I’m a recently certified genetic counseling graduate who just landed her first GC job (yay!). I remember how excited I was to finish my capstone and graduate, and how much hard work went into those tasks. So if that’s where you are now, celebrate and take a beat, you earned it! No, seriously — please take some time for yourself and celebrate all you’ve accomplished so far. It’s incredible.
If you are finding it difficult to relax, however, you’re not alone. I also remember the looming dread of the task that still lay ahead — passing the ABGC Board Exam. I’m not very far removed from the anxiety that comes with that preparation. It can be overwhelming and difficult to even figure out where to begin. Although there is no right answer, I hope that breaking down my approach and sharing my own experience and thought process will be helpful to some. Below, I’ve compiled some general tips to help you start preparing for the exam and some specific ones for studying general/pediatric conditions.
Tip 1: Pay attention to the ABGC Exam Content Outline
The Exam Content Outline released by ABGC breaks down the exam and tells you what to study for and what proportion of the exam each domain will cover. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of information there is to learn/review and get lost in the sauce. But keep referring back to the outline to remind yourself how much time is appropriate to spend on each topic. I printed a copy and annotated it to organize my study materials and make sure I was covering everything.
Pro tip: If you have PDF versions of the books mentioned on the ABGC Exam Reference List (available on the ABGC website), use command + F to search within them for the terms in the content outline (domain and subdomain headings + what’s listed within each). Those resources are where they’re pulling the testing questions from, so use them!
Tip 2: Decide where to start
Common advice is to begin by studying the topics you’re least familiar with or struggle with the most, because it gives you more time to get comfortable with the material. For me, that was genetic conditions. I graduated with a strong familiarity with many of them, but the exam requires you to know the details of each — inheritance, testing methodology, features, surveillance, etc. There was so much information to cover that they quickly became overwhelming to me, and I started studying them early on.
It’s important to narrow your list of conditions; it’s simply not possible to study every genetic condition you’ve ever heard of. After all, they’re only a small portion of the exam (at least according to the 2023 Content Outline). Don’t spend time studying super rare ones that came up in a single lecture or clinic case. Focus on ones that came up repeatedly in your training or that frequently appear on panels or are ruled out in a clinical setting, and make sure you’re covering each system (metabolics, neurology, cardiology, etc.).
Pro tip: Save taking the practice exams for later. I’ve heard people suggest the opposite and say to start using them early on, but there are only so many to be found. I think they’re the most useful as a tool to gauge areas for improvement once you’ve begun to get comfortable with the material as opposed to as a starting place.
Pro tip: Create stories to help you remember conditions. Pretty much everything about them is fair game — the gene, features, testing methodology, treatment/surveillance, etc. I found it very helpful to make up stories and scenarios that incorporated the essential information and helped it stay grouped in my head. Sometimes I had to try hard to come up with one; think about the name of the condition and the main features and ask yourself if they remind you of anything. Write down whatever weird story comes naturally and memorize it. It’s the only way I was able to keep all of the conditions straight in my head.
Pro tip: Draw pictures or sketch things out. For conditions that affect many different systems, it was helpful for me to draw a stick figure (I’m no artist) or something related to the name and edit it to characterize the condition. For example, for Bardet–Biedl syndrome, I drew a large beetle (central obesity) with Xs for eyes (retinitis pigmentosa), unique kidneys (kidney dysfunction) and lots of legs (polydactyly). I’d refer back to that image in my mind anytime I heard the name of the condition to quickly recall the key features.
Tip 3: Know thyself
At this point in our career, we have been successful students for many years and know how we learn and study best. Use this! Maybe you prefer flashcards, PowerPoints or spreadsheets to refer back to. Whatever they are, start working on them early and use them frequently. And don’t start from scratch — we all made lots of great study materials throughout grad school, so find those and adapt them to fit your current needs. It will help save precious time. This might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to become overwhelmed and forget some of the resources you’ve already put together. Staying organized helped me stay sane (barely).
If you study better in a group, set one up and start scheduling regular meetings. I’ve heard friends say this helps them hold themselves accountable and stay on schedule with the material. If you prefer to study alone (like me), make a schedule for yourself to cover all the topics by your exam date and then cultivate whatever study environment works best for you.
Tip 4: Be kind to yourself
Genetic counseling is a difficult field to get into and it’s made up of some of the most intelligent, organized and overachieving people I’ve ever met. If you’ve gotten far enough to begin preparing for this exam, then you’re probably a very impressive person. Give yourself credit for that! I know how easy it is to zero in on the next task and feed the need to feel prepared and on top of everything, but a brain experiencing burnout is basically useless when it comes to studying. Please take breaks! Eat good food. Spend time with loved ones. Touch grass. Devote an hour or two a day to that crochet project you’ve been working on or the show you’ve been really into. Try to enjoy the journey as best you can.
Cover photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash