tra từ điển, mà học đến phần mới thì quên ngay phần cũ. Nói chung là one step forward, two steps back. Mình chia sẻ ở đây để các bạn thấy là you are not alone

:D Ngay đối với sinh viên mỹ part 1 cũng là 1 thử thách kinh hoàng. Nhưng các bạn thấy đó, mình vượt qua được thì mọi người cũng sẽ vượt qua được nếu thật sự đầu tư thời gian, công sức và tiền bạc. Đối với cách học của mình thì mình không thích DD, nên lúc thi part 1 đã give up và học sách khác, còn thi part 2 thì mình hầu như đọc rất ít. DD là dạng card nên đối với mình nó khá rời rạc. Mình cần học 1 cách có hệ thống, phần này link với phần kia như thế nào, nên lúc đó mình học First aid là chủ yếu dù nó không được highly recommend như những sách khác (lý do mình học vì sách này rẻ nhất trong các sách trên amazon :D). Ngoài ra mình học từ rất nhiều nguồn khác nhau trên mạng. Youtube is my greatest tutor. Mỗi phần chủ đề mà mình không thể nào hiểu/nhớ nổi, giả dụ như bệnh về gan, thận, đọc sách thì như tra tấn nhưng xem video chừng 15-30 phút sẽ nhớ dễ hơn rất nhiều. Hoặc đọc thấy chữ nào không hiểu, tra từ điển cũng không hiểu, đọc google/wikipedia cũng khó hiểu luôn thì vô youtube hầu như sẽ có 1,2 video giảng giải. Một trong những channel mình hay xem nhất là khanacademy. Chủ đề nào khó nhớ quá thì mình tự làm flashcard, hoặc vẽ biểu đồ, hoặc memory tree... nói chung 6 tháng học part 1 mình học từ trên bàn rồi xuống tới dưới đất, từ bảng đen phấn trắng đến tablet, đủ cách học và kiểu học.

Đối với part 2, mình không có nhiều lắm để chia sẻ với mọi người vì mình thi part 2 lúc đã vào học ở trường, và đã học phần lớn kiến thức từ trong trường nên mình hiểu concept tương đối dễ dàng hơn. Mình học trong khoảng 5 tuần, mỗi ngày học khoảng 2-3 tiếng, cũng có ngày không học vì đi học/làm bệnh nhân trong trường đã quá mệt. Mình hầu như không đọc DD vì quá chán và không đủ thời gian để đọc. Mình chủ yếu là học từ các app, làm các quiz và đọc câu trả lời để hiểu cách suy nghĩ của NBDE (mỗi bác sỹ sẽ có quan niệm khác nhau, ngay cả những thầy cô ở trường cũng sẽ có quan niệm khác với hội đồng ra đề thi nên cần phải hiểu quan điểm của hội đồng là gì để chọn cho đúng). Phần Patient management thì mình đọc từ Mosby, phần pharmacology học từ Tufl, Oral path học từ DD.

Viết nhanh về format mới INBDE. Hiện tại ADA đang muốn chuyển đổi format cũ part 1, part 2 thành 1 kỳ thi duy nhất gọi là INDBE. Họ đã nghiên cứu mấy năm nay, hiện đang cho thi thử trong 3 tháng từ 11/2017 - 1/2018. Sau 3 tháng họ sẽ đánh giá hiệu quả, chỉnh sửa, và đưa vào hoạt động sau 3,4 năm nữa. Như vậy trong thời gian sắp tới các bạn có khả năng thi INBDE chứ không phải part 1, part 2 nữa. Vừa rồi mình may mắn được offer đi thi thử, tùy theo kết quả mình thi ở mức độ nào mà sẽ được lãnh 300 đến 500 đô. Tất nhiên là mình chộp ngay cơ hội rồi haha. Phần Part 1 trước đây thì trong 7 tiếng, part 2 thi trong 10.5 tiếng (thi làm 2 ngày) thì nay INBDE thi trong 7.5 tiếng. Về mặt tâm lý, tiền bạc,... thì đều tốt hơn hẳn. Phần thi của mình thì không có nhiều câu hỏi về khoa học cơ bản như kiểu protein và lipid cấu tạo ra sao mà nó gần với part 2 hơn. Mình nghĩ là họ đánh giá sự hiểu biết về khoa học cơ bản dựa trên cách vận dụng chúng vào các vấn đề nha khoa. Nếu thật sự là vậy thì đây là điều rất tốt cho các bạn sau này vì sẽ nhẹ nhàng hơn rất nhiều. Tuy nhiên cần lưu ý là mỗi thí sinh đi thi có 1 set câu hỏi khác nhau. Ví dụ như hồi mình thi part 2, câu hỏi của mình rất ít các chủ đề nha khoa thông thường mà chủ yếu hỏi về thuốc và bệnh, ví dụ như hỏi thuốc Prostin E2 là để chữa bệnh lý gì, cơ chế tác dụng gì... hoặc hội chứng Sturge Weber thì như thế nào... Cũng trong ngày thi đó có 1 sinh viên cùng trường cũng đi thi nhưng câu hỏi toàn chủ đề về endo, pros, operative... Do đó có thể vừa rồi mình chỉ là may mắn không gặp câu hỏi về khoa học cơ bản.

Trong nội dung bài này mình khó có thể viết tất cả những điều cần biết về NBDE vì nếu viết hết thì nó quá dài chắc không ai đọc nổi. Hơn nữa thông tin trên mạng rất nhiều, bản thân mình không thể biết tất cả mọi thứ nên tốt nhất các bạn tìm hiểu thêm để chọn cách học phù hợp với bản thân.

Link quan trọng:

http://www.ada.org/en/jcnde/examinations/nbde-general-information

https://www.asdanet.org/index/dental-student-resources/tips-for-international-dental-students

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/nbde-exams-licensure-exams.155/

http://www.dentaldecks.com/

http://www.foreigntraineddentists.net/nbde.html

“PAY IT FORWARD “