ABGC Updates

I graduated from my genetic counseling program in mid-June 2024 and scheduled my ABGC Certified Genetic Counselor Examination for one of the last days in August. I was worried going into the summer, as I knew I’d only have around two months of studying time, and quite possibly even less because of two weeks of summer travel I had planned. Due to my timeline, I crammed studying into every waking minute, going as far as studying every day for endless hours in the weeks leading up to the test. I passed boards in August; however, I found myself exhausted — emotionally, mentally and physically — in the week after taking the exam, struggling to climb out of my burnout.

I hope you can learn from my experience and take steps to reduce burnout while studying for the ABGC CGC Exam. Following are a few steps that I either took or wish I would’ve taken.

4 Steps to Reduce Burnout While Studying for the CGC Exam

1. Make a study schedule, and be strategic

This is arguably the most important step of studying for boards. I had absolutely no idea where to start and felt like I was spending so much energy trying to figure it out. No matter the program you’re in or the resources that are available to you, making a schedule should be your first step.

I started by picking how many weeks I wanted to study. Most peers and mentors I had spoken with recommended six to 12 weeks, but do what feels best for you and your learning style. This can also be impacted by whether you are working full-time or not. I personally decided not to work until after boards, but I also studied with friends who were working, and we all passed.

Next, I separated my schedule by weeks (not days) so that I could decide what to study each day. I felt this was best because I could then pick what to cover each day, as long as I finished everything within the week it was “assigned.” This helped my studying as I was able to choose the topic I was interested in for that day instead of being forced to follow a more strict schedule.

Example of my first two weeks of studying:

Week 1: Cytogenetics, Aneuploidies, Imprinting, Del/Dup Conditions, Lab Techniques

Week 2: Prenatal and Carrier Screening

One important part of making your schedule is doing some self-reflection. Ask yourself these questions: What do I definitely not know right now? What topics did I struggle with in graduate school? What information do I feel confident about?

Personally, in graduate school, I struggled with memorization of conditions and their symptoms, so I knew that was going to be a topic I needed to expose myself to numerous times over my two-month study period (not something that I put in short-term memory one week before the test). On the other hand, I knew cancer genetics and conditions quite well and decided that was something I only needed to review a couple of times before sitting for boards. My advice to you is to take the time to reflect on which areas are your strengths and which areas you need to review more thoroughly. Study the areas you don’t feel as confident about in the beginning, so you get more exposure to those topics before you sit for the test.

2. What fills your cup?

Are you an introvert, ambivert or extrovert? What activities help fill your cup back up, give you rest or bring you the energy you need? Take the time to think about what activities you would enjoy doing while studying for boards. You just finished graduate school and should enjoy yourself! Do you want to start a new hobby, catch up with an old friend or spend time with family? I took time every Sunday before I started studying for the week to schedule out one or two activities that I could look forward to throughout the week and fill my cup back up after a long day of studying.

It’s just a fact that you are going to spend a lot of time studying over the next months, BUT that doesn’t mean you need to be miserable, and it doesn’t mean you can’t live a life you’re excited about.

3. Set boundaries with studying

Please do better than me, and make boundaries with how much and how often you are studying. Ask yourself these questions: How many hours do I want to study per day/week? Do I want to study on weekends? How many breaks do I give myself? Do I want to study by myself or with classmates?

By about three weeks into studying, I was at the point where every time I was with a friend or family member, I was reciting genetic conditions and symptoms in my head. I had a difficult time staying present because I let boards become my entire life. Once you make the boundaries that you feel are best for you, do your best to stick with them! As cliché as it sounds, we are all on our own journey and that applies to boards as well.

Another point I want to add is deciding if you want to study with a friend or study by yourself. I find that it can be easy to get caught up in comparison when studying with someone else. Setting a plan can remove the panicked thoughts of “they already know so much more than me” and “I must be behind with studying if they’ve already covered that material.” I found it the most helpful to start studying with friends after I had already studied by myself for a couple of weeks. In addition, I recommend going into a study session with a predetermined plan of what you are going to cover together or test each other on.

4. Maintain your perspective

You just finished two of the most intense and demanding years of schooling yet; it is okay to feel as if you’re not 100% ready to attack one last test. Decide what will be best for you, whether that’s taking it right after graduation or working for a bit and then taking it. Either way, your purpose and worth as a genetic counselor and human being has never and will never be defined by the result of a test. I’m wanting to repeat that again because it is so important (please repeat after me if you want to): “My purpose and worth as a genetic counselor and human being has never and will never be defined by the result of a test.” Please take a deep breath, give yourself grace and take care of yourself while you are studying!

To all who are reading this, I wish you the best of luck in both taking boards and in your career. You are going to be an incredible genetic counselor and impact the lives of so many patients.

Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash