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Absite 2008
Started by Celiac Plexus
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Agreed, not too bad. Although always could be better! What surprised me as a first year test taker was how broad the test was. I mean, you can study all the surgical stuff, but if you didn't pay attention in med school too, you would be in trouble. I was pulling stuff out from the preclinical years.
Thought that the test was tough for a first year like me. Too many critical care and ultra basic science questions that I had hard time remembering. Much of it not present in any review book.
So when does the result come out?
So when does the result come out?
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I thought the Absite Review was pretty good considering the breadth of the questions on the junior exam; also thought many of the equations were in that book as well. I was always a little confused by what 'basic sciences' mean, but now I get it. It's more critical care / physiology / GI hormone / endocrine surgery, not as much the cell biology stuff.
Memorizing Absite Review = good idea. Every word is game, including anatomy. Knowing how to interpret a Swan-Ganz and memorizing normal ranges = also a good idea (they didn't use them at my med school).
Memorizing Absite Review = good idea. Every word is game, including anatomy. Knowing how to interpret a Swan-Ganz and memorizing normal ranges = also a good idea (they didn't use them at my med school).
It seems I've forgotten everything I ever knew about gastrointestinal hormones. And now for my post-ABSITE celebration, I'm on call! Awesome.
I thought it was remarkably easy, and I'm a little concerned that the curve is going to be really tight! Any opinions from other PGY-2s?
Those are like the Kreb's cycle...you will have to memorize them every year, because its on every ABSITE and the ABS exam as well.😛
Agreed. Many repeats from last year. I actually looked at all the things I missed last year, attempting answer all of the things I screwed up. I reviewed them immediately before the test and ... yup, they were on the test.
We will see if it helps.
We will see if it helps.
i heard junior absite didnt have many repeats. what do u guys think
ok this is a stupid question but wtf.
remember that one about the XXXXXXXX with
PO2 = XXX
PCO2 = XX
pH = XXX
knee-jerk rxn is XXXX, but in real-life since XXXX is the problem, wouldnt you up the XXXX before going to XXXX?
remember that one about the XXXXXXXX with
PO2 = XXX
PCO2 = XX
pH = XXX
knee-jerk rxn is XXXX, but in real-life since XXXX is the problem, wouldnt you up the XXXX before going to XXXX?
A reminder:
Please do not post actual or even parts of questions from the ABSITE here. Every year the ABS contacts SDN and asks (ok, demands with threatening lawyerly letters) that these be removed for security and copyright purposes. They are serious about protecting their product.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Please do not post actual or even parts of questions from the ABSITE here. Every year the ABS contacts SDN and asks (ok, demands with threatening lawyerly letters) that these be removed for security and copyright purposes. They are serious about protecting their product.
Thanks for your cooperation.
I was prepared to fail miserably on this thing (I originally wanted to do ortho, so I didn't do much g surg rotations or reading in med school-now as an intern I constantly feel like I am learning things other people probably already know by this point). I was pleasantly surprised to find several questions in a field I am familiar with, as well as lots of topics we had covered in our board review sessions. Granted, I couldn't remember all the normal swan numbers (who uses those routinely anymore?). I at least remembered enough to lead in the right direction (I think). All the GI hormone stuff though, not a fricking clue on most of them.
It's probably just wishful thinking on my part, but I thought there were a LOT more basic science questions on the jr level exam this year than last year. Didn't see any repeats, either. Everyone in my class thought the test was much harder this year, too.
We'll see. I was post-call and exhausted for the test, and fell asleep about seven or eight times, so I'm sure my cognitive abilities weren't at their sharpest 🙁
We'll see. I was post-call and exhausted for the test, and fell asleep about seven or eight times, so I'm sure my cognitive abilities weren't at their sharpest 🙁
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I agree, lot of thinking required in each question
I disagree. Overthinking the questions is what usually got me in trouble. I noticed during our more organized ABSITE reviews that the interns had the ADVANTAGE of ignorance, and could do well on the test based on pure memorization, while the second years overthought the questions and ended up getting more questions wrong.
As for the test's content, I thought that it was about the same or maybe a little bit harder than last year: Around 100-150 questions that were sort-of layups, and then 75-125 questions that were difficult and separated the men from the boys.
As for the previous concern that the curve would be tight, I agree....most people will get those 150 gimme's right....
I thought it was much harder this year. There weren't very any repeats either.
No MEN questions, very few breast.
I THOUGHT I was prepared because I studied my weaknesses from last year extra hard, only to find out that they decided not to test us over them this year LOL.
I did well on it last year, I'm humbled and a little nervous this year. 😱
No MEN questions, very few breast.
I THOUGHT I was prepared because I studied my weaknesses from last year extra hard, only to find out that they decided not to test us over them this year LOL.
I did well on it last year, I'm humbled and a little nervous this year. 😱
Agree. I've done well the last two years, and took the junior exam as a lab resident this year and thought it was harder than the previous two
Ours was a lot harder. Lot's of vascular and critical care. If you didn't know your swan numbers, that's 10-15 questions wrong right off the bat. There was also a lot of ortho. It seems like these old surgeons are trying to make it as difficult as possible. The combined exam that everybody use to take is like a walk in the park compared to these new exams.😳
Just curious, and not trying to be critical, but how can a senior resident not know their swan numbers? Even if you don't actually use swans, the physiology is important.....
I also thought that this year's Jr. Level exam was more difficult than last years exam with very few repeats from previous years. Last years test had at least 100 repeats but this year's was more along the lines of 50-60. I don't know if I found it harder because as a second year I had less time to study or as a second year I am further removed from the basic science questions that we all could answer in medical school but probably got hosed on as the knowledge now is nothing more than useless trivia. Overall I'm not too worried. I don't know to many people who were asked about their ABSITE scores during the fellowship application process, and I don't know too many attendings who actually care.
Anyone feel differently?
Anyone feel differently?
As a first year, I thought the test was hard. There were really simple questions and really hard questions and ones that I did not know what the F#@! they were getting at. I LOVE renal physiology... but some of those questions were just a little bizzare. I THINK I know what they were getting at.... but why don't they just ASK!!!
I was totally surprised to see the ICU questions on there. Did NOT study the nml values. I thought I had it down... but by the end of that test I was second guessing everything!
Resp physiology was also hit pretty hard and unfortunately not a strength of mine!
HAPPY IT'S OVER!!!!
I was totally surprised to see the ICU questions on there. Did NOT study the nml values. I thought I had it down... but by the end of that test I was second guessing everything!
Resp physiology was also hit pretty hard and unfortunately not a strength of mine!
HAPPY IT'S OVER!!!!
N
njbmd
When I was in residency, up to the last two years, there was one test that we all took and there were plenty of repeats. This year, the residents at my institution seem to think that there were lots of repeats (I didn't have to take that exam but I have a more malignant one coming up).
I can tell you that for me, when they went from one exam to two, the first year that I took the senior-level exam was the worst year for me score-wise. Also this exam can be pretty nebulous for folks who start residency in July (with all of the stuff that you are learning) and then have to worry about the exam in January. It hits you around Thanksgiving that you have to do this exam and then the reading and prep seem overwhelming.
I hope everyone did well but remember, there always "next year" until you finish then there's oral and written boards. Oh joy!
I can tell you that for me, when they went from one exam to two, the first year that I took the senior-level exam was the worst year for me score-wise. Also this exam can be pretty nebulous for folks who start residency in July (with all of the stuff that you are learning) and then have to worry about the exam in January. It hits you around Thanksgiving that you have to do this exam and then the reading and prep seem overwhelming.
I hope everyone did well but remember, there always "next year" until you finish then there's oral and written boards. Oh joy!
I'm only a second year but my problem with the swan numbers was not being unfimilar with them or not understanding the physiology.
It was being too old school and knowing actual values and not really knowing the Indices.
They used to always give both CO and CI, this year they started only giving CI.
My personal use with swans has always been CO and regular SVR, with PA pressures (not means) and wedge. Always got those questions right on exams and counted them as gimmies (even last years absite swan questions were cake).
Thanks to not learning the normals for the indices I missed out on some of those gimmies.
Of course I think I winged it pretty well, but I did NOT know it like I should have and know that my score suffered.
Guess I'll have to start using the indices more. I know, I know the indices are always better becasue they take surface area into account but I have never NEEDED to learn them to get the benifit of a swan on my patients and the real numbers were always provided in the past on the exams.
It was being too old school and knowing actual values and not really knowing the Indices.
They used to always give both CO and CI, this year they started only giving CI.
My personal use with swans has always been CO and regular SVR, with PA pressures (not means) and wedge. Always got those questions right on exams and counted them as gimmies (even last years absite swan questions were cake).
Thanks to not learning the normals for the indices I missed out on some of those gimmies.
Of course I think I winged it pretty well, but I did NOT know it like I should have and know that my score suffered.
Guess I'll have to start using the indices more. I know, I know the indices are always better becasue they take surface area into account but I have never NEEDED to learn them to get the benifit of a swan on my patients and the real numbers were always provided in the past on the exams.
I knew the index for most thing but for whatever reason they would always give SVR instead of SVRI. I only memorized SVRI. Don't think it hurt too much but it was annoying. Why give some info as a index and others not?
the exam was difficult in some places
0like others said, SWAN numbers were HUGE!!! like 10-15q
luckily i did surg CC as my first rotation 2nd year and was pretty confident on those
you must know GI hormones, note to self, again . . .
and i missed some stupid anatomy questions, which is reprehensible
there were also some other q where i thought there were mult correct answers, just curious which one the exam q writer wanted
did well last year, shooting for 80%+ this year, well see at the end of feb!!!
0like others said, SWAN numbers were HUGE!!! like 10-15q
luckily i did surg CC as my first rotation 2nd year and was pretty confident on those
you must know GI hormones, note to self, again . . .
and i missed some stupid anatomy questions, which is reprehensible
there were also some other q where i thought there were mult correct answers, just curious which one the exam q writer wanted
did well last year, shooting for 80%+ this year, well see at the end of feb!!!
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I'm going through the fellowship process right now, and my inservice scores are on the front of my application. Every interview I have been to the interviewer has a cover sheet with my inservice scores prominently displayed, and interviewers have commented on them multiple times. It's my impression that they are very important in the fellowship process.
I think attendings only care if you did very poorly, or very well. For the vast majority of residents in the middle, you're probably right... they don't care.
Agree with the above...it was on all my fellowship applications and in some cases, repeatedly asked (ie, when programs had their own app in addition to the SSO app). And yes, they were occasionally asked about during interviews.
so whens the result coming
Dude...you just took it 3 weeks ago. Give it 6 weeks as I recall.
I know... it's killing, I say KILLING, me to not know. All I can do is think of the ?s I got wrong. ho hum...
Yeah... I heard a rumor that the ABSITE scores were important, but I stick to my guns that the intern score means little!! I will conquer next year!
Maybe it means little, but it's also arguably the easiest year to do well on the test, so........
B
Blade28
Agreed.
so finally its out....
Congrats to everyone who did well.
A beer (or two) to those who didn't.
A beer (or two) to those who didn't.
Pharmacy students have to score higher than surgical residents to do well. 😉
(why don't you change your title?)
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Your curve reflects your year. Either you were an intern last year and you are now being graded against other PGY-2s as well as lab residents (who have more time to study and also have one-three years more experience), or other people in the country at your level improved more than you did this year.
That said, I jumped quite a bit percentage wise this year while only answering correctly a very few number of questions more than last year. I am in the lab this year, so I am being graded against true PGY-2s as well, but I still can't quite put my finger on why the curve is so different this year.
Yeah, curve was weird... I went up only a few percentage points, but despite being compared to my new PGY level, percentile stayed the same. (I would have expected it to drop quite a bit!)
Best -- Chiefs.
Worst -- 3/4s.
Somewhere in the middle -- 1/2s.
The curve on the Chief level was much wider though, I thought, and it seemed to have shifted a bit to the right compared with my experience as a 3 and 4 taking the "Senior ABSITE."
Oh well... What do they say? 30th percentile is the supposed magic number?
Do the program directors have our scores?
