Breaking Boards Special Edition

Tips for the Days Before, Day Of, and Day after Your Exam

The classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021 shared the following tips for the days before, day-of, and days after your exam:

  • Pack your lunch the night before.
  • In the days before the exam, take a field trip to the exam site, note how long it takes you to get there, plan where you will park, then treat yourself with ice cream!
  • Call ahead and learn if your sites provide white paper or a white board to use during the exam.
  • Let the only unexpected thing on the day of the exam be the questions on the exam.
  • Do what feels right for you in the last days of studying. If that means taking a five-day break or casually reviewing your notes the night before the exam, then do it! Don’t feel guilty for doing or not doing whatever your classmates are doing. Just make sure you leave time to sleep!
  • Hang up sticky notes with random facts around your apartment. It helps you remember better if you can locate them in your mind (oh yeah, I remember the answer to this question is on my fridge!).
  • The week or two before the test, my roommate and I found it really helpful to study verbally together – helps with the nerves but also makes it productive! Make sure to treat yourself the day after the test!
  • Practice going to bed early and waking up early the week before the exam.
  • Compile a list of “takeaways” (important things that you tend to forget), no more than a page long and study that only the day before the exam. Then, go see a movie or another activity that clears your mind. Don’t over study the day before!
  • On the day of exam leave early and account for traffic and parking time.
  • During exam breaks, sit in the car by yourself and call a friend.
  • Plan to be nervous when you sit down to start the test. That way when it happens, you can be like “Oh, I expected this feeling” instead of panicking. Then take a few deep breaths before settling into the questions.
  • After the test was finished, I expected to feel the happiest I have ever felt. Instead, myself and many of my classmates just felt tired and kind of down. Like emotionally depleted. So if you feel that way, you are not alone, just give it a few days to adjust to how great life is post-boards.
  • After the exam, it is totally normal to NOT feel like a weight is lifted right away as would be expected. Just keep your head up, you all are doing the best you can, and don’t forget that you go to OSU!
  • Breathe. It’s just a test

Helpful Apps

There is no shortage of mobile apps than can help you relieve stress and practice mindfulness or meditation techniques. A few popular apps include the Ohio State Wellness App, Meditation and Relaxation on Google Play and for Apple, Calm, Habit – Daily Tracker, and Headspace.

Other app ideas can be found at https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/13-of-the-best-apps-to-manage-stress.html

Free Campus Activities

OUABe Fit (Sponsored by the Ohio Union Activities Board)
Attend free virtual exercise classes – classes are located in Dance Room 1 of the Ohio Union lower level at 7:00 p.m.: Mondays: Yoga, Wednesdays: HIIT. The full calendar of free OUAB events (including virtual craft and cooking events) can be found at https://ouab.osu.edu/.

Be well Class of 2022! Boards are a challenging piece of the optometry school experience and we are here to help and to cheer you on!

A Message from the Dean

“I don’t know what it is, but you have it.” – Oprah Winfrey

Class of 2021, it’s NBEO Part I exam time! It’s hard for me to realize that you fresh-faced students, who I remember in my class from right out of your undergraduate education, are already taking that first step toward optometric practice. It’s as if my three-month-old grandson is suddenly headed to kindergarten. The time has flown by.

I know that next month’s examination looms large on your personal horizons. It’s a significant hurdle but also an important step forward for you. It takes you one step closer to the title of Doctor of Optometry. After that, the downhill tumble to the fourth year board exams and graduation with your OD degree will seem to happen even faster.

Unlike Oprah, I actually know what it is that you have. You have the academic history to have ended up at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. You have worked hard across five semesters of your optometric education. You acquire new clinical skills and capability every day. You have it when you study, when you get enough sleep, when you exercise, when you eat right, and when you encourage yourself and your classmates. You have it with each concept you refresh in your mind and each time you turn a physical or digital page of notes to learn the next topic.

You’re on the home stretch now. Take care of yourselves, and keep up your rational, intelligent preparation based on all you’ve learned. #buckeyesrulepartI

Stay Healthy In the Home Stretch

Here are a few easy health and wellness tips that can help you stay healthy and reduce stress in the days leading up to the exam:

Talk to someone: Conversations with friends, family, faculty, and staff can help you feel better! You can make an appointment with our embedded counselor Dr. Shawn Levstek via e-mail at levstek.4@osu.edu. Also, feel free to contact Jen Bennett if there’s anything you need at bennett.1075@osu.edu.

Tips for the Days Before, Day Of, and Day after Your Exam

The classes of 2019 and 2020 shared the following tips for the days before, day-of, and days after your exam:

  • Pack your lunch the night before.
  • In the days before the exam, take a field trip to the exam site, note how long it takes you to get there, plan where you will park, then treat yourself with ice cream!
  • Call ahead and learn if your site provides white paper or a white board to use during the exam.
  • Let the only unexpected thing on the day of the exam be the questions on the exam.
  • Do what feels right for you in the last days of studying. If that means taking a five-day break or casually reviewing your notes the night before the exam, then do it! Don’t feel guilty for doing or not doing whatever your classmates are doing. Just make sure you leave time to sleep!
  • Hang up sticky notes with random facts around your apartment. It helps you remember better if you can locate them in your mind (oh yeah, I remember the answer to this question is on my fridge!) haha!
  • Practice going to bed early and waking up early the week before the exam.
  • Compile a list of “takeaways” (important things that you tend to forget), no more than a page long and study that only the day before the exam. Then, go see a movie or another activity that clears your mind. Don’t over study the day before!
  • On the day of exam, leave early and account for traffic and parking time.
  • During exam breaks, sit in the car by yourself and call a friend.
  • Plan to be nervous when you sit down to start the test. That way when it happens, you can be like “Oh, I expected this feeling” instead of panicking. Then take a few deep breaths before settling into the questions.
  • After the test was finished, I expected to feel the happiest I have ever felt. Instead, myself and many of my classmates just felt tired and kind of down. Like emotionally depleted. So if you feel that way, you are not alone, just give it a few days to adjust to how great life is post boards.
  • Breathe. It’s just a test.