help regarding in service exams

[residency2010]

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hi everyone, i am an img and got anesthesia residency starting in 2012.i ll be doing prelim surgery from 2010-2011 and then 1 yr of research.the anesthesia pd told me that he ll give me the spot only if score above 80th percentile in the in service exams in march 2012,during my research year😴.how difficult is getting such score? wht books to read to prepare well for this exam? wht is the exam format? awaiting ur reply...

 

[pgg]

the anesthesia pd told me that he ll give me the spot only if score above 80th percentile in the in service exams in march 2012,during my research year.

Get that in writing.

how difficult is getting such score?

4 out of 5 people score less than the 80th percentile. That's exactly how difficult it is.

More seriously, presumably if you take it during your research year, after your PGY1 surgery year but before your CA1 year, you'll be ranked against PGY1 takers. (Get that in writing from the PD too.) Most of them aren't in categorical programs, meaning they will not have done much anesthesia by March. They also won't need good scores to move on to their CA1 positions, and most won't study for it.

If you put in even a little bit of time, you'll probably do better than most of them.

wht books to read to prepare well for this exam? wht is the exam format? awaiting ur reply...

Do a lot of practice questions. Hall is a good starting place. Big Blue has a lot of high-yield factoids that would help a motivated PGY1 smoke his apathetic competition.

As for the format, it's a computerized exam now, not pencil & paper. You can download a demo program from the ABA web site. You can also get the old exams from the same place. The questions haven't changed much.

 

[residency2010]

thanks pgg for ur reply..but i dont understand the "get that in writing part".he already gave me a letter tht i ve a reserved position in june 2012 for the purpose of getting preliminary surgery.i am going to prepare for tht exam now onwards as i am done with all exams including step 3.hope everything goes well.thank u again for ur reply.some people suggested me to go with BABY MILLER.howz tht book?

 

[pgg]

thanks pgg for ur reply..but i dont understand the "get that in writing part".he already gave me a letter tht i ve a reserved position in june 2012

All I meant was to not just take someone's verbal assurance that they'd give you a spot a couple years from now. There should be a contract.

some people suggested me to go with BABY MILLER.howz tht book?

That's a good book to get the basics from. But you have two objectives, and they're not quite exactly the same:
1) learn anesthesia
2) score well on the exam
There's a lot of overlap between the two, but make sure you do a substantial amount of studying for the test. Review books and questions aren't a great way to learn anesthesia, but they are going to be critical for exam prep.

 

[residency2010]

thanks for the reply..i guess i ve lot of time before the exam.so i would go with both type of books u suggested...thank u once again..

 

[residency2010]

thank you dream machine for the reply...

 

[Narcotized]

hi everyone, i got anesthesia residency starting in 2012... the anesthesia pd told me that he ll give me the spot only if score above 80th percentile in the in service exams in march 2012,during my research year...

Something is wrong with your story. Are you confused about the details? You take a test March, 2012, get the result back around May, and then start residency about a month later but only if you scored 80%? Basically makes no sense at all. What does he do with the spot should you fall in the 4 out of 5 that score below 80%? He holds this spot for you for 2 1/2 years and then scrambles to find a last minute replacement? He likes you so much to hold a spot for you for 2 1/2 years and then tells you at the last minute to take a hike because your excellent score of 75% doesn't cut it?

Your story doesn't add up. Talk with the PD and get it straightened out. Maybe he expects you to take the March, 2011 test. Come back with something more plausible and I'll tell you how to score 80%.

 

[inmyslumber]

residency2010,

80% is difficult to achieve for most residents/interns.

Seems like the program director is keeping his/her options open by setting such a high goal for you. I know you have a lot of hopes pinned to that program. I think your best option is to study hard (with whatever source) and work hard during the research year so that even if you are below 80%, they may take you anyway. It is a tough situation to be in.

Good luck.