BOARDS! Did you pass??

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hey, the results are in- did you pass? Hope everyone who responds did and if not well hopefully they made a mistake.. :):):):)

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Rock on. Congrats y'all.

Go scrounge up the old study guides in prep. for orals. :D
 
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I am very depressed. I took the rehab boards a few times and did not pass. I am practicing physician. I have a full time job as well as do some part time work. I took 2 weeks off to study? What am I doing wrong? Those of you that passed please help. I took kessler course a few times did studied Braddom and Sara Cuchillo. Please advise me of what I did wrong. I am very frustrated and lost. Is the result more tough for repeat takers? does any know? Does anybody know about any CD's that help. I would very grateful for your help.
 
I am very depressed. I took the rehab boards a few times and did not pass. I am practicing physician. I have a full time job as well as do some part time work. I took 2 weeks off to study? What am I doing wrong? Those of you that passed please help. I took kessler course a few times did studied Braddom and Sara Cuchillo. Please advise me of what I did wrong. I am very frustrated and lost. Is the result more tough for repeat takers? does any know? Does anybody know about any CD's that help. I would very grateful for your help.

For the written boards we used a bunch of old questions collected from old residents when I was in residency. Try to hit up your old program for such materials and also try to get old SAE questions. I think AAPMR has some. Maybe cut back on PT job..take 3 months off to study..
 
I am very depressed. I took the rehab boards a few times and did not pass. I am practicing physician. I have a full time job as well as do some part time work. I took 2 weeks off to study? What am I doing wrong? Those of you that passed please help. I took kessler course a few times did studied Braddom and Sara Cuchillo. Please advise me of what I did wrong. I am very frustrated and lost. Is the result more tough for repeat takers? does any know? Does anybody know about any CD's that help. I would very grateful for your help.

The pass rate for repeat test takers is pretty poor. I don’t have the data for this year yet, but in 2008 only 32% of repeat candidates passed Part I (68% failed).

Nobody here knows exactly what you did wrong, but cramming 4 years of residency knowledge into 2 weeks before the exam can’t be a successful strategy. If you plan on taking the test next year, I think you need to establish a long-term study schedule. Since you just got your results back, mourn for a week or so, then start over. It may be challenging to find a small group to study with, so likely you’ll have to commit to studying solo. After getting home from work, study a little bit each night. Divide up your studying into core modules (SCI, TBI/Stroke, peds, EMG, MSK, amputee, etc.). Study each module for 1-2 weeks from whatever sources works for you – Cuccurullo, Secrets, Kessler review notes. IMHO, texts like Braddom or DeLisa should not be used as primary board study sources, however skimming tables in these books might prove to be high yield. Find old SAEs, past study guides from Archives, "old board questions" (if you can), and at the end of each module answer the questions (in a manner that simulates actual testing environment – timed, sit down, pencil/paper, no distractions) pertinent to that module. Look up the answers you get wrong. Budget time for study vacations – and don’t study or stress during those times. Go out and celebrate if you do well on a module. Drown your sorrows if you don't. If you do poorly on a given module, make sure you re-review at some point later on in your study schedule. As test time gets closer, do a general review, focusing on your weak modules . Get a good night’s sleep before exam day. Think positive thoughts. Don’t waste your money on review courses again – I think you’ve pretty much tapped that resource.
 
PASS!

See y'all in Minnesota! :)
 
For the written boards we used a bunch of old questions collected from old residents when I was in residency..

Yeah, this is totally not legal because everyone knows that the boards repeats questions, and some programs have these huge databases of questions and other program don't. Kind of sucks for those of us who don't have access to this illegal resource.
 
Thank you for you feedback. it is greatly appreciated.

does anybody know why the rate for repeat test takers is so poor? do they have an higher curve for them? is there anybody who will be taking the board first or repeat test takers? i want to set up a study session for couple weeks. I am willing to pay for room and board.

also how helpful are the archives? I have pretty much all the issues but really haven't had a chance to go thru them.

Which questions are helpful for practicing for the boards besides SA-E? are braddom questions any good?
 
I memorized Cuccurullo and pocketpedia inside and out. My residency does not have access to old test questions. I did do the SAE-Rs - not sure if it was that helpful but certainly made me aware of my weak areas.

rehabphysician, instead of paying for room and board you can probably use skype. My study partner and I used skype to study for the pain boards and it worked well.

You could also consider finding a residency program near you and see if you can attend their review sessions/lectures. I would also hope your residency would be helpful as well.



As far as I know, the curve is the same for repeat and first time takers.

The more challenging topics were topics that I had limited exposure to during fellowship - like Peds rehab, P&O, rehab pharmacology, etc.
 
where can I find a study partner for Part I for ABPmr? we could use skype for studying. anyone interested pls contact me via sdn mail. I could greatly appreciate it.
 
I haven't taken the boards yet, but I do know that you can get SAE-Rs from the acadeME section at aapmr.org.

For residents it's free (though they don't let you know that until checkout).
 
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where can I find a study partner for Part I for ABPmr? we could use skype for studying. anyone interested pls contact me via sdn mail. I could greatly appreciate it.
Hey, I am not in a position to give you suggestions on board exam because I am just applying for residency. But I want to enourage you--you can do anything if you are determined and work hard/smart for it!

Don't be discouraged! Just focus on study.
-Take two months off--that's very important if you have a hard time to focus.
-Go to the library to study--turn off iphone; resist the attempt to go to any forum or check emails.
-Know the key books very well--to an extent that you can close the book and repeat/draw most important information.

Then you will be able to score high in the real exam. Simple as that. All about self-discipline.

A good study partner is great. But if not, you still can do it on your own. I imagine it might be hard to find one near you.
 
Congrats to all that passed!

@rehabphysician: The rate for passing part one for repeat test takers is significantly lower than first time takers. I do not believe that the test is scored on any different curve. Likely the lower pass rate is due to a combination of factors. In general, people who do well on standardized tests do well on standardized tests, meaning that if you did well on your MCAT, USMLE/COMLEX, etc. you will do well on part 1. Definitely having a thorough understanding of the PMR material is the most important part to doing well on the test. However, other factors such as multiple choice test taking strategies also play a role. Many people don't know the answer outright to a multiple choice question, but they can effectively eliminate answers to improve their guessing. They might go back to previous questions to help answer current questions, etc. You might want to do some research into test taking strategies to improve your chances.

Also some people who struggle with these tests may have learning disabilities. You would be surprised at how many people can get through medical school with these that go unnoticed. If you think this might be the case for you, you should be evaluated. The board would most likely provide accommodations, perhaps in the way of more time for the test if you had a documented learning disability.

I agree with Ludicolo that 2 weeks is definitely not enough time to prepare, especially if you have failed in the past. I think the program he/she laid out would be great preparation.

@nleeds24: I would be very careful advertising the use of old exam questions. Our program definitely does not do this. The ABPMR has very strong statements against this, and can revoke certification or do other measures at any time before, during, or after the examination if someone is found in violation of their policies. Theoretically, everyone from your program found to use old exam questions could have their certification revoked. This seems pretty high stakes to me. It is also known that members from the ABPMR check out SDN.

@Nico47: I thought that you had to be a resident member of the AAPMR to get the SAEs for free, but I haven't checked it out for awhile. It sounds as though rehabphysician is not in residency so it might be more pricey.

The SAEs are written differently than board questions-same material but different question design process. Probably still the best bet for question practice though.
 
I still havent received my results. Any one else in the same situation? I went to the website and nothing either....
 
No results for me yet. :(
 
Would anyone be interested in studying for PartII?

If you did fairly well on step 1, you could potentially knock out step 2 in a month or less. Step 2 is more systems-based versus knowledge-based. Good luck!
 
The old Archives/new PMR journal study guides are REALLY helpfull for the oral portion, guys and gals.

The format is similar to what you can expect (question based).

It is helpful to study with someone, ie What would you do...
 
YES!!! D@MN^T. I am Extatic and cant contain my emotion. This is my 2nd time taking the test. First time around got careless... Anyway, feel free to PM for advice if you failed the 1st time around.
 
Congrats to all those who passed. I am taking the exam next August and I have some questions

1) My program is willing to pay for one of the four board review course(NYU, Baylor, Kessler and Univ Of Washington). Which course do you suggest I attend?

2) What is the ideal resource to use for the board review? I am considering reading Cuccurullo a few times and doing old questions.

Thanks
 
pocketpedia is the bible. enlarge it and annotate with cucurillo. every time you come across an old/high yield q underline in pocketpedia with red. last two weeks sit back and enjoy your nice annotated pocketpedia. this is what i did.
 
Agree with focusing your effort on Pocketpedia. Do all the intraining SAE Q's for the last 8-10 years. There are also questions in the Archives of PM&R. The more Q's the better. Everytime you do Q's try to review each one of them with the topics in Cucurullo and Pocketpedia. Last 2 weeks I only focused on doing Q's. I honestly didnt think Kessler was that useful.
 
I have heard the same thing about kessler from a few people. Maybe I will just go to Houston and atleast enjoy the weather in March :D
 
Found out I passed too yesterday! :) I was so busy with my Pain Fellowship that started July, so it was hard to put time in July-Aug, but so glad it still worked out :)

I started studying seriously around November of my PGY-4 year, spending about 1-2 hours a night for at least 4 nights/week.

Basically, I used Cuccurullo as my main Bible. I first read all the parts with a "BOOK" icon next to it & made sure I understood and knew those COLD. I only read parts from Braddom and Delisa that I didn't fully understand from just reading Cucurrullo (e.g. Cardiac Rehab).

I then went through the SAE study guide and previous SAE questions (in preparation for the January SAE) and if there were any basic concepts I missed I wrote them down on the Cuccurullo.

While my residency had an excellent didactic curriculum in SCI, Anatomy/MSK, EMG, Gait, and P&O, I felt I needed to hear good lectures on the other topics like Neuromuscular Diseases, Pediatrics, and TBI/Stroke. So in March, I attended the Kessler Review Course and actually found the course to be VERY helpful in putting all the 3 years of weekly residency lectures together. I also thought some of the lecture slides (SCI, EMG, Cardiac, etc.) were very helpful to review again later.

I spent April studying hard for the AANEM SAE in May, and luckily had some EMG faculty who answered my questions on concepts I didn't understand, so I felt I knew my EMG well by then.

In June, I also met up with a Prosthetist/Orthotist that worked with us in our rotations (as I felt the P&O stuff wasn't intuitive for me) and he was willing to review all the equipment at this P&O shop with me and answer any questions I had (concepts I didn't understood or got wrong on SAE questions), which I found VERY helpful, too.

I never actually read Cuccurullo back to back, but I found myself just re-reading certain chapters/sections repeatedly until I didn't have to look it up anymore when I was thinking about those disorders (e.g., the different strokes, muscular dystrophies, rheumatological diseases, etc.)

It was tough balancing boards studying in July-Aug, because I had to also read and present regularly on Pain topics during my fellowship, but I spent those last 2 months mainly memorizing stuff on Cuccurullo that's easy to miss if you don't know it cold (Rancho levels, aphasias, GCS, Gait, Bladder innervations, etc.). Again any concept in Cuccurollo that has the BOOK ICON know it cold!

So overall my advice is to NOT CRAM for the board exam, but study a little bit here are there but consistently for several months and really take advantage of asking questions from your faculty, therapists, prosthetists/orthotists on concepts that you have a hard time understanding.

My current pain fellowship is in the anesthesia dept, but luckily I'm at the same institution as my Rehab residency, so I'll definitely be asking my old faculty, therapists, and prosthetists/orthotists for help in going over topics again as I prepare for the Orals this May!

Hope this advice helped!
 
Thank you for sharing! Very helpful tips!:thumbup:
Found out I passed too yesterday! :) I was so busy with my Pain Fellowship that started July, so it was hard to put time in July-Aug, but so glad it still worked out :)

I started studying seriously around November of my PGY-4 year, spending about 1-2 hours a night for at least 4 nights/week.

Basically, I used Cuccurullo as my main Bible. I first read all the parts with a "BOOK" icon next to it & made sure I understood and knew those COLD. I only read parts from Braddom and Delisa that I didn't fully understand from just reading Cucurrullo (e.g. Cardiac Rehab).

I then went through the SAE study guide and previous SAE questions (in preparation for the January SAE) and if there were any basic concepts I missed I wrote them down on the Cuccurullo.

While my residency had an excellent didactic curriculum in SCI, Anatomy/MSK, EMG, Gait, and P&O, I felt I needed to hear good lectures on the other topics like Neuromuscular Diseases, Pediatrics, and TBI/Stroke. So in March, I attended the Kessler Review Course and actually found the course to be VERY helpful in putting all the 3 years of weekly residency lectures together. I also thought some of the lecture slides (SCI, EMG, Cardiac, etc.) were very helpful to review again later.

I spent April studying hard for the AANEM SAE in May, and luckily had some EMG faculty who answered my questions on concepts I didn't understand, so I felt I knew my EMG well by then.

In June, I also met up with a Prosthetist/Orthotist that worked with us in our rotations (as I felt the P&O stuff wasn't intuitive for me) and he was willing to review all the equipment at this P&O shop with me and answer any questions I had (concepts I didn't understood or got wrong on SAE questions), which I found VERY helpful, too.

I never actually read Cuccurullo back to back, but I found myself just re-reading certain chapters/sections repeatedly until I didn't have to look it up anymore when I was thinking about those disorders (e.g., the different strokes, muscular dystrophies, rheumatological diseases, etc.)

It was tough balancing boards studying in July-Aug, because I had to also read and present regularly on Pain topics during my fellowship, but I spent those last 2 months mainly memorizing stuff on Cuccurullo that's easy to miss if you don't know it cold (Rancho levels, aphasias, GCS, Gait, Bladder innervations, etc.). Again any concept in Cuccurollo that has the BOOK ICON know it cold!

So overall my advice is to NOT CRAM for the board exam, but study a little bit here are there but consistently for several months and really take advantage of asking questions from your faculty, therapists, prosthetists/orthotists on concepts that you have a hard time understanding.

My current pain fellowship is in the anesthesia dept, but luckily I'm at the same institution as my Rehab residency, so I'll definitely be asking my old faculty, therapists, and prosthetists/orthotists for help in going over topics again as I prepare for the Orals this May!

Hope this advice helped!
 
I agree with the above tips for sure. Can't remember if I posted any tips last year after I finished my step 1. I recall the answer explanations for the SAE's had citations, so I would sometimes look those up if there was a high yield article out there. Certain areas I went to Braddom or a good review article to bone up (i.e. occ med).

I will say again that we are blessed in our specialty to have books like Cuccurullo and the Pocketpedia to use for references and board review. I just took my pain board exam today and it was... painful.
 
passed, I started really I think in Aprilish, basically used the 2001-2011 SAE questions, went over them like my main study source, then pocketpedia reviewed several times and very slowly, almost like memorizing, then glanced over Cuccurrullo sparingly and just didn't think it was that great, by doing the questions first, I got a pretty good handle on things that kept coming up, and focused on those as I read Cuccurrollo but skimmed over the other stuff, but I really liked pocketpedia, if it helps , my inservice SAE's were
pgy-2 5th percentile (took the exam cold , without prepping)
pgy-3 49th percentile
pgy-4-69th percentile

and passed the boards
 
I wouldn't go only by what you get on your intraining scores to determine whether you will pass your boards or not. Boards are written in a different way.
 
Did you just take the board exam? I thought the questions were very similar to the SAE questions and tested similar concepts, but you are right I guess about not relying on your scores for the inservice too much for gauging whether you will pass the boards, although my PD seemed to be very concerned about my inservice SAE scores
 
Would anyone be interested in studying for PartII?

Sure PM me.

I was told by a very smart co-resident that Secrets is pretty much all you have to know for the boards Step II.

As far as recs on what to study? I studied for 6 weeks, and did all the SAE-R's from the last 10 or so years twice, went through Cucrullo, Chow and some audio mp3's of some guy reviewing both books. (does anyone know who the MYSTERY guy is? It seems like he had a southern accent, and based on the fact that it was recorded on tapes atleast 7-8 yrs old?)
 
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Regarding review course, I took Baylor's course in 2009 and my best friend was in Seattle course the same week. Very similar, and many speakers flew back and forth to present in both. I though Baylor course was very good overall, some GREAT segments and some sort of dull lectures.

Any course is just a place to make you review, and you get out what you put in it. I made myself go, take notes and reviewed at night in my hotel room. If you will skip lectures and just go hang out with your buddies, save your $ and study at home.

PS if your residency/fellowship/job will not leave you alone to study, then by all means take the course. 8 days of uninterrupted time can be hard to come by and you don 't want to burn up vacation days. That was part of the allure for me.
 
YES!!! D@MN^T. I am Extatic and cant contain my emotion. This is my 2nd time taking the test. First time around got careless... Anyway, feel free to PM for advice if you failed the 1st time around.

The Baylor Course was a waste of money.The lectures by Braddom were interesting but thats about it. The stack of useless Powerpoints are great if you are short on firewood this winter. Some of the questions on the boards were impossible unless you have old TQs. I am sure every program has old TQs floating around. I personally think the non disclosure agreement is a joke. If residents are paying over a grand for a test they can at least make new questions. That way everyone is on equal ground.
I would avoid the Baylor review. The residents pay nothing and talk during the entire series of lectures. No consideration for people actually paying to attend.
 
The Baylor Course was a waste of money.

ive heard really good reviews about the kessler course. #1 choice over seattle and houston, however the weather will be perfect in houston that time of the year.
 
Hello. will anybody be taking PM&R boards part I in August 2012? I need a study partner and any advice would welcome as I am repeat exam taker.
 
If anyone goes to Baylor DO NOT pay extra for the PowerPoint handouts. Take the CD they give you and upload the PDFs to your iPad then take notes on the PDFs through Goodreader.
 
If anyone goes to Baylor DO NOT pay extra for the PowerPoint handouts. Take the CD they give you and upload the PDFs to your iPad then take notes on the PDFs through Goodreader.

$ recommendation

Which review course do people think was best?
 
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