a comprehensive linear algebra final exam "cheat sheet": feel free to use!

7/30/20

oh old ap world reviews for the ap exam, how i don’t miss you

you pass your Paper 2 for HL English. 

This is some advice I’ve found online to help since I have my first practice paper 2 tomorrow. I’ll add some additional feedback in a week or so once my teacher grades and gives feedback. I’ve broken it down into generic tips as well as specific advice for those who don’t have the attention span of a goldfish like I do. 

Errors Committed in Integral Calculus Basis for a Review Guide

by Kissa P. Banawis | Benjamin D. Varela "Errors Committed in Integral Calculus: Basis for a Review Guide"

Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-1 , December 2020,

URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd37934.pdf

Paper URL : https://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/civil-engineering/37934/errors-committed-in-integral-calculus-basis-for-a-review-guide/kissa-p-banawis

callforpapersocialscience, ugcapprovedjournalsforsocialscience, socialsciencejournal

A handy guide about how I rank games in the overall category, and a reminder that the sound and graphic design boxes are purely subjective and will probably be removed later because I feel kinda meh on them.

Scores are delivered in whole numbers because screw that 1/2 or .75 bull.  All fractional scoring does is confuse readers and let journos pretend they calculated some exact science of fun

Comprehensive PANCE Resource Review

Updated: 12/02/2016

If you are reading this review, please understand that I wrote this with the intention of being informative, not discriminatory, chastising, or undermining. All of these resources have no doubt been the result of many long nights and lots of collaboration amongst writers, editors, and publishers and I fully respect that. That said, I hope that this review provides a comprehensive review of resources available online and print for students to use as a guide during clinical rotations, studying for the PANCE, or reviewing for the PANRE. Best of luck to you all and let me know if you have any comments to add below! Thanks for reading!

Online Vs. Print Reviews

Online Resources

Print (Book) Resources

Pros

Interactive

Provide personal performance feedback

Most provide videos, podcasts and other multimedia to enhance experience

Most include x-rays, EKGs, and colored images in high definition

Easy to take with you “on the go”

Never have to worry about internet connection

One-time purchase

Most contain great outlines, tables, or images

Cheaper costs

Cons

May have to repurchase subscription

Can be very costly upfront

Could require internet access

Info will likely be outdated by the time you recertify

Will often lack color images, often helpful for dermatology

Low resolution for x-rays

PANCE Review Books

In my personal opinion, all of these resources have their pros and cons. The perfect book would not only follow the NCCPA format but would be in order of highest percentage covered on the PANCE to least. Knowing that there are sections on the EORs and PANCE in surgery, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and infectious disease, I would definitely like my review to include these sections - something to consider before you decide on a purchase. No book is perfect and I hope that this review is somewhat comprehensive, giving you better insight into each as you make the decision of where to place your money. Ultimately, my goal is not to praise or critique one book over another, but to offer suggestions for improvement and highlight the best aspects of each.

Please keep in mind that these are meant to be REVIEW books and are not fully comprehensive (nor all inclusive). There may be topics on EORs, PACKRAT, and PANCE/PANRE that are not covered in these books. Most of these are great resources for EORs, but you should definitely supplement your studying with class notes, CURRENT, Harrison’s, UpToDate, and other major resources during clinical rotations and didactic.

Review

Pros

Cons

A Comprehensive Review for the Certification and Recertification of PAs

Babcock O’Connell

$50 New

Outline format: contains separate sections for OB/GYN, pediatrics, and surgery

Contains “highlights” for most diseases, including most commons

300 questions with explanations inside the book

650 online pre- and post-test questions: good mix of first, second, and third order questions, although not as difficult as actual PANCE questions

Up to date and considered the “gold standard” for EORs, PACKRAT, PANCE, and PANRE

Not detailed, cut & dry to the bones

Could use more photos (especially in color) and x-rays for orthopedics, gastroenterology, and pulmonology

No section for emergency medicine, pharmacology, or

Online questions were redundant, but helpful

With online quiz: (a) cannot save your progress, (b) does not give you feedback on your performance for each category, (c) no sources for question answers and not all answers as thorough  

Not recommended as only source of information for PANCE or EORs

Not accessible online (no PDF, iPad version)

PANCE Prep Pearls

Dwayne A. Williams

$60 New

Comprehensive - covers more detail than the AAPA/PAEA book above, but sometimes it’s a little overwhelming

Follows the NCCPA blueprint well

Great resource for EORs, though difficult to get through for PANCE unless you allot yourself adequate time

Contains clinical pearls for most conditions, mnemonics, and tables that help you remember challenging information and helps visual learners retain content

Highlights lots of buzzwords seen on exams

Includes brief physiology and pathophysiology and introduction to most subjects, which is not found in other texts

Provides online pediatric chapter

Contains basic pharmacology: MOA, side effects, and contraindications

Lots of photos, but no colored photos; many images look faded and detail in x-rays hard to determine even with arrows

Missing details in some areas for some diseases (especially infectious disease section, some areas in pulmonology, etc.)

Some diseases don’t have “gold standards” or “first line” diagnostic tests mentioned

Lots of underlined words, tons of medical abbreviations (excessive), and typos throughout

Very few diseases have any mention of stepwise therapy, second line treatments, treatments for pregnancy, etc.

Few areas that have dosing information or detailed information on drug toxicity

No questions provided with PPP book; have to purchase separate question book

No index at end (only online, but searchable)

Overlapping information in some areas

Does not contain a section for emergency medicine, pediatrics, or surgery in the printed version

Overall, felt that neurology, infectious disease, dermatology, psychiatry, and OBGYN were subpar in content

Not accessible online (no PDF, iPad version)

PA Board Review: Certification and Recertification

James Van Rhee

$43 New, Kindle version available

Simple outline format and concise with test taking techniques and multiple useful tables for studying

Questions at the end of each chapter for review (though not sufficient)

Skimpy outline, not recommended to be used as primary source of study material

Requires supplemental question book

Extremely basic in content, lacking depth of coverage

Physician Assistant Review Guide, 2e

David Paulk and Donna Agnew

$75 New

Only text with full color pages, photos, and illustrations

Includes over 1000+ review questions

System-based with sections in emergency medicine, oncology, infectious disease, pediatrics, women’s health, etc.

Great sections for EKG, pharmacology, radiology, and lab review

Breadth of topics unmatched and questions of varying length found to be appropriate

Not advised to use as primary resource

Not useful for students who wish to review quickly with limited time before an exam

Typos in questions and explanations

Davis’s PA Exam Review: Focused Review

Morton A. Diamond

$46 New

Features more questions in the book and on an attached CD-ROM

Adequate to be sole source of review

Contains Q&A after each chapter with excellent rationale following each

Money back guarantee

Considered disorganized by some because it lacks structure - not organized by organ system, but bundles all systems together to “mimic PANCE format”

Step Up to Medicine

Steven & Elizabeth Agabegi

$50 New

Great resource only for internal medicine

Concise, but complete

Very colorful and easy to annotate with lots of open space

Scattered with clinical pearls

Includes some CXRs, but not good coverage on EKGs, full color dermatology photos (though not abundant)

Specific for medical students - clerkship, shelf exams, and USMLE Step 2 Review

Not useful for OBGYN, psychiatry, pediatrics, family medicine, surgery, or emergency medicine; not detailed enough in these subject areas

Not meant to be sole review source

Not fully comprehensive of required PA student knowledge; should not be used as sole study/review guide

Does not include any information on drug dosing

Very long (about 500 pages) and difficult to finish cover-to-cover even in 8 weeks

Bullet point format

PANCE/PANRE Study Guide

Lauren Russo

$23.99 New, Kindle version available

Good for a quick review before your exam without all of the nitty gritty details

Also good if you have limited time to review anything at all (though might not get you a passing score if used alone)

Includes oncology, infectious disease, and health maintenance section

Very dry and bare to the bones in content; not in enough depth required for PANCE or EORs

Not recommended as sole study resource

Bullet point format without radiographs, skin lesions, EKGs, etc.

Content not provided in blueprint format (most to least %)

Does not include references

Physician Assistant Review, 4e

Patrick Auth

$76 New

Includes a chapter on preventative medicine

Includes 1,000+ practice questions

Content up to date and in great depth

Contains many typos and misinformation in the book

Kindle version does not give access to website with questions

Text in bullet point format and in some areas too dense

Physician Assistant Exam Review (Pearls of Wisdom), 5e

Daniel Thibodeau

Scott Plantz

$50 New

Includes 4,000+ review questions

Chapter on test taking strategies and health policy!

Review questions do not appropriately mimic PANCE style format

Not all questions are multiple choice and answers come in variable formats (lists, paragraphs, etc)

Answers to questions found immediately beneath questions - making it difficult not to look

Poor quality photos

PANCE Prep Review: PANCE Secrets Study Guide

Mometrix Media

$44 New

Includes practice questions

Organized in charts and gives reader space for note taking in margins

Content covered by organ system and by task area, including a section in infectious disease

Very concise - covers material in <200 pages

Lacks pharmacology section, EKGs, X-ray reading, etc.

Lacking in depth of coverage

Not recommended as primary study source

If there is one thing I learned about studying with additional resources, it’s that, too many can sometimes be hurtful rather than helpful. Stick with your budget and find the best resource you think will prepare you. I hope this review has served to better inform you of your available options.