ABFAS CBPS Scoring and Feedback

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pod86

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Is there anywhere that says exactly what the ABFAS CBPS is looking for when it scores the exam? I've never had trouble with board exams in the past and passed everything no problem for Boards parts 1, 2, and 3. And during the in-training exams for ABFAS, I scored at least average to above in everything, so I don't know why the CBPS is giving me so much trouble, now.

Now that I'm taking the ABFAS CBPS, I seem to be encountering difficulty, but I have no real idea why. In most of the scenarios, I had a pretty confident idea of what was going on and treated accordingly, I had maybe one or two patients where I wasn't 100% sure of everything, but that shouldn't be enough to tank the score. My real problem is that I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Unfortunately, the official practice CBPS give no feedback, and are really only get you familiar with the system. I used Boards by Numbers to study and felt that I was ready, with very few things feeling unfamiliar, but I seem to have hit a brick wall.

One example is if a patient will require non-weightbearing after a surgical procedure, do you put the procedure and also non-weightbearing, or just the procedure? I never got a straight answer for this. The first time, I put non-weight bearing, and the second, I didn't but I don't know which was the right way to do it.

I think the best thing, would be for me to find some actual CBPS that give feedback, to tell me what precisely, it wants. I'm willing to pay for the practice exams, but unless it gives me feedback, I don't want to pay for hundreds of dollars for it.

Any general tips on the CBPS would be helpful, since no one I've talked to can actually tell me precisely how the scoring works.

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Good question. All of the other residents that I talked to while preparing for CBPS had the same questions and, as you point out, there are no real answers. When I did the Stryker board review course, one of the lecturers reached out to those he knew who helped write the test and he said that you lose points if you do something/omit something that harms the patient. So I guess that adding NWB with a procedure won't cause you to lose points, the worst it would do is not give you any points. But the potential exists to lose points if you don't add it. This is 3rd hand information, so I cant vouch as to the accuracy of the statement. The only tips I have for CBPS is that the in-training exam is a good predictor for the real one. It's a mystery that I don't have any good information on. Also, if you fail the exam or a portion of it, they won't tell you what you missed or won't let you appeal. Sorry, I don't understand the ABFAS boards very well either
 
Good question. All of the other residents that I talked to while preparing for CBPS had the same questions and, as you point out, there are no real answers. When I did the Stryker board review course, one of the lecturers reached out to those he knew who helped write the test and he said that you lose points if you do something/omit something that harms the patient. So I guess that adding NWB with a procedure won't cause you to lose points, the worst it would do is not give you any points. But the potential exists to lose points if you don't add it. This is 3rd hand information, so I cant vouch as to the accuracy of the statement. The only tips I have for CBPS is that the in-training exam is a good predictor for the real one. It's a mystery that I don't have any good information on. Also, if you fail the exam or a portion of it, they won't tell you what you missed or won't let you appeal. Sorry, I don't understand the ABFAS boards very well either

Thank you. Do you know of any practice tests that give feedback of what the the CBPS is looking for for answers?

Also, another question would be, does listing more than one procedure help or hurt? Say for a bunion, could you put both a base wedge osteotomy and a Lapidus as possible solutions, or should you only put the "better" of the two options?
 
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Thank you. Do you know of any practice tests that give feedback of what the the CBPS is looking for for answers?

Also, another question would be, does listing more than one procedure help or hurt? Say for a bunion, could you put both a base wedge osteotomy and a Lapidus as possible solutions, or should you only put the "better" of the two options?
I wish I could answer either of your questions. I don't know of any practice tests that provide feedback. I used Boards by Numbers in my residency, and as you know that doesn't provide feedback.
I honestly don't know if listing more than 1 procedure helps or hurts. My guess is that it probably doesn't hurt unless it's not a viable option and would cause harm to the patient. I don't know if you get extra points for listing multiple options, but I doubt it hurts
 
There is a website, where you can purchase access to practice CBPS questions. You can access the website here: http://board-master.com/
Few of my friends have used it for their preparation for the CBPS portion of the ABFAS exam. As a disclaimer, in no way am I endorsing this product.
 
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