Boards part 3 right after graduation?

[miamifeat]

Can boards part 3 be taken right after graduating from pod school? Or do we have to wait until we've completed at least a year of residency to take it?

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[heybrother]

You can take it right away. If you match in the state of Pennsylvania you must take it right away.

I recommend taking it. Its easy. Get it out of the way.

 

[NobodyDPM]

You can take it right away. If you match in the state of Pennsylvania you must take it right away.

I recommend taking it. Its easy. Get it out of the way.

100% agree with this.

 

[Bluecollarmed]

Yup, some states you will have to pass before starting residency. One thing I would say though is that some programs will reimburse the cost if taken during residency but not retroactively.

 

[Feli]

You can take it before you finish pod school. Since you just studied for pt2 anyways, that is the time most people will do it. No reason not to.

Pt1 has a small (but not insignificant) failure rate and obviously serious consequences to failing... tougher to get clerkships, residency interviews might ask why you didn't pass first try, you might have trouble studying for retake depending on your 3rd year rotations, etc.

Pt2 and pt3 are nothing to worry about. Get them over and just focus on learning hospital med, surgery and the ABFAS in-training exams during residency.

 

[Robin-jay]

Pt1 has a small (but not insignificant) failure rate and obviously serious consequences to failing... tougher to get clerkships, residency interviews might ask why you didn't pass first try, you might have trouble studying for retake depending on your 3rd year rotations, etc.

The national average for passing boards first try this year was 78%. I would personally not consider that a small failure rate, I'd consider 22% first pass failure rate more around "moderate". In terms of students spending 150k+ on their first couple years of podiatric education, I'd consider that a staggering risk if I was an investor.

I have passed it, but out of my close friends (I want to emphasize close because I want to show I'm not just talking about a larger sample of people I just happen to know):

1. One friend retook it once.
2. One failed it 3 times and was kicked out,
3. One failed twice and is on a one a year withdrawal studying for 3rd attempt

I'm not even sure what boards is really suppose to prove. I understand that long term memory of vital information is key, but part 1 felt much more like a random assortment of trivia-type facts we learned (or didn't learn) over the pre-clinical years.

Pt2 and pt3 are nothing to worry about. Get them over and just focus on learning hospital med, surgery and the ABFAS in-training exams during residency.

I haven't taken these yet, but thanks for the tips. It's coming at me fast.

 

[WhistleBrewer]

I must add that 2021 APMLE Pt1 had quite a low pass rate which was quite astonishing... I can personally attest that I know 10 students who had failed Pt1 after their 2nd try which my school makes them drop a year to re-take the exam for the 3rd and final try the following year...

Hearing from upperclassmen that the passing score was increased from 70% to 75% had a significant detrimental effect on pass rates. I do not know why this was the reason but if the APMLE people want to gain parity by increasing the passing threshold, well... they're in for a rude awakening because the schools have not kept up with the changes...