Board Certification in Psychiatry

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Ketamine123 said:
Mine looks the same, I worry because under "certification" it says not certified. I hope this doesnt matter.
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Mine too, I think it'll show that up until a day or two before results are posted.
 
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24blue8 said:
Thoughts from the Child exam: kind of a pointless exam.

Disturbingly little relevance or overlap with our
actual practice-- moreso than the general exam. Very, very few questions about actual medicine. Barely anything about neurology, physiology or neuroanatomy. Mostly a mashup of questions about irrelevant clinical screeners we don't do, will never do nor have we even seen in real life, multiple queries about HeadStart like programs, outcomes and "what comes next" for therapies we don't practice and will never refer a patient to.

I really can't understand how we've allowed our profession to be suckered by this ongoing educational ponzi scheme.

I spoke with several others who took the exam today or last year and they all had similar sentiments. What was the point?
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Congratulations to all those that passed!
A chapter closed behind us (and we should nail that door shut).

For future test takers: much of the psychopathology is straightforward and the medication questions can be answered reflexively. Those who don't pass are likely losing points in the over tested but less emphasized in clinical practice sections including psychological assessments, rating scales, settings/level of care and consultation (not what you think that word means) with schools and community No rating scale too obscure, no day program too unimportant, no clause in the laws establishing section 504 too uninteresting for the the test to ask.

If you are practicing non-lethal child and adolescent psychiatry, you will be able to quickly maneuver the clinical, psychopathology and 4 neurology tinted questions. Spend more time reviewing, memorizing and learning (even looking up for the first time ever in your life), the other topics.
 
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24blue8 said:
Congratulations to all those that passed!
A chapter closed behind us (and we should nail that door shut).

For future test takers: much of the psychopathology is straightforward and the medication questions can be answered reflexively. Those who don't pass are likely losing points in the over tested but less emphasized in clinical practice sections including psychological assessments, rating scales, settings/level of care and consultation (not what you think that word means) with schools and community No rating scale too obscure, no day program too unimportant, no clause in the laws establishing section 504 too uninteresting for the the test to ask.

If you are practicing non-lethal child and adolescent psychiatry, you will be able to quickly maneuver the clinical, psychopathology and 4 neurology tinted questions. Spend more time reviewing, memorizing and learning (even looking up for the first time ever in your life), the other topics.
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Thanks for this. I will be taking it next year *hopefully*. Do the question banks do a good job at testing these topics? What sources should I be using.
 
It looks like certification is starting to show up for some of the general psychiatry exam takers.
 
Just checked the portal for general psych and it has info about how to maintain my board certification, but doesn't say the score is officially released yet.
 
My score is up! Passed!! I scored about one SD above mean it looks like. Ill post more about how I studied this weekend if anyone lurking interested
 
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Passed with 1 SD above the mean!! congrats everyone!
 
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Passed! With room to spare. Looks like average was well above the passing score. K&S and BTB questions (no time to review lectures).

Update: I fell approximately one SD above passing. Thought I’d update as others are reporting this way for future test-takers to gauge amount of prep.
 
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Passed and am feeling so relieved! Such a nice gift to get 1 week before it's expected.
Passed with an above average score and did Kenny and Spiegel approx. 3 times (did it the third time only after the exam was rescheduled due to a hurricane) and 75% of BTB, doing the marked and incorrect questions a few times. Studied for 3 months. The exam is definitely doable for those reviewing for next year!
 
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Passed with a score about 2 standard deviations above the mean. I don’t know why I was ever worried about passing this test. I tend to test well, both on USMLEs and PRITEs. Still, I’ve been having nightmares about failing this thing for weeks, so I’m glad it’s finally over.

For anyone who cares, I literally just did Kenny and Spiegel. Went through all tests and vignettes once and then reviewed missed questions. I also bought psychiatry genius, but I did one test and hated the questions, so I didn’t use it after that. If you have a decent foundation, I think you’re wasting your money by paying for anything more than the Kenny and Spiegel book.
 
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Passed! So relieved.

The page took forever to load, btw, probably because everyone is trying to check their results.

Congrats to everyone else who passed, huge hugs to everyone who did not, and happy to help any way I can.
 
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lockian said:
Passed! So relieved.

The page took forever to load, btw, probably because everyone is trying to check their results.

Congrats to everyone else who passed, huge hugs to everyone who did not, and happy to help any way I can.
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More info: I passed by somewhere between 1 and 2 standard deviations above mean. I did Beat the Boards questions and watched their videos on things I did not know well. I also did K&S. I solidified my knowledgeable with lots of ANKI. Overall wish I had studied more but life had gotten in the way. Felt conflicted coming out — like, was this really easy or was I just tricked into thinking so?
 
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lockian said:
More info: I passed by somewhere between 1 and 2 standard deviations above mean. I did Beat the Boards questions and watched their videos on things I did not know well. I also did K&S. I solidified my knowledgeable with lots of ANKI. Overall wish I had studied more but life had gotten in the way. Felt conflicted coming out — like, was this really easy or was I just tricked into thinking so?
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Second these feelings.
 
I did BTB and board vitals because they were free. I also did Kenny and spiegel. The week prior to the exam I got free access to Rosh review and did about 50 questions , many concepts were tested on the exam. It’s an underrated tool.
 
Passed. Study 3-4 months scored 1 sd (and then some) above the mean. BTB x2 and KS x3. I watched most of the videos for BTB. Definitely would study decently hard for this exam. Not because you have to but because it’s the last exam you’ll have to.
 
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Passed!! Used mypsychboard and BTB. The exam was harder than I expected. Thank God!!
 
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lockian said:
Passed! So relieved.

The page took forever to load, btw, probably because everyone is trying to check their results.

Congrats to everyone else who passed, huge hugs to everyone who did not, and happy to help any way I can.
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Two SD above mean??!! Wow, seriously great job. Just going to take my one SD above mean and quietly exit the room now..lol in all seriousness you deserve it, great job!
 
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Scored well (2.5 SDs above) and finished with a lot of time to spare. Preparation method was a little overkill looking back. BTB (lectures twice through, and Qbank x 1 with incorrects repeated until I got them right), K&S x 3, and DSM casebook a few weeks before the exam that was pretty helpful. If I could do it again, BTB lectures once is plenty. K&S is great but the explanations are where it’s at, though I felt the isoteric neuro and other developmental stuff (Piaget, Erikson that most of us probably crammed) didn’t really show up on the actual exam anyway. Congrats to everyone who passed!!
 
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coyotelime said:
Scored well (2.5 SDs above) and finished with a lot of time to spare. Preparation method was a little overkill looking back. BTB (lectures twice through, and Qbank x 1 with incorrects repeated until I got them right), K&S x 3, and DSM casebook a few weeks before the exam that was pretty helpful. If I could do it again, BTB lectures once is plenty. K&S is great but the explanations are where it’s at, though I felt the isoteric neuro and other developmental stuff (Piaget, Erikson that most of us probably crammed) didn’t really show up on the actual exam anyway. Congrats to everyone who passed!!
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Wow, thats equivalent to roughly the 99th percentile or so? SDN has all the heavy hitters.
 
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Boarded! Used Kenny and Spiegel (x3) and True learn (got halfway through) Started around July with studying.
 
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PASSED (about 1 SD+), first time, after putting it off for year following residency. Only did 1 half-assed run of K&S spread out over a year and a half and reviewed those notes the last few days before the test. No online Q-banks. Finished with 4 hours to spare.

FWIW I'm a good but not a great test-taker. Just goes to show this exam is a joke! Glad I did not spend extra on Q-banks or stress the exam all that much. I'm thinking it was the learning in residency that did the trick here.

TAKE HOME: K&S is the test, read/learn well in residency
 
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What are we supposed to do as far as those courses and paying the fee now that were certified? This is like an alien language to me, lol
 
I feel like I studied too much for purposes of passing this exam, but I am still glad I studied because it was a good way to consolidate information from residency. Plus waiting three months for results feeling like I was cutting it super close would have been intolerable for me.
I would recommend just one source unless you are particularly weak in a given area (like neuro).
I would also recommend being clear on DSM5 criteria because they are really easy questions to get right once you have that information memorized.
 
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I also give a thumbs up to Kenny and Spiegel. I did their qbank twice through and a third time only for the questions I marked or previously missed and did about 1/2 of the board vitals qbank. I found Board Vitals good for their explanations of the questions (and all the incorrect answers) but the questions were more so-so. Didn't do any BTB because I figured I would get diminished returns on most of the lectures. Ultimately scored a 445 and came out of the test feeling that it was far easier than any PRITE.
 
DrAmazingishere said:
Two SD above mean??!! Wow, seriously great job. Just going to take my one SD above mean and quietly exit the room now..lol in all seriousness you deserve it, great job!
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Not 2, between 1 and 2.
 
What are the benefits of being board certified again?
 
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Boarded!! Used Kenny and spiegel which covered Neuro pretty well, beat the boards and MyPsychBoard which had the best quality vignettes.
 
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Techmed07 said:
What are the benefits of being board certified again?
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Prestige and some insurance requires it. Some employers are also requiring it now but a lot of psychiatrists work without board certificate.
 
Dr.MONO said:
Prestige and some insurance requires it. Some employers are also requiring it now but a lot of psychiatrists work without board certificate.
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Such expensive prestige.

The other thing is that with some places like State jobs where the pay schedules are standardized, you will get a pay increase based on board certification. Some of these jobs basically pay something like this:

Psychiatrist 1: board-eligible
Psychiatrist 2: board certified in general psychiatry
Psychiatrist 2 (forensic): board certified in general psychiatry and forensic psychiatry
Psychiatrist 2 (child and adolescent): board certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry

Pay:
Psychiatrist 1: $X
Psychiatrist 2: $(X + Y)
Psychiatrist 2 (forensic): $(X + Y + Z)
Psychiatrist 2 (child and adolescent): $(X + Y + W)

The variables can change based on the facility, location, and needs at the time.
 
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Passed also. These standardized tests are like all the others before I feel. Those with good test taking skills will perform better. Don’t worry about the SDs above or below - no one will know - just study and pass. I used Beat the Boards and Board Vitals. BV was pretty tough. I suck at these tests. Apparently I don’t know **** about sexual dysfunction, haha.
 
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Congratulations to all those who passed!!

I think SDN will skew to those that overprepare. Not to steal anyone's glory but I think in general anyone even completing a question bank once let alone 2x or 3x is going to pass. I think that's just because this is the generation of qbanks and accessible study materials. People shouldn't be surprised by these outcomes right?

I don't think the generations before us would ever think to graduate from residency, start a full time job and then still study for 3-4 months with actual effort and do question banks on repeat. They approached this differently.
 
Ketamine123 said:
Thanks for this. I will be taking it next year *hopefully*. Do the question banks do a good job at testing these topics? What sources should I be using.
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One commercial source (with a question bank) and old PRITE booklets will cover it. Look at all the psychosocial, practice, and systems questions in your bank and PRITE resources if this wasn't something emphasized in your program. The people I know who didn't pass didn't complete a Qbank due to life circumstances, fatigue or illness or unfortunately they underestimated the random BS on the test and didn't pass those sections. I don't know anyone who hasn't passed the psychopathology part.

I started my exam review and study plan the second week of August. I was surprised by my lack of motivation. As weird as this sounds, I enjoyed studying for exams during medical school and residency. Well, that spunky ambitious test taker is dead and buried. I was able to make my way through a little under half a Qbank, read through the PRITE booklets the days preceding, and the night before, I dusted off my stats review notes from the last exam because those are always 'gimme' points IMO. I passed. Not by a standard deviation but above the mean. A pass is a pass. I've done well on standardized, usmle tests and even the general adult boards with this similar approach. This is the lowest I've ever scored on anything I've ever done at a cubicle lined test center. You don't have to warn me twice- it's time to hang it up!

Starting to study earlier would've made a difference in my score but not in my level of confidence in practice. People I know used BTB, Board Vitals, Rosh Review. If your didactics weren't strong in neuroanatomy or neurology it's probably worth reviewing the sources you used for general adult boards. The test seemed very much like an old PRITE. So, you know how relevant that is to your everyday life...

For those who simply can not muster the strength to study for another test, the last test, for months or like it matter- you too can pass with a little focus, fear and repetition spread out over a couple of weeks.

Or, perhaps save the ulcer for something important and do a few question banks from now until next September. Good luck to all!
 
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Techmed07 said:
What are the benefits of being board certified again?
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It’s basically a racket but your options for work within an institutional or insurance based setting may be limited without it.
 
Passed general psychiatry boards as well! Happy to talk about my preparation.
What is everyone doing about the MOC? Article pathway or plan to take the test?

For those that did not pass, do as many questions as you can - prior PRITEs, question banks.
Discussion with colleagues may be helpful. Please feel free to reach out
 
PsychEpathic said:
Passed also. These standardized tests are like all the others before I feel. Those with good test taking skills will perform better. Don’t worry about the SDs above or below - no one will know - just study and pass. I used Beat the Boards and Board Vitals. BV was pretty tough. I suck at these tests. Apparently I don’t know **** about sexual dysfunction, haha.
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lol! that was my worst section too! I guess psychiatrists arent having those issues ; ).
 
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K+S was definitely enough to pass (making sure you're reading through all the answer explanations/taking notes on these). I did a few hundred boardvitals questions just because they were available to me for free for a while but definitely didn't need to do them. I probably could have studied 50% less and passed....passed by a very comfortable margin above the mean using just primarily K+S.
 
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Passed with flying colors!! Used many resources but the most I found helpful were Mypsychboard for clinical and video vignettes, K and S for neurology, and the PIPE exam by the American College of Psychiatrists!
 
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Hey, you can sign up for child boards as soon as you are certified in general psychiatry. You will have an option to do so when you login to ABPN physician folio.
 
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