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A name-to-name flashcard trains recall of one mapping. Cards built around a class, with indication and adverse effect on the reverse, serve four of the six knowledge areas instead of one.
The default study tool for this exam, and it is usually built to answer a question the exam does not ask often enough.
The standard card, and its limit
Brand on the front, generic on the back. It trains one mapping in one direction.
That serves the generic and brand names knowledge area, which is one of six in a domain worth 28 scored questions. It does nothing for the other five.
A better card
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Generic name | Brand name, class, one indication, one common adverse effect |
| Class name | Three member drugs and the shared stem |
| A clinical situation | The class that treats it |
| A drug pair | Whether it is a duplication or an interaction, and why |
The last two are the ones almost nobody builds, and they are the ones that serve the duplication and interaction areas.
Flipping a card and thinking "yes, I knew that" is recognition. The exam asks you to produce the answer with four plausible options in front of you. Say the answer aloud before flipping, every time. If that feels tedious it is because it is the part that works.
Both directions
Generic to brand, and brand to generic. Questions use both, and a card deck drilled in one direction produces a candidate fluent in one direction.
How many
Fewer than you think, organized by class. Thirty classes with members and attributes is a smaller deck than 200 name pairs and answers more questions.
When to stop using them
Once you can place unfamiliar generics by their stem, cards have done their job. Move to questions, because the exam tests application under time pressure and cards do not train that at all.
What cards cannot do
Pace. Nothing about a flashcard deck prepares you for 90 questions in 110 minutes, and a candidate whose whole preparation is cards will meet the clock for the first time on the day.
Common questions
Are flashcards good for the PTCB exam?
For one of six Medications knowledge areas. Build them around classes and they serve four.
What should be on a better card?
Generic on the front; brand, class, one indication and one adverse effect on the back.
Should I drill both directions?
Yes. Questions use brand and generic interchangeably.
What is the trap with flashcards?
They flatter recognition. Say the answer aloud before flipping.
When should I stop?
When you can place unfamiliar generics by their stem. Then move to timed questions.