- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 28,059
- Reaction score
- 438
In case anyone is curious, I thought I would post a bit about my boards experience. Obviously I am not going to post any details about certain things, as I would be tracked down and autopsied whilst alive.
For those who don't know, path board exams take place in Tampa in an office complex attached to a large hotel (Intercontinental). Very convenient to the airport (10 minutes or less) and next to a large mall. If I had to go someplace for boards, it might as well be Tampa because flights are relatively cheaper and it's close to the airport. It was frigging hot though. Being a contrarian, I stayed at a different hotel and walked there. I don't think I saved any money, the boards offers you a slight (maybe 10-20%?) discount off the room rate, but since the hotel is expensive anyway, nearby hotels end up being similar costs. And nearby hotels have free breakfast which intercontinental does not.
The first process is the application. I believe you can apply for your boards date pretty early. The deadline is listed as January 1st the year of the exam (for the spring exam, it's different for the october exam). Almost everybody I think sends in their application a week or two before January first but in retrospect there was no reason to wait that long and I should have just done it in november.
Requirements
You can always visit www.abpath.org and there is a bulletin of information. The application is long and repetitive, you have to fill in lots of information. Most of it is about your training. How many months of Surg path, how many months of cytopath, etc etc. You have to estimate how many surg path cases you saw and how many cytology cases you saw, as well as how many bone marrow bx, FNA, and autopsies you performed. The only itemized list is for autopsies, which includes both the date of procedure and cause of death. You don't have to attach anything else or "prove" that you did them. I think it is basically up to your program director to certify that your list is accurate, but I am not entirely sure about this, some of it may be based on your ACGME log if you do those.
You also have to submit either a full medical license or a copy of your application for it. I didn't know I could get a license before finishing residency, but apparently I could and I did. At the time of the application I hadn't received it, but when I received my license two months later I mailed them a copy. For the application purposes all they needed was the copy of your license application.
They also make you pay a fee which I think was ~$2400 for AP and CP exams. It's more if you do them separately (like maybe $1800 for each). They also have rules which you should definitely read if you plan on trying this - it might not be allowed to take them separately in certain situations. I would take them both at the same time. Most people do.
After a couple of months (maybe up to 3-4) they sent me a letter saying my application was forwarded to a credentialling committee or something like that, and was awaiting approval. Then they assign you your date. Not everyone is on the same date - there is a 5-6 week window, currently from mid may to end of june, and your date could be any two days in that window, although they keep most people who are in the same residency program on the same date so you can share rooms or more likely not cheat and share answers with people who haven't taken it yet.
Exam days
My exam was wednesday-thursday, I flew in monday night because I'm a paranoid individual and the extra day was nice to have so that I could cram in peace without being bothered. Your opinion on this may vary. In terms of flying home, exam ends around 4-5pm so you might be able to get a flight home that evening. Otherwise go the next morning.
You get a detailed schedule on the website of what the exam is, as well as a list of things you can't bring (basically you can't bring anything unless you want to bring your own microscope or polarizer - you can't bring paper, pencils, pens, cellphones, calculators, cheat sheets, your favorite attending, etc).
AP exam was on day one, showed up at test center 7:30 or so, test started at 8am (I think). There was some introductory stuff and then the first section was all "written" questions. "Written" questions are multiple choice questions without any images. Something like, "All the following features are associated with Down Syndrome EXCEPT." There were no k-type questions on my exam. No short answer. No free form answer. All multiple choice, mostly 5 possible responses, sometimes less.
Second session was image based - all computer based images or diagrams. Then there was an associated multiple choice question. The images were either gross images, cytology images, histopath, and some other stuff like I think flow and molecular. This was the hardest part of the AP test (by far, I thought, particularly the cytology).
Third part was glass slides. 60 slides, divided into three boxes of 20 slides. Microscope had a 4x, 20x, and 40x. I missed having the 10x but whatever. Each slide had an associated multiple choice question, most of them were "This lesion is" (pick one of the following). Some assumed you knew what it was and asked a question, like what syndrome it was or what clinical features were associated. The vast majority of the slides were good quality - some crappy ones.
Fourth part was 16 virtual slides, 1 cytology and 15 surg path. They had a practice test on the abpath website which you should almost certainly try many times before you take the test. It's a virtual slide interface, similar to most but with some differences of course. The cytology slide was terrible. Most of the virtual slides were good quality.
Day 1 ended at 5pm. Day 2 started sometime around 8 or 9 am, all CP (if you were taking CP).
First part was all "written" questions, similar to the AP. No images. Questions like, "All of these bacteria are gram negative except"
Second part was image-based. Karyotypes, molecular data, gels, hematology smears and slides, micro images including surg path images of micro stuff. All images on the computer, no real slides or anything. Multiple choice questions.
Last part was the practical, lots of calculations, blood bank stuff like antibody panels. Still all multiple choice.
I can't actually remember the order that the CP tests were in, I might have switched the 2nd and 3rd parts.
The exam room itself has individual cubicles. Everyone has a computer, microscope, and paper and pen to write down stuff or do calculations. The computer has an online scientific calculator which works pretty well, you can also practice using it at abpath website.
Then you go home and assume you failed. I guess scores get mailed 6-8 weeks after the exam period ends.
In terms of studying, basically everything is fair game. The glass slides for the most part are not diagnostic dilemmas - either you know what it is or you don't. They don't show you something like an ADH/DCIS overlap and ask you to pick which one, or show you a prostate cancer and ask you if its 3+4 or 4+3. There are some difficult cases though that may have no right answer, you just have to take your best guess.
If I had to study over again, I would study more about gross pathology (like pictures of tumors, CNS malformations, etc). Would also pay more attention to stuff like risk factors for cancer or recurrence, WHO-book type stuff. But for AP the best preparation is to be a good resident during your training and pay attention, go to conferences, etc. A lot of the questions are based on more common stuff. For CP you just have to study a lot. You need to look at lots of images of micro and heme things so you don't miss easier questions, and know basic things. The Mais clinical compendium was very helpful, although obviously not comprehensive. Osler notes are sort of helpful for parts of the test, mostly for the CP portion (particular the non malignant heme stuff, micro). The bloodbankguy website is great, that has the osler notes on it. I would not take the test without heavily studying those notes.
Anything I missed? I will put this in a sticky or link to it. But those with experience, add other thoughts also.
For those who don't know, path board exams take place in Tampa in an office complex attached to a large hotel (Intercontinental). Very convenient to the airport (10 minutes or less) and next to a large mall. If I had to go someplace for boards, it might as well be Tampa because flights are relatively cheaper and it's close to the airport. It was frigging hot though. Being a contrarian, I stayed at a different hotel and walked there. I don't think I saved any money, the boards offers you a slight (maybe 10-20%?) discount off the room rate, but since the hotel is expensive anyway, nearby hotels end up being similar costs. And nearby hotels have free breakfast which intercontinental does not.
The first process is the application. I believe you can apply for your boards date pretty early. The deadline is listed as January 1st the year of the exam (for the spring exam, it's different for the october exam). Almost everybody I think sends in their application a week or two before January first but in retrospect there was no reason to wait that long and I should have just done it in november.
Requirements
You can always visit www.abpath.org and there is a bulletin of information. The application is long and repetitive, you have to fill in lots of information. Most of it is about your training. How many months of Surg path, how many months of cytopath, etc etc. You have to estimate how many surg path cases you saw and how many cytology cases you saw, as well as how many bone marrow bx, FNA, and autopsies you performed. The only itemized list is for autopsies, which includes both the date of procedure and cause of death. You don't have to attach anything else or "prove" that you did them. I think it is basically up to your program director to certify that your list is accurate, but I am not entirely sure about this, some of it may be based on your ACGME log if you do those.
You also have to submit either a full medical license or a copy of your application for it. I didn't know I could get a license before finishing residency, but apparently I could and I did. At the time of the application I hadn't received it, but when I received my license two months later I mailed them a copy. For the application purposes all they needed was the copy of your license application.
They also make you pay a fee which I think was ~$2400 for AP and CP exams. It's more if you do them separately (like maybe $1800 for each). They also have rules which you should definitely read if you plan on trying this - it might not be allowed to take them separately in certain situations. I would take them both at the same time. Most people do.
After a couple of months (maybe up to 3-4) they sent me a letter saying my application was forwarded to a credentialling committee or something like that, and was awaiting approval. Then they assign you your date. Not everyone is on the same date - there is a 5-6 week window, currently from mid may to end of june, and your date could be any two days in that window, although they keep most people who are in the same residency program on the same date so you can share rooms or more likely not cheat and share answers with people who haven't taken it yet.
Exam days
My exam was wednesday-thursday, I flew in monday night because I'm a paranoid individual and the extra day was nice to have so that I could cram in peace without being bothered. Your opinion on this may vary. In terms of flying home, exam ends around 4-5pm so you might be able to get a flight home that evening. Otherwise go the next morning.
You get a detailed schedule on the website of what the exam is, as well as a list of things you can't bring (basically you can't bring anything unless you want to bring your own microscope or polarizer - you can't bring paper, pencils, pens, cellphones, calculators, cheat sheets, your favorite attending, etc).
AP exam was on day one, showed up at test center 7:30 or so, test started at 8am (I think). There was some introductory stuff and then the first section was all "written" questions. "Written" questions are multiple choice questions without any images. Something like, "All the following features are associated with Down Syndrome EXCEPT." There were no k-type questions on my exam. No short answer. No free form answer. All multiple choice, mostly 5 possible responses, sometimes less.
Second session was image based - all computer based images or diagrams. Then there was an associated multiple choice question. The images were either gross images, cytology images, histopath, and some other stuff like I think flow and molecular. This was the hardest part of the AP test (by far, I thought, particularly the cytology).
Third part was glass slides. 60 slides, divided into three boxes of 20 slides. Microscope had a 4x, 20x, and 40x. I missed having the 10x but whatever. Each slide had an associated multiple choice question, most of them were "This lesion is" (pick one of the following). Some assumed you knew what it was and asked a question, like what syndrome it was or what clinical features were associated. The vast majority of the slides were good quality - some crappy ones.
Fourth part was 16 virtual slides, 1 cytology and 15 surg path. They had a practice test on the abpath website which you should almost certainly try many times before you take the test. It's a virtual slide interface, similar to most but with some differences of course. The cytology slide was terrible. Most of the virtual slides were good quality.
Day 1 ended at 5pm. Day 2 started sometime around 8 or 9 am, all CP (if you were taking CP).
First part was all "written" questions, similar to the AP. No images. Questions like, "All of these bacteria are gram negative except"
Second part was image-based. Karyotypes, molecular data, gels, hematology smears and slides, micro images including surg path images of micro stuff. All images on the computer, no real slides or anything. Multiple choice questions.
Last part was the practical, lots of calculations, blood bank stuff like antibody panels. Still all multiple choice.
I can't actually remember the order that the CP tests were in, I might have switched the 2nd and 3rd parts.
The exam room itself has individual cubicles. Everyone has a computer, microscope, and paper and pen to write down stuff or do calculations. The computer has an online scientific calculator which works pretty well, you can also practice using it at abpath website.
Then you go home and assume you failed. I guess scores get mailed 6-8 weeks after the exam period ends.
In terms of studying, basically everything is fair game. The glass slides for the most part are not diagnostic dilemmas - either you know what it is or you don't. They don't show you something like an ADH/DCIS overlap and ask you to pick which one, or show you a prostate cancer and ask you if its 3+4 or 4+3. There are some difficult cases though that may have no right answer, you just have to take your best guess.
If I had to study over again, I would study more about gross pathology (like pictures of tumors, CNS malformations, etc). Would also pay more attention to stuff like risk factors for cancer or recurrence, WHO-book type stuff. But for AP the best preparation is to be a good resident during your training and pay attention, go to conferences, etc. A lot of the questions are based on more common stuff. For CP you just have to study a lot. You need to look at lots of images of micro and heme things so you don't miss easier questions, and know basic things. The Mais clinical compendium was very helpful, although obviously not comprehensive. Osler notes are sort of helpful for parts of the test, mostly for the CP portion (particular the non malignant heme stuff, micro). The bloodbankguy website is great, that has the osler notes on it. I would not take the test without heavily studying those notes.
Anything I missed? I will put this in a sticky or link to it. But those with experience, add other thoughts also.
I hope to God I passed this stinking beast of a test. 
