PRITE Exam Study...

[Doctor Bagel]

I think there is very little mentioned about the boards because who knows anything about them? They are still building that plane while it is flying. There have been so many changes; board prep companies have been soliciting my senior residents to write questions for gosh sakes.

“I know you haven’t actually taken the test, but do you think you could guess what it is like and write some board prep questions so we can sell them to residents and make money? We will pay you.”

Since the demise of the oral part II, they have attempted to include treatment planning skills and decision making into the computer test. The clinical vignettes have been an attempt to bridge this self-created gap, but the few graduates who have taken the test and the few attendings that have been involved find the vignettes very stilted and not very useful.

Boards or PRITE, you make a bunch of people take these things against their will and no one is likely to praise them.

So this explains why Board Vitals questions seem so bad. Say what you will about PRITE, the question quality was way higher than what I've seen with Board Vitals. My suspicions are that somebody randomly opens a book and creates a question.

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[slappy]

Easy now... my old program, it was like being a 2nd year all over again with mandatory electives to complete and plenty of on-service requirements that you're running alone.

Mandatory electives!

 

[whopper]

I've seen several bad bad bad board question books. Stick with the good ones. See the forum thread on preparing for the boards.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I've seen several bad bad bad board question books. Stick with the good ones. See the forum thread on preparing for the boards.

Unfortunately the forum thread is rather sparse. I think it would be great if people who passed in the past one to two years shared what worked for them in that thread. A lot of the thread seems to be about the orals, which is largely irrelevant these days, except for a few unlucky people.

Although page 2 of the thread has some useful content from 2013 takers.

 

[poppatlal]

i was wondering how now pgy2's performed on the exam during there intern year and also what percentile is considered okay for an intern. thanks

 

[splik]

they are getting rid of the percentile system so it's moot. no one cares how an intern does. many programs do not even have their interns do the PRITE.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Interns don't study for the prite. The prite is stupid. Supposedly it's to assess where you stand in training and is kinda correlated with board exam performance. I never studied for a prite and did ok. I didn't study for the board and did ok. So, maybe it is. On the other hand, I found the prite better written and more challenging than the board exam, which I envisioned being written by a bunch of toddlers locked in a room with a box of crayons given the quality of the questions I encountered.

 

[splik]

I dont think anyone should study for the PRITE. I think that it's almost cheating to do. It's supposed to give you a snapshot of how you do. Supposedly some people claim the intern year PRITE sets a baseline and you should improve year on year. However you won't be able to do this as next year's PRITE will be a radical departure (they have completely overhauled the topics with far more neuroscience and soft topics like systems based practice, professionalism and other such nonsense) that it won't be possible to do so. But all residents should I think be reading voraciously and trying to learn as much as possible. The PRITE is just one tool that can be used to guide and assess learning.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Some programs retain and distribute copies of previous prite exams for study, so really a good score means nothing.

 

[NickNaylor]

There's a "PRITE ninja study guide" created by some Loma Linda residents a few years ago floating around that our chiefs distributed to the residents in preparation for PRITE; I've taken part one but since I didn't use the review, I'm not sure how applicable it is to the material that I saw on the exam. It's intended to be used as a super high-yield guide to studying - you could easily review it a few days before the exam. It's ~100 or so pages, about half of which is an actual content outline with the other half essentially being reflex "here is a common question on past PRITEs" and "here is the answer."

Again, I have no idea how useful this is as I didn't use it to study beyond simply looking it over to see what kind of information was on it generally. I could post it if there are folks that are interested, but I've gotta believe that there are higher quality sources than this elsewhere if you're planning on actually studying.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

ninjaprite.com

 

[splik]

its not terribly useful. apparently the residents are updating it but as the PRITE has been completely updated for next year it any update will likely be obsolete. also it kinda defeats the purpose.

 

[NickNaylor]

ninjaprite.com

Oh nice, didn't realize it was posted online.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I dont think anyone should study for the PRITE. I think that it's almost cheating to do. It's supposed to give you a snapshot of how you do. Supposedly some people claim the intern year PRITE sets a baseline and you should improve year on year. However you won't be able to do this as next year's PRITE will be a radical departure (they have completely overhauled the topics with far more neuroscience and soft topics like systems based practice, professionalism and other such nonsense) that it won't be possible to do so. But all residents should I think be reading voraciously and trying to learn as much as possible. The PRITE is just one tool that can be used to guide and assess learning.

So here is my PRITE rant -- why is there no connection between PRITE and the board exam? Why don't the committees overlap in some way? It sounds like these changes, especially adding more neuroscience, will actually make the PRITE even less like the board exam.

 

[Shikima]

So here is my PRITE rant -- why is there no connection between PRITE and the board exam? Why don't the committees overlap in some way? It sounds like these changes, especially adding more neuroscience, will actually make the PRITE even less like the board exam.

Follow the money....

 

[splik]

So here is my PRITE rant -- why is there no connection between PRITE and the board exam? Why don't the committees overlap in some way? It sounds like these changes, especially adding more neuroscience, will actually make the PRITE even less like the board exam.

Yes... don't get me started..

The main issue has been that the ABPN are pretty tight lipped about what is on there. They have refused to let the PRITE Editorial Board know what their content even is so they are often relying on people who've recently taken the boards to tell them. The recent changes are partly in response to the ACGME Milestones Project and they have tried to map the PRITE content onto the Milestones. They have explored using video vignettes on the PRITE like on the boards, but I think it appears this is too cost-prohibitive at the moment.

 

[splik]

In fairness, other specialty board exams are even worse. The neurology RITE exam has no connection with the boards content at all

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Yes... don't get me started..

The main issue has been that the ABPN are pretty tight lipped about what is on there. They have refused to let the PRITE Editorial Board know what their content even is so they are often relying on people who've recently taken the boards to tell them. The recent changes are partly in response to the ACGME Milestones Project and they have tried to map the PRITE content onto the Milestones. They have explored using video vignettes on the PRITE like on the boards, but I think it appears this is too cost-prohibitive at the moment.

Argh, the ABPN should want us to be able to learn the content for their test so we can pass it. Presumably the content for their exam is related to us being better psychiatrists, which is the big overarching goal of this whole thing (theoretically anyway). Why keep it secret? Do other specialties have this separation between their in-service examinations and their board exams?

 

[masterofmonkeys]

Ok, so first thing, the ABPN are a bunch of crooks. RICO the lot of them and send them to the same prisons we send gangsters to. End of story. But, I've had the luck to work under attendings who help write the Boards as well as the PRITE. Unfortunately they're separate people, so the experiences can't be directly compared an contasted to. Also, this is hilarious to me, but the only people involved in ABPN who do anything functional (regardless of whether they do that job well or not) are the people who write the damn tests. They're also the only people who don't get paid. Insert Jackie Chan confusion line drawing here.

I haven't taken the boards yet but this person just started working on the committee about 2-3 years ago. Basically, the Boards are moving to a 'competence' standard in Psychiatry. The questions are supposed to be something that a reasonably competent psychiatrist practicing in the community can get right. They are actively getting rid of questions that only particularly well-read, or 'elite' psychiatrists would get correct. The test supposedly has a much much higher pass rate than it did even 5 years ago because of this.

On the other hand, the PRITE is supposed to be an accurate gauge of knowledge across a wider spectrum, both in years of training and in overall aptitude and knowledge base. So the PRITE HAS to cover a wider scope of material, and almost has to ask obscure questions to do so. The PRITE person also said that they had been overhauling the test for the last couple years. This year's test certainly felt a lot less stupid than when I first took it in 2009.

Also the board publishes a very thorough content outline of the test (as that attending loved to point out to us).

 

[splik]

Also the board publishes a very thorough content outline of the test (as that attending loved to point out to us).

yes buts its completely useless its primarily just a list of neurological and psychiatric disorders and drugs and therapies and investigations

 

[TXpsydoc]

saw the new ninja guide...wow it is much longer...the older one seemed much shorter and maybe worth getting for last minute cramming...i think it is based on old prite questions and it is an efficient way to cover the material

 

[FlowersFromTheSun]

So, at my program, they reimburse you for Step 3 only if you get a certain score on the PRITE. I'm on a single income in an expensive city so I really need the money. Is PRITE Ninja all there is?

 

[splik]

that is an outrageous abuse of the PRITE particular for interns! name and shame and challenge this terrible policy. PRITE ninja of fairly useless if you really have to prepare for the PRITE (which defeats the purpose) you could look over old PRITEs as they often repeat questions although bear in mind this is the first year of the new PRITE so the content is markedly different to reflect the ACGME milestones and this is the first year for testing DSM-5.

remember to tell applicants how much your program blows

 

[lilek22]

So my program is one that requires a certain percentile for interns or remediation. I won't be seeing any psychiatry till after the PRITE. I actually want to study for this. Other than ninjaprite what resources are there?

 

[splik]

well last year they got rid of the percentile score reporting because it was being abused in this way. i know that there was an uproar from program directors about this, but are they bringing that back? sounds like bs for interns to be put on remediation for not doing well on the PRITE when you might not have done psychiatry yet. are you sure that they have remediation for those who have not even done psychiatry yet? as mentioned above looking at old PRITEs is the best resource (your program should provide you with these otherwise they're even more malignant than it already sounds). Otherwise you might consider doing some reading! Kaplan and Sadock's synopsis of psychiatry is probably the best book (most of the questions are from there). You might also want to look at Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology.Please note that this year 1/3 of the questions are on neuroscience and neurology (mostly basic neuroscience) which is different. You should also be familiar with the changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5.

for applicants: remember to ask about this kind of thing. It is a massive red flag if programs are using PRITE scores in this way (particular as interns). We didn't even take the PRITE as interns at my program, and it only had implications if you did poorly as an R4 (as they'd be worried about you passing the boards) and even then, no remediation just devised a program of study to help you better prepare for the boards.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

So, at my program, they reimburse you for Step 3 only if you get a certain score on the PRITE. I'm on a single income in an expensive city so I really need the money. Is PRITE Ninja all there is?

Agree with splik--this is counter-productive: Think about it---if interns are cramming for PRITE--which shouldn't matter for interns except as a baseline assessment--they're not studying most of what they need to know for Step 3-which IS actually required for their career!

for applicants: remember to ask about this kind of thing. It is a massive red flag if programs are using PRITE scores in this way (particular as interns). We didn't even take the PRITE as interns at my program, and it only had implications if you did poorly as an R4 (as they'd be worried about you passing the boards) and even then, no remediation just devised a program of study to help you better prepare for the boards.

If it's full-on remediation--e.g. meetings with the Dean, paper trail on your "permanent record"-- that probably is a red flag--but make sure you know what they mean by "remediation", what it actually entails. A lot of programs have gotten quite frustrated with residents totally blowing off the PRITE as though it doesn't matter at all, not taking it seriously. Many programs have some sort of accountability structure in place to respond to resident performance on PRITE and intervene academically--e.g. analyze the weak areas, provide additional teaching or test practice, etc. Others try to incentivize good performance somehow (which seems to be what @FlowersFromTheSun is describing--though again, it seems counter-productive. Then again, how many programs reimburse for Step 3 at all?)

 

[milesed]

I never studied for a PRITE and just rushed through them as quickly as possible. They weren't really used by our program much besides handing them back later so we could see where our weaknesses might be. I did use them before my boards just to see what I needed to focus on. I don;t know if they helped much or not.

 

[jaymon]

Yeah, my program doesn't reimburse for step 3 so I would have been happy with that requirement. At least then I'd have a shot at getting my money for step 3 back.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[ara96]

My program is very big in PRITE. It is a criteria for wanting to moonlight and it is a criteria for promotion. You get in trouble with the department and your knowledge base is assessed via PRITE. It is also suppose to be a gauge for how you will do on Boards. What irritates me is that I'm a good clinician and a good test taker (my USMLE's were great). But I am doing horrible on Psychiatry and Behavioral Science questions in general. Is this is a clue that maybe Psychiatry is not my calling? I love my job and I love my patients but I'm bombing the PRITE no matter how much I study. This is in contrast to my shelf exams as a student and my whole medical career.

 

[splik]

maybe you're overthinking it? the questions are not written very well and if you overthink some things you might see how some other answer might fit. the question style is different from the boards. sorry your program is abusing PRITE scores on this way - you should fight against this, absolutely should not be used to determine moonlighting eligibility.

 

[FlowersFromTheSun]

that is an outrageous abuse of the PRITE particular for interns! name and shame and challenge this terrible policy. PRITE ninja of fairly useless if you really have to prepare for the PRITE (which defeats the purpose) you could look over old PRITEs as they often repeat questions although bear in mind this is the first year of the new PRITE so the content is markedly different to reflect the ACGME milestones and this is the first year for testing DSM-5.

remember to tell applicants how much your program blows

Don't worry. I'm going to make sure no applicants I meet are misled about my program like I was.

Agree with splik--this is counter-productive: Think about it---if interns are cramming for PRITE--which shouldn't matter for interns except as a baseline assessment--they're not studying most of what they need to know for Step 3-which IS actually required for their career!


If it's full-on remediation--e.g. meetings with the Dean, paper trail on your "permanent record"-- that probably is a red flag--but make sure you know what they mean by "remediation", what it actually entails. A lot of programs have gotten quite frustrated with residents totally blowing off the PRITE as though it doesn't matter at all, not taking it seriously. Many programs have some sort of accountability structure in place to respond to resident performance on PRITE and intervene academically--e.g. analyze the weak areas, provide additional teaching or test practice, etc. Others try to incentivize good performance somehow (which seems to be what @FlowersFromTheSun is describing--though again, it seems counter-productive. Then again, how many programs reimburse for Step 3 at all?)

I agree with you, OldPsychDoc. It's not a good use of our time to cram for this test that shouldn't matter and is known for being poorly designed. I was wrong about the reimbursement. They actually only give us about 28% of the cost of Step 3 back, and that's only if we score above a certain high percentile on the PRITE... as interns. Seems like a huge time sink for a small chance at a small pay off.