How Hazar Amer Mastered NBME Exams (And You Can Too!)
- Dr. Yasmin abu seif
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Podcast Recap: BTalk with Dr. Amin & Hazar Amer
NBME exams. Just hearing the name can make any med student nervous. Is it just another school exam? Or something bigger? In this BTalk episode, Hazar Amer breaks it down so you can stop stressing and start studying smart.
In a recent "must-watch" episode of the BTalk podcast, Dr. Amin (Founder of Brocali) sat down with Hazar Amer, a top-performing medical student from An-Najah National University. Hazar cracked the code on NBME exams, using them not just to pass her university rotations, but to build a rock-solid foundation for the USMLE.
Watch the BTalk Episode: NBME Explained with Hazar Amer
What Exactly is the NBME?
Many students use "NBME" and "USMLE" interchangeably, but they are different.
The Organization: The NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners) is the organization that develops the exams.
The Big Exam: They create the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination), which is the test required for licensure in the USA.
The University Exams: They also create the Subject Exams (often called "Shelf Exams") used by medical schools worldwide (including An-Najah) to test students at the end of specific rotations like Surgery or Pediatrics.
Hazar’s Insight:
"The NBME writes the questions for your university exam AND the USMLE. If you study for one, you are automatically studying for the other. You don't need two separate brains."
Types of NBME Exams
During the session, Dr. Amin and Hazar broke down the three main types of NBME exams you will face:
1. Subject Exams ("Shelf Exams")
What they are: Final exams taken after a specific clinical rotation (e.g., Internal Medicine, OBGYN, Surgery).
Purpose: To grade your performance in that specific subject.
Hazar’s Tip: Don't treat these as just "local school exams." They are standardized globally. Scoring high here predicts high scores on Step 2 CK.
2. Self-Assessments (CBSSA)
What they are: These are "mock exams" you buy online (Forms 25-31).
Purpose: To predict your score. They tell you: "If you took the USMLE today, would you pass?"
When to take them: Hazar recommends taking these during your dedicated study period to track progress.
3. Comprehensive Exams (CBSE & CCSE)
What they are: Long, general exams often used by universities to decide if a student is ready to sit for the real USMLE.
Gatekeeper: Many schools won’t let you register for Step 1 until you pass.
The "Hazar Strategy" – How to Crush the NBME
The highlight of the podcast was Hazar’s "Dual-Study" method. Most students make the mistake of studying "for university" first and "for USMLE" later. Hazar combined them using Brocali.
Step 1: The "One-Resource" Rule
Hazar stopped using local university slides that were often outdated or too detailed. She used Brocali as her primary source.
Why? Brocali explains the mechanism of high-yield concepts (Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology) in a mix of Arabic and English.
The Benefit: She understood the complex medical logic faster in her native language, but learned the keywords in English—essential for the tricky NBME question style.
Step 2: Training for the Clinical Cases
NBME questions are famous for being "vignettes"—stories about a patient—rather than direct facts.
The Trap: Reading textbooks makes you feel smart but doesn't help you solve vignettes.
The Fix: Hazar used the Brocali Q-Bank daily. By solving USMLE-style questions for her university subjects, she was training her brain to think like the test-makers.
Step 3: Targeted "Shelf" Prep
When she had an Internal Medicine exam at An-Najah:
She opened Brocali.
She filtered for Internal Medicine.
She mastered that specific section.
Result: She aced her university exam and finished 60% of her USMLE Step 2 CK prep without extra effort..
Every top student has a system. Hazar’s system was Brocali.
Stop wasting hours flipping between outdated slides and confusing textbooks. With Brocali, you get everything you need in one place: clear lessons, USMLE-style questions, and a study method that actually works. Want to prep like Hazar and crush both your rotations and Step exams?
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