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Nice score. Strong work.
Your PD will be bragging about it during application season
ABEM Written Board Scores 2020
Started by EMHopeful9012
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Nice score. Strong work.
Your PD will be bragging about it during application season
Why would you post this when two people before you just said they failed? ABEM is a joke in part because it does not select for self awareness when grading our boards.
Humblebrag.
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deleted813736
my bad didnt mean it like that. deleted
Keep your heads up guys. I was maybe a couple percentage points up from the minimum score. If you're already hired, it won't be a big deal. Just try a bit harder next time and I'm sure you'll ace it!
Passed, which is a relief. It’s meaningless, but is that two point score similar to our ites? Why bother telling us a number if they’re not going to tell us what it means?
Pretty arbitrary test, with a seemingly random cut off for passing. Find it irritating what they chose to test and not test, and it has little to do with what kind of doctor you’ll be.
Real life answer to about a third of the questions was call a specialist, transfer the patient, admit the patient. While it’s lovely to know the trivia they asked about, it’s not gonna cover your as$ if you’re wrong and you discharge the person based on the “right” answer without a discussion/2 minute phone call, or even if you choose the right treatment and some specialist cries foul because there is a bad outcome and everything would be fine “if only you had called.”
There’s lots of things that actually matter that aren’t addressed even a little bit.
Pretty arbitrary test, with a seemingly random cut off for passing. Find it irritating what they chose to test and not test, and it has little to do with what kind of doctor you’ll be.
Real life answer to about a third of the questions was call a specialist, transfer the patient, admit the patient. While it’s lovely to know the trivia they asked about, it’s not gonna cover your as$ if you’re wrong and you discharge the person based on the “right” answer without a discussion/2 minute phone call, or even if you choose the right treatment and some specialist cries foul because there is a bad outcome and everything would be fine “if only you had called.”
There’s lots of things that actually matter that aren’t addressed even a little bit.
Thanks for your encouragement. I really appreciate it. What did you guys do to prepare for it? I did all of Rosh, but I felt like I rushed through it. There was a period of time where I was doing 100 questions a day. I had an entire month between being credentialed and starting in early fall so I was able to put in 5-6 hrs a day. A month before the test my studying kinda dropped off in intensity due to starting work. Other than Rosh, did anyone use anything else that was helpful? Now that I have until November to study for it, I can pace it out a lot better. Any tips on how I should structure my studying?
I used Hippo EM and PEER 8. Both were helpful, Hippo EM has review lectures/videos with high yield points.
I did 1/2 Peer IX. I also did all of Rosh on tutor mode and went back and finished all the ones I did wrong again. I never liked Hippo because I get distracted trying to watch a lecture. Questions with explanations worked for me, but everyone is different.
Peer ix wasn’t terrible.
Do a fair amount of Rosh, and read full explanation if you’re wrong, unless it was just stupid/rushing when reading.
Skim if you get it right
Look for patterns in why you get things wrong, especially if your medical knowledge was sound: did you miss it because you skimmed and biffed a key line, because you inverted the answer choice, etc
Similarly look for topics you aren’t comfortable on. Read tintinallis on those sections to get better at em.
Find common foils and memorize the bs around those dx (e.g dendritic lesions in zoster opthalmicus, even though many cases are punctate lesions)
Buy a video lecture series from a reliable source like this one.
National Emergency Medicine Board Review - Center for Medical Education
Why Purchase the National Emergency Medicine Board Review Course Self Study Program? • The fact is that taking certifying or recertifying board examinations is a stressful experience. The sheer mass of information that needs to be reviewed in preparation for the exams is truly overwhelming...
Listen to and from work
Hang in there, I am so sorry for what you are going through, but I believe in your ability to pass next time! How representative was your Rosh predicted score? I also only did Rosh plus about 1/4 of the questions I got wrong. The Rosh projected score was 3 under my actual, and my R3 ITE was 2 under my actual. That said, I did not walk away feeling good about the exam, although I ended up passing comfortably. I felt like the format of the real deal was much different than Rosh which surprised me. I also had access to Hippo and Peer but did not use them. My friends said that Peer felt more representative of the actual ABEM test question style.
If I was in your situation I would take advantage of the time you have to solidify your knowledge base via hippo or other reading which will help with some of the trivia questions, re-do Rosh over summer/early fall, and I would also do PEER closer to the real thing. Being that you were soooo close, I would also consider the non-academic factors that could squeeze out a few more points too, like simulating the test length at home. I don't know about you, but my stamina wore out in the second half and I am sure I missed a couple as a result. Best of luck to you!
Thanks! I had all of September to study, so I burned through all the rosh questions. My ITE score in my senior year of residency was actually 78. Between October and half of November, i only studied the rosh questions I missed. I might have thought I had mastered the questions I got right when in fact I didn’t. Perhaps it has something to do with that. :/
To those who failed, this is just a test which much of it is just luck of the draw, and it isn't really indicative of your knowledge base or skillset as an EM physician. Just some stupid hoops we have to jump through. I know I ended up guessing on a bunch of questions.
I passed, but not by a whole lot. I did 50% of Rosh. Also went through the majority of the Crunch Time podcast through EMRAP while working out/running. I am a fellow this year, and while EM fellowships thankfully aren't that strenuous, I wasn't able to find much time to do what I needed to do.
I pretty much flunked the in service all four years in residency. My score was about what I expected.
Do they release "average" scores for all testers like they do for the ITE?
I passed, but not by a whole lot. I did 50% of Rosh. Also went through the majority of the Crunch Time podcast through EMRAP while working out/running. I am a fellow this year, and while EM fellowships thankfully aren't that strenuous, I wasn't able to find much time to do what I needed to do.
I pretty much flunked the in service all four years in residency. My score was about what I expected.
Do they release "average" scores for all testers like they do for the ITE?
To the two that mentioned they didn't pass I am so sorry. I can only imagine it does not feel good. Know that it doesn't reflect on your abilities as a physician and obviously as a person. I know some people who have failed the written and they are outstanding clinicians. You are so close to being there and next attempt should be all you need.
I know others are offering their advice and I'll give mine too: my strategy was basically to nail down the major concepts that will likely be tested and never miss those questions or concepts, and use flashcards for everything else. I did the entire 5,000 Rosh question bank through twice and I personally feel this is necessary to really cement not only the material but the question styles, which is equally as important. There is a ton of material you just won't remember, and for that stuff, I used Quizlet flashcards.
Every time I got a question or concept wrong in Rosh, or something weird you don't ever see (tox, environmental, rare diseases) or just some number you have to memorize, I made a flashcard. Quizlet is nice because all you really need is the free version and you can download the app on your phone and review it whenever. I made a basic text file and when I did Rosh questions, would make an entry in the text file that could then be automatically imported into Quizlet, and this allowed me to rapidly make tons of flashcards and then I would review them DAILY. This helped me immensely. By the time I took the test, all of the weird stuff I could never otherwise memorize, I had down. Of course, most of it didn't show up on my test, but if it did, I would have been ready.
At all times during prep (starting from very beginning of when I started Rosh) I only did timed random tests. Never did tutor. I always wanted to get the feel for how much time I had. With one month to go, I did timed random 150 question sets to most closely simulate the real test.
You guys got this. You can do it and I wish you all the best of luck for next time.
I know others are offering their advice and I'll give mine too: my strategy was basically to nail down the major concepts that will likely be tested and never miss those questions or concepts, and use flashcards for everything else. I did the entire 5,000 Rosh question bank through twice and I personally feel this is necessary to really cement not only the material but the question styles, which is equally as important. There is a ton of material you just won't remember, and for that stuff, I used Quizlet flashcards.
Every time I got a question or concept wrong in Rosh, or something weird you don't ever see (tox, environmental, rare diseases) or just some number you have to memorize, I made a flashcard. Quizlet is nice because all you really need is the free version and you can download the app on your phone and review it whenever. I made a basic text file and when I did Rosh questions, would make an entry in the text file that could then be automatically imported into Quizlet, and this allowed me to rapidly make tons of flashcards and then I would review them DAILY. This helped me immensely. By the time I took the test, all of the weird stuff I could never otherwise memorize, I had down. Of course, most of it didn't show up on my test, but if it did, I would have been ready.
At all times during prep (starting from very beginning of when I started Rosh) I only did timed random tests. Never did tutor. I always wanted to get the feel for how much time I had. With one month to go, I did timed random 150 question sets to most closely simulate the real test.
You guys got this. You can do it and I wish you all the best of luck for next time.
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deleted813736
looks pretty similar to previous years
You are right. 90% down from 92%. Not much of a difference. I was looking at the concert exam data.
To those who did not pass: It really sucks. I was in your place last year. Came out of the exam thinking I had passed, and failed by a point. It is a crushing feeling. I think I did 60% of Rosh last year and had an 'anticipated score' of 80 and scored a 76.
This year, I started doing Rosh in early September and completed the full q bank. I had more time, as I was not in a fellowship year. I made flashcards on Brainscape and used someone else's compiled flashcards from Hippo, Rosh and Peer. Also listened a bit to EMRAP Crunchtime on drives.
I came out of it this time thinking I did not do well again, but passed with a score in the 80's (expected score based on Rosh was the same).
Some things that helped me get through the last year:
-the exam isn't representative of how good a doctor you are. Believe it. Trust your training through your shifts.
-Employers don't care as long as you remain Board Eligible (which you'll have 5 years after residency to do). Just keep up with the CME/LLSA requirement for the year.
-Some of the hospitals I've worked at asked me in the applications if I had failed a board during credentialing. I shared that I had. No more questions were asked because I was still board eligible.
-I'm definitely available to chat/help anyone who failed in getting through this. Happy to share resources. Failing really sucks, but it will work out in the end. In the long run, it thankfully won't matter.
This year, I started doing Rosh in early September and completed the full q bank. I had more time, as I was not in a fellowship year. I made flashcards on Brainscape and used someone else's compiled flashcards from Hippo, Rosh and Peer. Also listened a bit to EMRAP Crunchtime on drives.
I came out of it this time thinking I did not do well again, but passed with a score in the 80's (expected score based on Rosh was the same).
Some things that helped me get through the last year:
-the exam isn't representative of how good a doctor you are. Believe it. Trust your training through your shifts.
-Employers don't care as long as you remain Board Eligible (which you'll have 5 years after residency to do). Just keep up with the CME/LLSA requirement for the year.
-Some of the hospitals I've worked at asked me in the applications if I had failed a board during credentialing. I shared that I had. No more questions were asked because I was still board eligible.
-I'm definitely available to chat/help anyone who failed in getting through this. Happy to share resources. Failing really sucks, but it will work out in the end. In the long run, it thankfully won't matter.
I used Rosh and Peer, got through all of PEER and about 70% of Rosh. I did do the National Emergency Medicine Board Review video course and thought it was very helpful to review all of the key info before the exam. It takes about 3-4 days if you watch it straight through but obviously can spread it out. Most of the presenters are pretty entertaining, which helps.
To echo what the posters above said. Its a test. Thats all. It doesn't define you as a doctor. I've struggled with written board exams forever. Just buckle down and get ready for it next time and you have plenty of board eligibility time left.
To echo what the posters above said. Its a test. Thats all. It doesn't define you as a doctor. I've struggled with written board exams forever. Just buckle down and get ready for it next time and you have plenty of board eligibility time left.
Same. 76 here. FML. Big blow to the gut.
Harry Manback
New Member
To everyone here who failed this exam... I feel you, I was in your shoes last year. I took it in 2019, the year they increased the passing score from 75 to 77 and I got a 76. I was absolutely crushed, I felt like I had done ample studying and I actually felt good when I left the exam. I was in fellowship at the time so I was fairly busy but still felt like I put in a ton of effort. I am a ***** on standardized tests, its a wonder I've gotten this far in life really. I did all of Rosh, I think my average was high 78 or 79 or something like that. I also did PEER. I went through all of the stages of grief I think, I was so disappointed. This year, thankfully, I passed and I say this only to provide some encouragement to those who didn't do as well as they had hoped. Just to let you know, I did all of Rosh again, I did PEER IX again, and I also did the Ohio ACEP course. I think that course put me over the top and gave me the extra tidbits I needed to pass. I have absolutely no financial stake in Ohio ACEP, I am not a member, and I have no conflicts of interest. I don't know much about the other courses, I think the point of this is less about Ohio ACEP and more about just doing a little more the second time around to put you over the top. Any of the courses are probably good, I chose that one, and I felt it filled in a lot of the gaps for me. I'm happy to answer any questions or help in any way I can. Good luck everyone
