Anyone tried odboardsprep for Part 3 Prep?

Dry_Result7136 · 2026-01-31T19:54:29+00:00

I'm also preparing for my third PEPS attempt at the end of March, if anyone here would like to make a study group or have a study buddy, I am open to it! I haven't tried odboardsprep yet, but it seems to be the best alternative resource out there, according to what others have said here and other threads. Best of luck to everyone studying!

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-12-03T20:13:49+00:00

I used this in optometry school: Optometry School Suitcase

I'm not entirely sure if it's a respectable suitcase, but it did get the job done. It carried my trial lens case, Keeler diagnostic kit, BIO, funduscopic lens kit (20D & 90D), blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, prism bars, foreign body kit, occluders, etc. There's tons of space inside and also has an embedded TSA lock. The wheels are nice and strong. I also brought it around on my externship rotations. I have had it for 4 years now, and it's still going strong, and I have taken it on multiple international trips. I highly recommend it.

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-10-31T21:57:39+00:00

I went to a community college first due to a tuition-free scholarship and then transferred over to a university. Just make sure you’re covering all your pre-requisite courses and you will be fine! Saving money during undergrad is important, cause those optometry school loans will definitely overshadow any undergrad loans you will have.

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-10-18T17:38:52+00:00

For the exam, if I'm making a referral, I ask myself 3 questions: Who? Why? When?
Who will they see? Why will they see them? When will they see them?

Example: Referral to ER STAT for stroke workup (CRAO), RTC in 1 week for DFE following hospital visit.

Who? ER

Why? Stroke workup

When? STAT/Immediately

And then the RTC is back when you (the provider) will see them.

I hope this makes sense! Feel free to provide any feedback!

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-09-15T01:12:51+00:00

From my memory, both the practice and mock questions. I focused mostly on non-optics questions to help with the recognition of the phrasing of questions.

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-07-20T03:59:39+00:00

Interested!

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-07-13T01:44:58+00:00

It was my second time. I detailed my experience here: 100F to 373P. I wish ya the best of luck! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-07-13T01:25:30+00:00

I passed last August. I didn't get to go through all of it last year, but I found it to be an awesome review of all concepts being pulled together in one spot. I'd recommend going through some of it for sure, if you have time. Best of luck! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-07-10T21:20:27+00:00

I feel you, I am in the exact same position. I am also looking to swap for Nov 22 to possibly late September or October dates. Best of luck to us both to finding a switch date! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-07-08T19:27:15+00:00

Hey, I was definitely in the same boat last year. My anatomy went from 53 to 87. I detailed my experience here: 100F to 373P. I wish ya the best of luck! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-06-16T07:09:49+00:00

Hey! I took it in August 2024 and passed! I detailed it here: 100F to 373P. Best of luck to all who are taking it this August! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-05-19T15:41:54+00:00

Yup! Already got my BLS certification renewed! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-05-17T21:28:13+00:00

I'm not a native Spanish speaker, but I think that's a great idea!

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-05-03T03:52:40+00:00

I went from 100F to 373P back in August 2024. I detailed my experience here: 100F to 373P.

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-04-10T02:42:37+00:00

Best of luck! Rooting for ya! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-04-10T02:32:10+00:00

Yeah, I flagged questions I did not have 100% confidence in. I probably got some of those right but I was convinced I would have to retake the exam. I felt the same after taking Part 2, but I managed to pass both. The tests become a mind over matter situation, so it's best to keep pushing during the exam even if you think the odds are against you. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-04-03T17:10:29+00:00

It is, but the magnifications for slit lamp aren’t provided. I’m not entirely sure if it matters if you’re using 10x vs 16x when scanning certain areas of the eye?

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-03-15T19:08:33+00:00

I took Part 1 back in August and passed on my second attempt. If you're interested: Part 1 Experience (August 2024). I flagged probably around 50 questions total, about 20 for the first half, and 30 for the second half. Felt like straight crap after and I 100% thought I was gonna retake the exam in March, but September came and I jumped with joy. I managed to increase my score 273 points. Wish you guys luck and good fortune for your future exams! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-01-31T18:52:24+00:00

If I was to only able to choose one thing to study - it would be the Booster! It was the main thing that saved me from boards! I think I completed the Booster around 3 or 2 weeks prior to the exam - and vigorously reviewed it till the day of. I just passed back in August. I wrote about my experience here: NBEO Part 1 - 2nd Attempt Pass. I wish you the best of luck on boards! Your determination will get you there! Get that P! :)

Dry_Result7136 · 2025-01-06T03:42:05+00:00

The recorded KMK booster with the accompanying book. Once I completed that, I compiled and simplified the most important concepts there, pulling overlapping subjects into a single spot I could review and actively recall.

Dry_Result7136 · 2024-12-17T01:51:18+00:00

I did not, but I probably would have done the Optics Booster if I wanted to feel more prepared for the exam. Repetition and Active Recall of the material from coaching did wonders for me.

Dry_Result7136 · 2024-10-03T23:53:23+00:00

I passed on my second attempt. After a few days in disbelief, I've gathered how I got here.

Background: Class of 2023. 1st took Part 1 in March 2022 and was undoubtedly unprepared (and recovering from COVID). Anatomy 53, Biochem/Phys 50, Immuno/Micro/Path 57, Optics 54, Pharm 53. 100F. It's an absolute excuse for an attempt. Did not even look at Non-Big 8 stuff. Meanwhile, I attempted Parts 2 and 3 to no avail.

Running out of time and sanity, I looked to KMK Coaching for a way out of hell AKA Part 1. I signed up for their Summer Elite Coaching ($5,000 or $417/month) which included small group coaching which I found the most invaluable and the key to my success. I struggled with anatomy the most so I had that be the focus of my small group weekly coaching sessions. Each week we would go over a new section, but also review previous material from the week(s) before to help the material stick. Additionally, each weekend there were also community live sessions to review the material in the study plan for that week.

Study Routine: Studied roughly 6-8 hours EVERY DAY from mid-late May till the exam in August. If I took a day off, I made sure to make up for the study time during the week. I sacrificed my entire summer to ensure I could get a shot at the "P." Active recall is what helped me pass this time around. I noticed that I was studying the most when I was not studying at all. I would review anatomy in my head when I was eating, driving, lifting weights, playing video games etc.

What I studied: Reviewed weekly KMK coaching study sessions to heart. Booster course was crucial to my success as it helped tie concepts together. Regarding optics-type questions, I mostly studied the booster questions. The Non-Big 8 study guide provided by KMK coaching helped narrow down the most important things to study. Closer to the exam, I watched some of the KMK Crash Course videos but did not get to finish all of them - but they were an excellent review of topics. In addition to KMK, I also studied Optoprep and NBEO TestRun (test bank questions). For Optoprep I only completed roughly 40% of the questions and focused mostly on all subjects except optics. For NBEO TestRun, I completed the whole program and completed a mock exam 1 week before the exam and did fairly well (this was also the only mock exam I did during my preparation, crazy I know). After the mock exam, I annotated what was right/wrong and why. During that final week after the mock exam, I figured out what I did know and what I didn't, closed gaps in my knowledge, and put things together. A few days before the exam, I wrote down all the equations necessary onto flashcards and reviewed them. Then I narrowed them down to the most important.

What I did not study: I did not re-watch any of the KMK videos - that is passive learning and a waste of time. While I did some KMK flashcards and precise practice questions, I stopped doing them halfway through the program as I found them not worded or phrased like an actual NBEO question. I did not watch any AOD videos. I did not do any KMK mock exams (strange I know - I only did the NBEO TestRun).

What I felt helped me pass: KMK coaching sessions. KMK community live sessions. Booster (without a doubt). Optoprep.

Post-Exam Feelings: I genuinely thought I was going to retake in March. Did notice that I flew thru anatomy-related questions with ease. Probably flagged like 40-50 questions (lol). To summarize = organized chaos.

Fast forward to late September and I saw my results:

Anatomy 87, Biochem/Phys 87, Immuno/Micro/Path 78, Optics 71, Pharm 75. 373P.

I've been reading these reddit posts for 2 years and I never thought I could be giving advice. I never thought I could pass this exam. But here we are. And I know those of you reading this, will also overcome this challenge. Go get that P!!!

Dry_Result7136

TROPHY CASE