Official ABIM 2013 Thread

[DoctorDr]

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That would be great if 4 weeks would be really dedicated for ABIM😉

Now--doing First AID infectious dse..then MKSAP 15 ID

 

[AashooKM]

Here is a video explanation of the changes to the ABIM MOC process.

http://bit.ly/ZSr0lq

 

[desi6]

After taking the exam, I was amazed at how the exam made me feel. It can make smart doctors feel dumb. The questions dont test you on routine things that an internist should know, It tests you on insane minutia and specialty questions....One question on the test I posed to a specialist randomly and even he did not know the answer to the question and it was his speciality!... The need to memorize thousands of facts and then not even be sure if what you are studying is even going to be on the test. Its unreal..so what you think should be on the test is not and what you think should not be on the test is...and the questions seem very tricky.. like they want you to get the question wrong .. The actual practice of general internal medicine seemed to have little in common with the types of questions asked on the exam. for example opthamology questions came up alot and then you keep asking yourself why is ophthalmology even on the IM exam? And do you often wonder why a simple computer exam costs applicants $900-$1200.00? this test should not cost more than $300-400 max...but then we know its additional revenue for them and then requiring to retake it every ten years if you were “unlucky” to not take and pass the exam prior to 1990 because hey we all know that everyone before 1990 is so smart and better trained that they don’t need to justify “keeping up” with modern medicine...It is inherently unfair to have one group of physicians grandfathered in and not have to take any recertification exam and they can call themselves certified indefinitely and then have another group of physicians have to take it every 10 yrs.

 

[IMDO12]

As I prepare for the 2013 ABIM exam, I'm wondering if there are any readers of this thread who have successfully taken the exam and performed exceptionally well. In particular, what resources did you use and how did you use them? I've appreciated reading the advice from the 2012 thread, but that is typically limited to what materials were used and not how they were used? For those who found MKSAP questions to be the best resource, did you have a certain way of dissecting and reading the questions? Did you break down each possible answer? Did you have away of outlining the text? I'm someone who is very interested in models of efficient learning/studying so it would be helpful to have this information. Thanks!

 

[indocus]

Looking for a dedicated sp for ABIM 2013, my skype id is med.intern
Thanks

 

[IMDoc607]

Mid to high 60's good for first time through MKSAp? I am scoring in that range. I am taking awesome review this summer.

 

[DoctorDr]

Mid to high 60's good for first time through MKSAp? I am scoring in that range. I am taking awesome review this summer.

Im getting that too..High 60's...on the second try it would be higher at least mid 70's to low 80's...

Are you doing MKSAP 15? or 16?
when are you going for awesome review?

 

[DoctorDr]

Did anyone have read or use Frontrunner's Q&A? can anyone who have read this Q&A book give me an advice or review? Thanks in advance

 

[yobabydoc]

Failed ABIM three times. I have never failed an exam in my life, so it was a huge blow to me and very discouraging but i think i was hard in myself given all the crap that was going in around me. Lots of personal issues all three times so my studying was seriously compromised, in fact in 2011, I was so sick I couldn't study. Should have cancelled exam but foolishly didn't. Divorce in 2012, should have cancelled but foolishly didn't. Decided to not take this year but prepare for next year. Life is calmer now. Anyone else preparing for 2014 exam. I do need a study partner. Will MKSAP 15 be relevant for next year? I also have Med Study. Plan on doing a review course and some DVDs as well. Appreciate any feedback.

 

[Bandido]

Failed ABIM three times. I have never failed an exam in my life, so it was a huge blow to me and very discouraging but i think i was hard in myself given all the crap that was going in around me. Lots of personal issues all three times so my studying was seriously compromised, in fact in 2011, I was so sick I couldn't study. Should have cancelled exam but foolishly didn't. Divorce in 2012, should have cancelled but foolishly didn't. Decided to not take this year but prepare for next year. Life is calmer now. Anyone else preparing for 2014 exam. I do need a study partner. Will MKSAP 15 be relevant for next year? I also have Med Study. Plan on doing a review course and some DVDs as well. Appreciate any feedback.

We all go through some crap in life that affects our performance at one time or another. Agree, you should have canceled the exam then, but also as physicians we are trained to "keep going" no matter what. Taking a -much needed- break is seen as a sign of weakness sometimes. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are turning things around and will work hard this time to pass. The fact that you recognize what you did wrong is a huge step. I have failed too and will take the exam again this year.

Since hindsight is 20/20 and you already know you will not take the exam this year, then may I suggest you take a review course this year? I would have done that. You will see areas where you need to improve. Since you don't have the stress of having only a couple of months until the exam you will be more relaxed and will be able to focus on those areas. You will have plenty of time to review and go slowly. It may be a long time, though, but only you know how much you need to pass. Respect the exam and avoid being overconfident. People will tell you you don't need so much time, but go with your gut and prepare for as long as you need. You can always adjust your plan and in the end realize you don't need so much time.

Some people have done Medstudy others refer to Awesome Review.
I would say get the new MKSAP. The 15th ed may be too old then. I think they update every two years so a new edition may come out by the end of 2014.

 

[KSA2013]

I am taking my recert exam in 2013 as well. I have extensively searched and tested various Board Prep products. IMO, BEST products with HIGHEST YIELD board questions and learning points can be found in the following sources: Not necessarily in any order. However this most Uptodate list.


BOARD BASICS III by ACP , Knowmedge , iMedicine Review app with the 1500 Question app

I firmly and sincerely believe if you do these 3-4 sources REPEATEDLY 2-3 times EACH....NO REASON YOU WILL NOT PASS ABIM EXAM.

Do not: read MKSAP cover to cover...too much info and will lose time in non-high yield material. However you might once in a while refer to MKSAP for a specific topic that you find difficult to comprehend. If you do have time you might consider an intensive 4-6 Review course (for example Cleveland Clinic, Awesome) to tie everything together few weeks before the Exam. Try NOT to take review course before reading above mentioned sources ahead of time.

Good Luck everyone.

 

[bikedoc1021]

it's that time of the year we many of us seniors are starting to study seriously for ABIM. historically, for people who have passed ABIM, what percentage of MKSAP questions did you get correct? on the first time through? 2nd time through? by topic? there always seemed to be a "magic #" for the USMLE exams but i've yet to see that for ABIM. cheers and and good luck!

 

[DrVanNostran]

When people say that MKSAP is not enough, are they talking about the questions or the text? I can see how the questions are not enough. The text seems phenomenol and for the most part, pretty comprehensive. Any thoughts?

Here are the question sources I plan to do throughout residency:
MKSAP 15
MKSAP 16
Medstudy qbank
Uworld
---------
If time:
Hopkins
Kaplan

 

[DoctorDr]

Done reading Medstudy Oncology...
Reading Medstudy hematology, hopefully done by tomorrow
Then MKSAP hema/oncology

 

[surge55]

Done reading Medstudy Oncology...
Reading Medstudy hematology, hopefully done by tomorrow
Then MKSAP hema/oncology

how does medstudy compare to mksap?

 

[CanIMakeIt]

When people say that MKSAP is not enough, are they talking about the questions or the text? I can see how the questions are not enough. The text seems phenomenol and for the most part, pretty comprehensive. Any thoughts?

Here are the question sources I plan to do throughout residency:
MKSAP 15
MKSAP 16
Medstudy qbank
Uworld
---------
If time:
Hopkins
Kaplan

MKSAP is not enough when people just think that doing questions and memorizing the correct answer (instead of understanding the concept) is going to help them pass.

Yes the MKSAP books are comprehensive if you can get through them all and actually has pretty good information. If you can get through all that you are planning while understanding the concepts, it should be more than enough.

Good Luck!

 

[CanIMakeIt]

it's that time of the year we many of us seniors are starting to study seriously for ABIM. historically, for people who have passed ABIM, what percentage of MKSAP questions did you get correct? on the first time through? 2nd time through? by topic? there always seemed to be a "magic #" for the USMLE exams but i've yet to see that for ABIM. cheers and and good luck!

I have heard > 70% should be good enough but who knows what questions you will get on your version of the exam (Not even sure if there are multiple random questions or what). Pay attention to the concepts and common pitfalls as outlined in board basics. I had at least 4-5 questions straight out of the common mistakes in board basics - but that could have been just luck.

I had 80% the first time and that was good enough.

Good Luck! you can do it!

 

[DoctorDr]

For YobabyDoc,

I have been reading mostly from MEDSTUDY with some topics from First AID Internal Medicine, and BB2...for Questions MKSAP 15..
I hope ALL of us will pass and move on with our lives..

 

[chocoginger]

When people say that MKSAP is not enough, are they talking about the questions or the text? I can see how the questions are not enough. The text seems phenomenol and for the most part, pretty comprehensive. Any thoughts?

Here are the question sources I plan to do throughout residency:
MKSAP 15
MKSAP 16
Medstudy qbank
Uworld
---------
If time:
Hopkins
Kaplan

I just did MKSAP 15 last year---I read through the answers as recommended by others, and this wasn't enough for me to pass. Maybe you have baseline stronger fund of knowledge than me----but it wasn't enough for me unfortunately 🙁

This year, I'm doing Medstudy videos and questions, in addition to MKSAP. Thinking about getting more questions once I finish everything.

 

[goprisko]

Hi,
I matched last year to the Categorical IM residency program at Interfaith Med Ctr in Brooklyn. It is a good program, and trains us well. Unfortunately, the hospital
filed for Bankruptcy Protection under Ch11 last January, and it appears it will close in July.

I was offered, and signed my PGY-2 contract to begin this July, but considering
the circumstances, don't know if that means anything.

I graduated from med school in Chelyabinsk Russia in 98, practiced in Russia and
Namibia, then emigrated to the US under my husbands sponsorship, so I have an unrestricted green card, also , my citizenship app is in process.
My USMLE scores were:
Step 1 - 229 on first attempt
Step 2CK - 255 on first attempt
Step 2 CS - passed on first attempt
I authored a paper in the field of ID during my years in Russia, and did research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, during my years in China.

I have current LORs from 5 US physicians, did clinical rotations before my residency, and am currently in good standing with my program.

I actually prefer a rural location, but on the East Coast if possible, I like the AHEC system, the one in Louisville organized a clinical rotation for me.

Suggestions please!

Nata

 

[DoctorDr]

Not in right forum...




QUOTE=goprisko;14082796]Hi,
I matched last year to the Categorical IM residency program at Interfaith Med Ctr in Brooklyn. It is a good program, and trains us well. Unfortunately, the hospital
filed for Bankruptcy Protection under Ch11 last January, and it appears it will close in July.

I was offered, and signed my PGY-2 contract to begin this July, but considering
the circumstances, don't know if that means anything.

I graduated from med school in Chelyabinsk Russia in 98, practiced in Russia and
Namibia, then emigrated to the US under my husbands sponsorship, so I have an unrestricted green card, also , my citizenship app is in process.
My USMLE scores were: n
Step 1 - 229 on first attempt
Step 2CK - 255 on first attempt
Step 2 CS - passed on first attempt
I authored a paper in the field of ID during my years in Russia, and did research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, during my years in China.

I have current LORs from 5 US physicians, did clinical rotations before my residency, and am currently in good standing with my program.

I actually prefer a rural location, but on the East Coast if possible, I like the AHEC system, the one in Louisville organized a clinical rotation for me.

Suggestions please!

Nata[/QUOTE]

 

[DoctorDr]

Not in right forum...




QUOTE=goprisko;14082796]Hi,
I matched last year to the Categorical IM residency program at Interfaith Med Ctr in Brooklyn. It is a good program, and trains us well. Unfortunately, the hospital
filed for Bankruptcy Protection under Ch11 last January, and it appears it will close in July.

I was offered, and signed my PGY-2 contract to begin this July, but considering
the circumstances, don't know if that means anything.

I graduated from med school in Chelyabinsk Russia in 98, practiced in Russia and
Namibia, then emigrated to the US under my husbands sponsorship, so I have an unrestricted green card, also , my citizenship app is in process.
My USMLE scores were: n
Step 1 - 229 on first attempt
Step 2CK - 255 on first attempt
Step 2 CS - passed on first attempt
I authored a paper in the field of ID during my years in Russia, and did research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, during my years in China.

I have current LORs from 5 US physicians, did clinical rotations before my residency, and am currently in good standing with my program.

I actually prefer a rural location, but on the East Coast if possible, I like the AHEC system, the one in Louisville organized a clinical rotation for me.

Suggestions please!

Nata[/QUOTE]

 

[joedoc123]

Want to do a question bank. Thinking of medstudy vs usmleworld. Any opinions about it. Some people mentioned that medstudy has very easy questions and uworld is difficult. Any input will be highly appreciated

 

[SwineLake98]

Want to do a question bank. Thinking of medstudy vs usmleworld. Any opinions about it. Some people mentioned that medstudy has very easy questions and uworld is difficult. Any input will be highly appreciated

Would love input on this as well. I have MKSAP 14 questions, but I presume they are fairly outdated by now. I was thinking about USMLE World Q bank to save a little money, but also don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

 

[chemist157]

I found MKSAP questions to be the best and supposedly they are the most representative of the actual exam. Some say even more difficult (I.e. good prep). FYI I got MKSAP 16 + Board Basics 3 from amazon.com for $400. Highly recommend both MKSAP and BB3.

 

[rokshana]

I found MKSAP questions to be the best and supposedly they are the most representative of the actual exam. Some say even more difficult (I.e. good prep). FYI I got MKSAP 16 + Board Basics 3 from amazon.com for $400. Highly recommend both MKSAP and BB3.

totally DISagree with that statement....MKSAP questions (at least the 15 ones) were nothing like the questions on the actual exam...they are good for understanding why an answer is right and why an answer is wrong, but not prep for the style of questions on the exam.

and not more difficult IMHO, they give you why more info in the stem than the actual questions.

do like BB (i used 2) mostly for the yellow highlighted hints.

 

[gutonc]

totally DISagree with that statement....MKSAP questions (at least the 15 ones) were nothing like the questions on the actual exam...they are good for understanding why an answer is right and why an answer is wrong, but not prep for the style of questions on the exam.

and not more difficult IMHO, they give you why more info in the stem than the actual questions.

do like BB (i used 2) mostly for the yellow highlighted hints.

Generally agree with this. I don't know how UWorld or MedStudy compare but if I had to do it again (and there's no f****ng way I'm ever taking that test again), I definitely wouldn't use MKSAP Questions. I can't speak to BB but it seems to be well regarded.

 

[chemist157]

I should say that I haven't taken the exam, I'm just going off what ppl from last years class said. I'm hoping g mksao and bb3 will be enough. I jus personally prefer the mksap question bank.

 

[chemist157]

totally DISagree with that statement....MKSAP questions (at least the 15 ones) were nothing like the questions on the actual exam...they are good for understanding why an answer is right and why an answer is wrong, but not prep for the style of questions on the exam.

and not more difficult IMHO, they give you why more info in the stem than the actual questions.

do like BB (i used 2) mostly for the yellow highlighted hints.

Which Qbank was the most similar to the actual exam?

 

[rokshana]

Which Qbank was the most similar to the actual exam?

i didn't really find one...i took a couple of review courses...the Cleveland clinic one and then awesome review...both were good for different reasons.

i did go through the MKSAP question, but again, i thought they were better as a source of info not as a prep for the questions on the test itself.

good luck!(like, gutonc...i certainly do not want to take that test again!).

 

[Moondocks]

Hello,

I am hoping to find a study partner for IM recert. Further, I am hoping to recert in the focused practice. Anyone out there looking to do the same?
Also I wonder if MKSAP 15 is just as good as the 16 for the next exam. Thanks anyone who cares to reply. I do not yet use Skype but suppose I can learn.

 

[dmg99]

I used this forum all of this year after finding I didn't pass in October. I was truly devastated, having worked for a large multi specialty group that requires board certification. I was depressed, unsure of myself, and lost all confidence that took me 10 years post residency to achieve. I am here to give back. It was a hard 6 months, but I did it. I honestly felt that I could have failed again, as the test in April was just as irrelevant to typical practice of medicine as the October test was. When we first took it in residency, I don't recall it ever being this difficult, but then again, we were studying 24/7 back then.

For the 1st time I took the test, I used MKSAP 15 only, and basically just did a zillion questions. That was a mistake, obviously. You can't just do the MKSAP questions, but you have to read the text, outline the text, take notes, read up on background info, etc.

I purchased MKSAP 16, which was pretty amazing, with the formats. I read the entire texts front to back, twice. I took notes and wrote pearls down to restudy and restudy. I repeated MKSAP 15 questions as well. I borrowed the whole Med Study books and read those books twice over too. I made flash cards and filed them in a card holder by specialty. I read and reread and reread my notes. I took the combined Kaiser-Mayo Clinic Int Med board review which was nice, not all inclusive by any means, but a start.

I studied every night from December to the test, about 2 hours. My husband helped out greatly with the (older) kiddos. I took a LOA from work for about 5 weeks. Overall, I spent a lot of money and time, and a months' salary just to pass this thing.

I am relieved finally, and feel can get on with my life now! Don't underestimate this test. It is very convoluted, sometimes irrelevant to general practice, but necessary for most of us to practice. Good luck!

 

[m5dream]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member, but I have been reading through this website for some time. I wanted to let you know of my strategy for the ABIM MOC exam. As some of you may know, the April MOC exam results have been released. Fortunately, I was able to pass with the following plan.

1. Kaplan Medical Master The Boards: Internal Medicine by Conrad Fischer
This is a great and concise book. This book is a easy read, but filled with great information. The book appears to be too thin and lacking in information. However, this book covered many questions that were in the exam. Some VERY directly and some indirectly. Also, by learning the topics in the book, I was able to eliminate several answers, and thus have a better chance of guessing the right answer. I read it twice.

There is a newer version of the book just released. I might buy it just to do some more learning! It was actually enjoyable to read it! FYI, I did not read the First Aid book or the Board Basic Book, though I did skim through it. I'm sure they are both good, but I think the Kaplan series is much leaner and more to the point.


2. Kaplan Medical: Internal Medicine Question Book
This basically supplements the above book. Do the questions after you read the above book. Then, read the main book. That is, read the Kaplan text book, do the question book, then Kaplan text book again.

3. MKSAP questions. Do as many as you can. Best way to get practice doing it on line.

4. Don't worry about abbreviations or normal values. It is all given in the question! Don't even have to look it up.


I hope this helps some one with limited time. It is hard enough to work and raise a family! I believe the above plan can help, if you focus really and know the material in the book. It will be impossible to cover all subjects, so know just a few really well.


Thanks.

 

[SwineLake98]

I'm currently doing a free 24 hour trial of Med Study. Their stems are certainly shorter than MKSAP questions, but they seem easier. I was curious what other people thought. So far, I don't see any reason to purchase the Med Study Q Bank.

 

[GATAgo]

I'm a senior academic internist who first certified 20 years ago, recertified 10 years ago, and just successfully recertified in April.

The exam has gone downhill. Maintenance of certification is an expensive and worthless waste of time that unfortunately many hospitals and clinics, including the academic medical center where I have a tertiary practice, require--except for those who are grandfathered, some of whom are actually younger and have less education than I do (because I was a graduate of an MSTP, just missing out on being grandfathered myself). Moreover, I personally know some of the individuals in senior roles in the ABIM and ACP; best that I bite my tongue. I will say that I am repulsed by the salaries they make for a largely ceremonial title and by the fact that some members of the board who are grandfathered have not themselves condescended to take the exam that they preside over. Talk about being a hypocrite.

I also am boarded in another specialty, not an IM subspecialty, for which MOC is similarly required. I am a little bit more impressed by the process there, but it still has issues.

All that said, let me tell you what has worked for me.

First time around, I felt that doing an IM residency was the best preparation. The exam seemed relevant and I actually enjoyed preparing for it and taking it. It was a rewarding experience. Back then, I primarily relied on MedStudy. I felt that the MedStudy review book was great back then. It was slim, concise, had none of the extra study materials it now offers, and was all authored by a single person. Consequently, it flowed from one subject to the next and covered everything without redundancy. I purchased MKSAP and found that it was way too long to read and, in retrospect, was largely irrelevant; I hardly touched it.

For the first recertification exam, I purchased MedStudy but was disappointed that it had ballooned in size, had extra material in addition to the main review, and was now a multi-authored volume. Consequently, I then purchased FrontRunners and found that to be more useful and largely relied on that. I read FrontRunners twice and did the questions, which, in all honesty, weren't very good or relevant. I also purchased a used copy of MKSAP and again found that it was too long and in hindsight even less relevant than before.

For the second recertification exam, I didn't bother with MedStudy or MKSAP and started off with FrontRunners. I was disappointed to see that FrontRunners had not been updated all that much and that some of the same typos and factual errors had persisted for 10 years. Moreover, I just did not have the patience nor time for studying this time around. (Based on my actual exam experience, I think I would have placed more emphasis on FrontRunners, if I had failed and had it do over again, for reasons I'll explain shortly.) So, I bought a bunch of other books off Amazon. I found Dr. Fischer's Kaplan review to be terrific. I cannot praise it highly enough. I also know one of the main authors of Board Basics, and he gave me a draft copy of most of the chapters to read. The other thing I found useful was the MedStudy flashcards, which I did purchase. I bought First Aid but didn't like it and didn't use it.

So here's how I prepared.

First of all, my clinical practice is esoteric and limited. I have been away from general IM for nearly two decades. On the other hand, even if I were a full time primary care internist I don't think it would help. 90% of the exam is on topics that I would not consider general internal medicine but rather ophthalmology, ob/gyn, pathology, surgery or some other specialty--possibly not even related to medicine at all. Of the remaining 10%, 8% are things you will never see--a few I had never even heard of and I savor esoterica--and the remaining 2% are things that you will see but would be committing malpractice if you did not refer to a subspecialist.

For the most recent exam, I spent about 2 hours a night for the 2 months prior to the exam with a bit more time on weekends. (This was probably about a third of the amount of studying time I did for the previous two times. I honestly didn't really care that much if I passed or not.) I read the Kaplan review twice and did about 2/3rds of the questions in the accompanying question book. I read the chapters that I had for Board Basics twice. I read through the MedStudy flashcards. I read the first few chapters of FrontRunners and did the accompanying questions. I passed. Scores have not yet been provided.

My impression of FrontRunners this time around before taking the boards was that it had too much foundational material; the author had made an attempt to give simplified explanations of the basic science behind the problem. From my prior ABIM experience, I did not think that was relevant. However, the exam has changed. There were a lot of short questions that seemed to emphasize first year medical school sort of knowledge. For that reason, if I were to do it over again, I might include FrontRunners in my preparation. At $500, though, it is just way too expensive, in my opinion.

Board Basics was pretty good. Perhaps the final published version is better and more complete. I did not want to purchase MKSAP and I could not find any used copies of Board Basics. There was no way I was going to give $700 or whatever to the ACP to get it. As far as I know, the authors of Board Basics are grandfathered and have not recertified. I respect the fact that the authors of both FrontRunners and the Kaplan review have done so. On the other hand, I suspect that some of the authors of Board Basics may be writing the questions on the exam.

The Kaplan review is fantastic. It is worth reading regardless of its value in board preparation.

The MedStudy flashcards are also relevant, perhaps the most relevant of all the study materials I used. They're relatively fun and quick.

This post is partly self-serving. I spent about a thousand bucks on all this material and now have it listed on eBay. You can pick it up for a fraction of my cost. Please take it off my hands. Thanks for reading. Good luck.

 

[DoctorDr]

Thanks for sharing😉 how many times did you read Medstudy flashcards? And did you used the board basic 3 or the 2nd edition? And lastly you read the Kaplan Master the Boards of Fisher and after that read his questionnaire(Kaplan internal medicine Question book 2007 edition)? Hope you reply..
Thanks,
DoctorDr

I'm a senior academic internist who first certified 20 years ago, recertified 10 years ago, and just successfully recertified in April.

The exam has gone downhill. Maintenance of certification is an expensive and worthless waste of time that unfortunately many hospitals and clinics, including the academic medical center where I have a tertiary practice, require--except for those who are grandfathered, some of whom are actually younger and have less education than I do (because I was a graduate of an MSTP, just missing out on being grandfathered myself). Moreover, I personally know some of the individuals in senior roles in the ABIM and ACP; best that I bite my tongue. I will say that I am repulsed by the salaries they make for a largely ceremonial title and by the fact that some members of the board who are grandfathered have not themselves condescended to take the exam that they preside over. Talk about being a hypocrite.

I also am boarded in another specialty, not an IM subspecialty, for which MOC is similarly required. I am a little bit more impressed by the process there, but it still has issues.

All that said, let me tell you what has worked for me.

First time around, I felt that doing an IM residency was the best preparation. The exam seemed relevant and I actually enjoyed preparing for it and taking it. It was a rewarding experience. Back then, I primarily relied on MedStudy. I felt that the MedStudy review book was great back then. It was slim, concise, had none of the extra study materials it now offers, and was all authored by a single person. Consequently, it flowed from one subject to the next and covered everything without redundancy. I purchased MKSAP and found that it was way too long to read and, in retrospect, was largely irrelevant; I hardly touched it.

For the first recertification exam, I purchased MedStudy but was disappointed that it had ballooned in size, had extra material in addition to the main review, and was now a multi-authored volume. Consequently, I then purchased FrontRunners and found that to be more useful and largely relied on that. I read FrontRunners twice and did the questions, which, in all honesty, weren't very good or relevant. I also purchased a used copy of MKSAP and again found that it was too long and in hindsight even less relevant than before.

For the second recertification exam, I didn't bother with MedStudy or MKSAP and started off with FrontRunners. I was disappointed to see that FrontRunners had not been updated all that much and that some of the same typos and factual errors had persisted for 10 years. Moreover, I just did not have the patience nor time for studying this time around. (Based on my actual exam experience, I think I would have placed more emphasis on FrontRunners, if I had failed and had it do over again, for reasons I'll explain shortly.) So, I bought a bunch of other books off Amazon. I found Dr. Fischer's Kaplan review to be terrific. I cannot praise it highly enough. I also know one of the main authors of Board Basics, and he gave me a draft copy of most of the chapters to read. The other thing I found useful was the MedStudy flashcards, which I did purchase. I bought First Aid but didn't like it and didn't use it.

So here's how I prepared.

First of all, my clinical practice is esoteric and limited. I have been away from general IM for nearly two decades. On the other hand, even if I were a full time primary care internist I don't think it would help. 90% of the exam is on topics that I would not consider general internal medicine but rather ophthalmology, ob/gyn, pathology, surgery or some other specialty--possibly not even related to medicine at all. Of the remaining 10%, 8% are things you will never see--a few I had never even heard of and I savor esoterica--and the remaining 2% are things that you will see but would be committing malpractice if you did not refer to a subspecialist.

For the most recent exam, I spent about 2 hours a night for the 2 months prior to the exam with a bit more time on weekends. (This was probably about a third of the amount of studying time I did for the previous two times. I honestly didn't really care that much if I passed or not.) I read the Kaplan review twice and did about 2/3rds of the questions in the accompanying question book. I read the chapters that I had for Board Basics twice. I read through the MedStudy flashcards. I read the first few chapters of FrontRunners and did the accompanying questions. I passed. Scores have not yet been provided.

My impression of FrontRunners this time around before taking the boards was that it had too much foundational material; the author had made an attempt to give simplified explanations of the basic science behind the problem. From my prior ABIM experience, I did not think that was relevant. However, the exam has changed. There were a lot of short questions that seemed to emphasize first year medical school sort of knowledge. For that reason, if I were to do it over again, I might include FrontRunners in my preparation. At $500, though, it is just way too expensive, in my opinion.

Board Basics was pretty good. Perhaps the final published version is better and more complete. I did not want to purchase MKSAP and I could not find any used copies of Board Basics. There was no way I was going to give $700 or whatever to the ACP to get it. As far as I know, the authors of Board Basics are grandfathered and have not recertified. I respect the fact that the authors of both FrontRunners and the Kaplan review have done so. On the other hand, I suspect that some of the authors of Board Basics may be writing the questions on the exam.

The Kaplan review is fantastic. It is worth reading regardless of its value in board preparation.

The MedStudy flashcards are also relevant, perhaps the most relevant of all the study materials I used. They're relatively fun and quick.

This post is partly self-serving. I spent about a thousand bucks on all this material and now have it listed on eBay. You can pick it up for a fraction of my cost. Please take it off my hands. Thanks for reading. Good luck.

 

[GATAgo]

Thanks for sharing😉 how many times did you read Medstudy flashcards? And did you used the board basic 3 or the 2nd edition? And lastly you read the Kaplan Master the Boards of Fisher and after that read his questionnaire(Kaplan internal medicine Question book 2007 edition)? Hope you reply..
Thanks,
DoctorDr

You're welcome.

I read through the Medstudy flashcards just once. I set aside those I didn't know, maybe 15%, and repeated them once.

I think the draft of Board Basics I had was the 3rd Edition. I had 10 chapters and am not sure how many are in the published version. It was missing chapters on rheum, pulmonary, and oncology, at least.

Yes, I read Conrad Fischer's Master the Boards Internal Medicine from 2011 and then did 4 of the 5 sections of questions from his Internal Medicine Question Book, Second Edition, 2009 (not 2007) and then re-read Master the Boards. The questions were tough and tended to be repetitive in focus.

The night before the exam I also read Cyrus Peikari's Rapid Internal Medicine Board Review and Recertification Guide (2007, there being no more recent edition). I found it useful, though there are many gaps. The first chapter is on "Questions you should never miss" and goes through all the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, etc. stuff, as well as triple acid-base scenarios. The rest is just a bulleted list of key points about diseases, sort of like the back side of the MedStudy flash cards, and then a few exam questions with very brief explanations.

As my financial security is no longer dependent on ABIM recertification I was fairly relaxed in my approach this time around. I had several motives for passing: I wanted to prove to myself I could still do it. Unlike the grandfathered members of the ABIM itself who for the most part haven't bothered to recertify I still think there's some merit in attempting to do so. I felt that I could more legitimately point out the hypocrisy of the ABIM if I had valid board certification. I intend to push for recertification of grandfathers as a requirement for practicing at my institution. Now in my 50's, I'm thinking about retiring myself some day in the not so distant future. It really gripes me that there are members of the ABIM who haven't certified since the time of the Flintstones.

 

[DoctorDr]

Thanks for replying. At least we have ideas how to conquer this board exam. I have read that you have used Frontrnner Q&A, do you believe this help you nad you have read this once too right?

I'm currently reading board basic 2 which Im almost done with the Medstudy flashcards which is really re emphasized your diagnostic acumen, this is followed by MKSAP Q&A on each system wise approach. I have read 5 books medstudy but way too many information; and read some parts of First AID for IM Boards such as the Preventive medicine to supplement this that I do not know much. Not much time to read the new board basic and do not want to buy another review material.

I am thinking above Frontrunners Q&A if I still have the time after finishing MKSAP. What do you think?

Thanks,
DoctorDr😎

You're welcome.

I read through the Medstudy flashcards just once. I set aside those I didn't know, maybe 15%, and repeated them once.

I think the draft of Board Basics I had was the 3rd Edition. I had 10 chapters and am not sure how many are in the published version. It was missing chapters on rheum, pulmonary, and oncology, at least.

Yes, I read Conrad Fischer's Master the Boards Internal Medicine from 2011 and then did 4 of the 5 sections of questions from his Internal Medicine Question Book, Second Edition, 2009 (not 2007) and then re-read Master the Boards. The questions were tough and tended to be repetitive in focus.

The night before the exam I also read Cyrus Peikari's Rapid Internal Medicine Board Review and Recertification Guide (2007, there being no more recent edition). I found it useful, though there are many gaps. The first chapter is on "Questions you should never miss" and goes through all the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, etc. stuff, as well as triple acid-base scenarios. The rest is just a bulleted list of key points about diseases, sort of like the back side of the MedStudy flash cards, and then a few exam questions with very brief explanations.

As my financial security is no longer dependent on ABIM recertification I was fairly relaxed in my approach this time around. I had several motives for passing: I wanted to prove to myself I could still do it. Unlike the grandfathered members of the ABIM itself who for the most part haven't bothered to recertify I still think there's some merit in attempting to do so. I felt that I could more legitimately point out the hypocrisy of the ABIM if I had valid board certification. I intend to push for recertification of grandfathers as a requirement for practicing at my institution. Now in my 50's, I'm thinking about retiring myself some day in the not so distant future. It really gripes me that there are members of the ABIM who haven't certified since the time of the Flintstones.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Thanks guys for the advice! 😛

 

[DrDudeMD]

I've read several threads regarding how to approach learning in intern year. I understand that keeping up with reading is real important (e.g. Uptodate stuff and journal articles).

What I really want to focus on are the books and Q-banks that one should consider while in training..

BB2 (2009) and BB3 (2013)
MKSAP 16 (2013)

It may be worthwhile to get BB3 since it seems like they update every few years. This is something I can use for a quick read/quick reference over the next few years.

MKSAP has both a digital and print version. They also have "update subscriptions" that you can purchase. The update subscription will provide 4 updates with the last one in Jan 2015. Would this be a worthwhile investment in PGY-1? I tend to be a slow reader and like to do Qbanks more than once (seems to be a recommended approach in the ABIM thread as well).

I'm thinking these resources may also be helpful for end of block exams?

Any thoughts/opinions/pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated!

 

[surge55]

I've read several threads regarding how to approach learning in intern year. I understand that keeping up with reading is real important (e.g. Uptodate stuff and journal articles).

What I really want to focus on are the books and Q-banks that one should consider while in training..

BB2 (2009) and BB3 (2013)
MKSAP 16 (2013)

It may be worthwhile to get BB3 since it seems like they update every few years. This is something I can use for a quick read/quick reference over the next few years.

MKSAP has both a digital and print version. They also have "update subscriptions" that you can purchase. The update subscription will provide 4 updates with the last one in Jan 2015. Would this be a worthwhile investment in PGY-1? I tend to be a slow reader and like to do Qbanks more than once (seems to be a recommended approach in the ABIM thread as well).

I'm thinking these resources may also be helpful for end of block exams?

Any thoughts/opinions/pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated!

check out the stickied ABIM 2013 thread.

 

[pablo33]

I am taking the internal medicine boards on August 14th and would really like to have a study partner for July and early August.
I live in Stockton Ca, but I am also willing to Skype as well.
Contact me if you would like to study!
Thanks!

 

[DrDudeMD]

Any advice for a new intern???

Looking for some reading/reference material over the next three years.

Medstudy ($400+) vs MKSAP 16 ($230).

The general consensus seems to be MKSAP for Qs and Medstudy for text.

I'm leaning towards MKSAP simply because of its price and it being in digital format. But if Medstudy is drastically better, I guess it may be worth it to use my stipend on it.

Based on all of your accumulated experience, how would you guys tackle intern year in terms of reading material?

Thanks!

 

[DoctorDr]

Read as you see patients😉

Any advice for a new intern???

Looking for some reading/reference material over the next three years.

Medstudy ($400+) vs MKSAP 16 ($230).

The general consensus seems to be MKSAP for Qs and Medstudy for text.

I'm leaning towards MKSAP simply because of its price and it being in digital format. But if Medstudy is drastically better, I guess it may be worth it to use my stipend on it.

Based on all of your accumulated experience, how would you guys tackle intern year in terms of reading material?

Thanks!

 

[DoctorDr]

Done with MKSAP Q& A After Board basic 2 (BB2) General Internal MEDICINE..
Next BB2 Nephrology, them MKSAP Nephrology Q&A;

How's everyone's preparation?

 

[Bandido]

Still going through stuff, slowly but surely. Doing Medstudy, MKSAP Q&A, BB3. Did anyone go/is going to a live review?

 

[DoctorDr]

No time to do it coz of very busy hospitalist work schedule..I'm just doing video...
still doing MKSAP Nephro and GI.....

 

[fellow2013]

Looking for a female study partner for July and first week of August. If interested, skype me at- fellow20131

 

[MyNameIsOtto]

After going through MKSAP questions and material I decided to give Med Study question bank a try....

Is it just me or are a lot of the questions from med study poorly written, obscure and just generally not good?

It can't be just be but I feel I wasted $175 on crap material.

 

[MyNameIsOtto]

Going through more of these med study questions...they aren't even board-style!