Dr. Neff writes in the preface, "I thought about what I had done to prepare for the Exam: two review courses, flashcards, a variety of texts. I realized, however, there is no source of information that tells you what the "wrong" answers are…what are the curveballs likely to be thrown at you during the exam." After realizing that he had done all he could have as a student in preparation for the exam, it became apparent  to Dr. Neff that the real problem was that he was merely memorizing material for the exam and not preparing for what will appear. Passing the General Surgery Oral Board Exam offers this to students by not only covering the concepts frequently addressed on the test, but it also includes the "common curveballs and strikeouts" to look out for – the unexpected problem or seemingly benign action (or inaction) that could result in a missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis (and thus in failure to pass the exam).