Board exam scores

[greennature]

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Any idea about how the board exam scores are calculated? how many questions do you need to get right to pass?

Thanks

 

[deleted314957]

Are you familar with Santeria, the Obeah Man and the casting of chicken bones and/or entrails?

 

[zao275]

I think Farmer's Almanac has a way to figure out your board score, too. Something to do with the phase of the moon...

 

[GeoLeoX]

interestingly, the people who would know the most about how many questions needed to pass are the ones who have not passed. on the occasion of failing the boards the test-taker will receive a report that details their performance. for those of us who pass there is no information in the letter. i know someone who didn't pass, got the letter, and called the board for more information. i think they charge a fee if you want your test re-scored and may be able to tell which questions you missed.

 

[sohsie]

interestingly, the people who would know the most about how many questions needed to pass are the ones who have not passed. on the occasion of failing the boards the test-taker will receive a report that details their performance. for those of us who pass there is no information in the letter. i know someone who didn't pass, got the letter, and called the board for more information. i think they charge a fee if you want your test re-scored and may be able to tell which questions you missed.

I would be shocked if the ABP told people which questions they missed.

I saw someone's score report who failed. It lists a three digit score for each section, and I think 500 is passing. It resembled the RISE scoring method.

 

[KCShaw]

To clear this up once and for all, according to the annual ABPath newsletter (http://www.abpath.org/2010ABPExaminer.pdf), all of the 2009 ABP exams were graded using the criterion-referenced method. Some previous exams used the norm-referenced method. Or, more Farmer's Almanac and less Voodoo.

(Tongue-in-cheek out of the way, in looking up what those two methods mean, it SOUNDS like there is now a defined cut-off for pass/fail whereas before there was some element of "grading on a curve" -- so the exact same score might have once meant pass one year but fail another. But I have no reliable idea whether all questions count the same, or what max the total points per exam is. I've had several people try to convince me there are a few automatic-fail questions on every exam. From what I've seen and heard, 500 is passing -- I don't know anyone who claims to have received a letter saying they scored 620, but too bad they missed an auto-fail question. From the newsletter above, you can also see what the trend in pass-rates is -- you can also change the year to find previous year reports, and compile them all in a spreadsheet.)

 

[2121115]

To clear this up once and for all, according to the annual ABPath newsletter (http://www.abpath.org/2010ABPExaminer.pdf), all of the 2009 ABP exams were graded using the criterion-referenced method. Some previous exams used the norm-referenced method. Or, more Farmer's Almanac and less Voodoo.

(Tongue-in-cheek out of the way, in looking up what those two methods mean, it SOUNDS like there is now a defined cut-off for pass/fail whereas before there was some element of "grading on a curve" -- so the exact same score might have once meant pass one year but fail another. But I have no reliable idea whether all questions count the same, or what max the total points per exam is. I've had several people try to convince me there are a few automatic-fail questions on every exam. From what I've seen and heard, 500 is passing -- I don't know anyone who claims to have received a letter saying they scored 620, but too bad they missed an auto-fail question. From the newsletter above, you can also see what the trend in pass-rates is -- you can also change the year to find previous year reports, and compile them all in a spreadsheet.)

Automatic fail question? Damn.

 

[deleted314957]

Automatic fail question? Damn.

If they exist, I saw one way back in 1977 on the National Board Exam part 3. The situation was essentially : you are in the E.R. and see a 2 year old kid with a fever, rash and signs of meningeal irritation. Which is the most appropriate laboratory test? 1)CPK
2)LIVER PANEL
3)URINALYSIS
4) lumbar puncture.
5)none of the above.

 

[Patho2009]

I believe that the Board are scored in a way very similar to the USMLE.

 

[yaah]

"Automatic fail" question has to be a conspiracy theory. People will miss obvious questions just by reading them wrong or filling in the wrong answer.

There may be a defined cutoff for pass/fail but I doubt it is strictly the same from year to year.

 

[green mantis]

I'm not sure if getting your exam re-scored does much these days since it's mostly graded by a computer. It's probably just another money making scheme for the ABP. I know of at least 2 people that barely failed. Both decided to get their exams re-scored. I think it costs $50. It's a good deal if you end up passing & not that bad if you don't.


----- Antony

 

[KCShaw]

FWIW I'd be willing to wager large numbers of very good peanuts that the single question auto-fail hypothesis is little more than dark propaganda spread by way of subclinical paranoia. I've just heard otherwise rational people really seem to believe it.

In the real world there are auto-fail scenarios which can end lives and careers, sure, but exams with nothing but oodles of multi-choice questions really can't have that design and be effective, IMO. (Oral/practical exams with only a small handful of scenarios.. kinda another story.)

 

[lipomas]

FWIW I'd be willing to wager large numbers of very good peanuts that the single question auto-fail hypothesis is little more than dark propaganda spread by way of subclinical paranoia. I've just heard otherwise rational people really seem to believe it.

In the real world there are auto-fail scenarios which can end lives and careers, sure, but exams with nothing but oodles of multi-choice questions really can't have that design and be effective, IMO. (Oral/practical exams with only a small handful of scenarios.. kinda another story.)

But dark propanganda and paranoia have an odd way of turning into "proof" for certain individuals!