Official ABIM 2013 Thread

[asxroma]

Bandido: Focus on your weak areas with so little days before the test. I do not know what correlates with MKSAP score vs passing the test. Based on what I read on ABIM forum 2012 75% at least to breathe easy; do not freak out...the easiest way to improve your score is to focus on the weak areas as stated previously. You will barely improve your scores by focusing on your strong subjects. Do questions on those areas and go over your highlights/notes/bb3, etc.

Curiously I am currently taking some quizes on MKSAP 16 exam mode (timed and does not give you answer until the end). After each block I feel like crap; I feel like I will fail; and I have been very impressed with my scores...must be like the test; you leave the center feeling like crap when you actually did well.
Studying at home gives you instant feedback from each correct or incorrect question; you do not have that in the actual exam. I think it is good to do some blocks this way so you stay cool and collected throughout the day of the exam. Good luck to everyone.

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[DoctorDr]

Anyone else take the exam? Did you feel prepared? I take the test in 5 days..what should I focus on these last days? BB3 or questions?

Took the exam last Wednesday.. Felt great as I was able to review marked questions except on the last 2-3 questions on the last set that I need to rush reading and answering those questions...DID felt better prepared than the first time I took the exam....
Focus on BB3... On areas of your weaknesses from the previous Exam result/s... Hope we all pass... Goodluck

 

[DoctorDr]

Hi,
I have a question from ppl who gave the exam. Where there a lot of audio questions?nd if there were, Were the murmurs identifiable with the help of the stem ?

Thanks for your help in advance.

The stem question helped me to narrow the answers

 

[DoctorDr]

"I also was working a lot more as a hospitalist, and studying actually did improve my patient care when diagnoses were unclear. This was satisfying".

"This year, I slowed WAY down, and read very carefully. Give it the respect is deserves. The biggest different this year were my preparation, and my attitude toward the exam.
Studying any more than I did would make not one bit of different".

"I was more focused this year".

The words quoted above by ABIM2013 were the things I did

Below were the things I did

--Read Medstudy books with medstudy flashcards

---Focused on the 4 subjects that I did poorly the last time took ABIM exam

---MKSAP 15, BB2, and FIRST AID

---Hope to pass this time
---Good luck and GOD Bless us all

 

[2411]

What about EKGS and XRAYS? Were they very difficult?

 

[Tastebuds]

I thought the test was hard and at times unfair. They would leave to believe one diagnosis only to throw more information in there to confuse you. Awesome review was great but not sure if I passed.

Tons and tons of rheum.

What would you study or do more of 3 days before the exam? It sounds like no amount of studying helps for this exam. What would you recommend? Questions, BB3 ect? I take the exam on Wednesday.

 

[slippers82]

Anybody else having problems with the MedStudy Online Q&A Bank? Mine has been intermittently crashing on both Firefox/Chrome platforms (the latter as suggested by their IT dept) the past week, and about 30 minutes ago, the system altogether crashed. Lost all my progress and bookmarks. Of course, it has to happen the day before the big exam. I wrote their IT and customer service departments but they're closed on the weekends. Awesome.

 

[2411]

Do we really need 75% correct answers to breathe easily now?

I am just geting 70% in MKsap at this point. Do u think thats a decent score to pass?

 

[Instatewaiter]

Some previous threads said 60-65% on first time through.. Most say MKSAP is harder than the real thing and most say you need 70% right on the real thing.

So, it would stand to reason you don't need more than 70% on MKSAP.

 

[Tastebuds]

Took the exam last Wednesday.. Felt great as I was able to review marked questions except on the last 2-3 questions on the last set that I need to rush reading and answering those questions...DID felt better prepared than the first time I took the exam....
Focus on BB3... On areas of your weaknesses from the previous Exam result/s... Hope we all pass... Goodluck

Do you think BB3 helped you a lot? I m planning on going over my highlighted portions on BB3 tomorrow and Tuesday. Is it worth it??

 

[ResidentMD]

Do you think BB3 helped you a lot? I m planning on going over my highlighted portions on BB3 tomorrow and Tuesday. Is it worth it??

BB3 helped me a lot, but it also does not cover some important topics. You cannot cover everything in such few days. So if there are topics in BB3 that are not covered and you are still not comfortable with e.g. management of certain cancers, ophthalmology, etc. then you should revise those separately. Also revise EKG patterns (or at least the way you approach all EKGs), a pattern for acid-base disturbances, etc.

 

[IMDoc607]

I don't know about you guys but I'm not sure if I passed or failed. I keep thinking back to questions and can't help but feel they were such bs. The way the questions were worded and the choices made it so hard to differentiate. Anyone know the percent correct we need on the exam to pass? This is going to be a long hard two months. Do we get the scores mailed to us or do we found out on the Internet? I don't care what my score is I just want to pass.

 

[intmed3]

I don't know about you guys but I'm not sure if I passed or failed. I keep thinking back to questions and can't help but feel they were such bs. The way the questions were worded and the choices made it so hard to differentiate. Anyone know the percent correct we need on the exam to pass? This is going to be a long hard two months. Do we get the scores mailed to us or do we found out on the Internet? I don't care what my score is I just want to pass.

I'm in the same boat. I studies as much as I could have given that I'm also a fellow. I don't think more studying would have helped but feel like there are many questions that I was 50/50 between 2 answers. Really hoping I passed...

 

[IMDoc607]

I'm in the same boat. I studies as much as I could have given that I'm also a fellow. I don't think more studying would have helped but feel like there are many questions that I was 50/50 between 2 answers. Really hoping I passed...

Same here

 

[desi6]

did you guys feel that MKSAP 16 questions and BB3 prepared you for this test? or not really? Its amazing how many people say that extra studying would not have made a difference and I know where you are coming from after my April recert experience but we have to study something so what should we do? I need to pass the recert exam in October and panic has already set in.

 

[desi6]

Is the live medstudy recert class in Dallas worth it? Its coming up on labor day weekend and first week september. They have new faculty this year so if anyone went to the course earlier this year when they did it can you provide feedback. I watched the recert videos from medstudy from last year with Dr Wakely and Cross and they did a great job but somehow it wasnt enough to pass the test.

I have committed to awesome review, doing the course in septemmber,everyone says its good so I am going to try it.

plan for this month August: still making my way thru the questions conrad fischer book kaplan internal medicine question book and also reading master the boards internal medicine conrad fischer , is going slow but I am learning alot and I think its helpful

starting in september going to do BB3 and MKSAP 16 questions full steam and then will also ready the awesome stuff whatever they give me

 

[intmed3]

Did anyone get the same questions more than once. There were 3-4 questions that I had repeated verbatim, does that mean they are experimental? Or one will get thrown out?

 

[IMDoc607]

Did anyone get the same questions more than once. There were 3-4 questions that I had repeated verbatim, does that mean they are experimental? Or one will get thrown out?

I had a couple of questions that directly contradicted mksap, awesome review, and medstudy. I pretty sure those were experimental.

 

[obiwan]

I'm in the same boat. I studies as much as I could have given that I'm also a fellow. I don't think more studying would have helped but feel like there are many questions that I was 50/50 between 2 answers. Really hoping I passed...

me three

 

[theunderdog]

I had a couple of questions that directly contradicted mksap, awesome review, and medstudy. I pretty sure those were experimental.

what do you mean by experimental?

from the website, it seems like all 240 questions will be counted. if a question gets thrown out, will they just give us the point or make it out of 239 questions then?

 

[IMhospitalist]

Did anyone study from Uworld and if so how did that work out for you. Did the questions look closer to the real thing. I take it tomorrow and after reading some of the posts am not too confident.

 

[ABIM2013]

Did anyone study from Uworld and if so how did that work out for you. Did the questions look closer to the real thing. I take it tomorrow and after reading some of the posts am not too confident.

Similar in question structure and thought process, though WORLD is a LOT harder (might have a small 'insert' in the stem that changes things altogether and, while the ABIM exam has a few sneaky questions like this, most make it more obvious). Again, MKSAP is not at all like the ABIM exam in content, structure, or thought process---it's closer to the ITE. Good luck tomorrow. Don't do any more questions this late - it will just frustrate and discourage, and won't impact your performance positively.

 

[Instatewaiter]

what do you mean by experimental?

from the website, it seems like all 240 questions will be counted. if a question gets thrown out, will they just give us the point or make it out of 239 questions then?

There are experimental questions in each test that they are testing out prior to counting. You don't know which are which. I can't remember where I read it but I remember there are something like 40 experimental questions on the exam

 

[hatfielj]

Did anyone get the same questions more than once. There were 3-4 questions that I had repeated verbatim, does that mean they are experimental? Or one will get thrown out?

Just took it today, I had a couple of questions that seemed like exact repeats as well. Didn't know the answer so I hope they were experimental (maybe they're just seeing if we'll answer the same each time?).

Anyway, briefly, I focused primarily on MKSAP 16 as my primary source of study and overall I think it did a good job creating a foundation of knowledge for the exam, but in retrospect I don't think it was extensive enough on many subjects. I had quite a few questions today that were not covered in MKSAP at all!
If I don't pass I plan on adding Medstudy to my regimen and using MKSAP mostly for the questions.
I also felt like there were a lot of quick, simple one sentence questions that required nothing more than straight up memorization to get right. Oh well, its over now and not in my hands anymore. Let's hope that come November I'll see a "pass" next to my name!!

 

[orangess]

Any thoughts on MKSAP digital vs print vs complete? Is it worth the extra $$ for the complete?

 

[gutonc]

Any thoughts on MKSAP digital vs print vs complete? Is it worth the extra $$ for the complete?

If you like books. The digital content is exactly the same as the book.

 

[Bandido]

I think the complete is worth it. If you like books but want the liberty of having access to the material at any moment then it is the best. It also has the BB3 included (digital and print), plus you can send your cme credits online in case you need any.
Actually, I was wondering why medstudy books and flashcards are not digital. It would have been good to have everything accessible at all times without carrying them around.

 

[IMhospitalist]

Similar in question structure and thought process, though WORLD is a LOT harder (might have a small 'insert' in the stem that changes things altogether and, while the ABIM exam has a few sneaky questions like this, most make it more obvious). Again, MKSAP is not at all like the ABIM exam in content, structure, or thought process---it's closer to the ITE. Good luck tomorrow. Don't do any more questions this late - it will just frustrate and discourage, and won't impact your performance positively.

Thanks for the info. So I just took the exam yday and I have to say Uworld did help. I didn't the questions were at all like MKSAP. I had done the medstudy course for some fundamentals, but honestly didn't have time to read much of it.

What I did do is UWorld..once all the way through and another time with only my wrong questions....Although I did recognize the questions/answers the second time through my main goal was to try to explain why it wasn't all the other responses. This helped me really pick up the knowledge!

The test still sucked and there were a lot of details that I felt were just out of my reach. I mean there is so much to remember for the test! Now I'll just cross my fingers and wait.

 

[mrpankration]

I took the test on Monday and actually thought that MKSAP 16 online and BB3 were sufficient and representative overall of the breadth of information that was tested. I thought MKSAP was actually harder than many of the questions on the real test. There were a few test questions that were identical to MKSAP. In my opinion, overall I thought it was a pretty fair test. If you put in an honest effort in residency and in test preparation, you'll do fine.

 

[2411]

I also feel that MKSAP was very beneficial. Lot of questions were picked up straight from it. I just did MKSAP and awesome review notes.
Saw tables from First Aid towards the end. They were great. Lets see how the result is.

 

[asxroma]

And I also rode the beast last wednesday...recovering after the hours in the exam.
So far like everyone else stated the exam was tough and I do not know how well I did. I obviously remember the questions that I had trouble on. Some where from no source I have read. Hopefully they are the ones that do not count. I will see first how well I did and post my strategy if it was successful. Only time will tell... Anyone knows if they will be released on October or November? Waiting is the toughest part.....

 

[GATAgo]

If you think the questions were straight-forward, then you were probably missing something. My take is that for my second decennial recert exam in April, which I passed and did quite well, nearly every question involved a trick or a deception. That was much less true 10 years ago and was not the case at all one score years ago.

I'm sorry to unnerve those of you who have taken it and felt that you performed well, but that's the truth. For those who will be taking it, make sure to read each question very carefully, though that, too, can hurt you, since some of the questions can ONLY be answered by logical analysis of the answer choices, in which only one choice is not internally inconsistent with the others.

The most annoying question of all was one where only antiquated medical terms where used--seriously. I'm talkin' Theodoric of York. You have to be a scholar of Medieval medicine and English to answer the question. So, learn the distinction between dropsy, phthisis, and catarrhus and know when you should treat it with squill and avoid its using during bealing.

 

[IMDoc607]

If you think the questions were straight-forward, then you were probably missing something. My take is that for my second decennial recert exam in April, which I passed and did quite well, nearly every question involved a trick or a deception. That was much less true 10 years ago and was not the case at all one score years ago.

I'm sorry to unnerve those of you who have taken it and felt that you performed well, but that's the truth. For those who will be taking it, make sure to read each question very carefully, though that, too, can hurt you, since some of the questions can ONLY be answered by logical analysis of the answer choices, in which only one choice is not internally inconsistent with the others.

The most annoying question of all was one where only antiquated medical terms where used--seriously. I'm talkin' Theodoric of York. You have to be a scholar of Medieval medicine and English to answer the question. So, learn the distinction between dropsy, phthisis, and catarrhus and know when you should treat it with squill and avoid its using during bealing.

I wouldn't say it was straightforward at all. In fact, it was extremely confusing. At one moment you're like this is definitely osteoarthritis until they throw in the next sentence and you're like wtf is his now? To make it worse, the answer choices make it even trickier!!!

 

[GATAgo]

And remember, for the April recert exam, one-third failed. These are people who

-did well on the PSAT
-did well on the SAT
-did well on the MCATs
-got good grades in college
-passed all medical school courses
-completed a residency
-many completed a fellowship
-passed NBME/USMLE I
-passed NBME/USMLE 2
-passed NBME/USMLE 3
-passed the original ABIM certification exam
-practiced medicine for 13+ years without losing licensing
-completed maintenance of certification over a decade
-many completed maintenance of certification for two decades
-many practiced medicine for 23+ years without losing licensing
-many passed the ABIM recertification exam x 1
-many passed other ABMS certification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams x 2

Then they failed this exam, probably the first exam in their life that they every failed.

The lesson: clearly they are stupid, their prior academic and professional success in life was a fluke, and they are unqualified to be practicing medicine.

In comparison, people who took the ABIM exam once in their life decades ago and never did maintenance of certification are qualified to practice medicine because they did it before 1990 when people were smarter and standards were higher. Moreover, they are qualified to administer maintenance of certification programs they have never partaken of, administer recertification exams they have never sat for, and are entitled to millions of dollars for doing so.

 

[IMDoc607]

And remember, for the April recert exam, one-third failed. These are people who

-did well on the PSAT
-did well on the SAT
-did well on the MCATs
-got good grades in college
-passed all medical school courses
-completed a residency
-many completed a fellowship
-passed NBME/USMLE I
-passed NBME/USMLE 2
-passed NBME/USMLE 3
-passed the original ABIM certification exam
-practiced medicine for 13+ years without losing licensing
-completed maintenance of certification over a decade
-many completed maintenance of certification for two decades
-many practiced medicine for 23+ years without losing licensing
-many passed the ABIM recertification exam x 1
-many passed other ABMS certification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams x 2

Then they failed this exam, probably the first exam in their life that they every failed.

The lesson: clearly they are stupid, their prior academic and professional success in life was a fluke, and they are unqualified to be practicing medicine.

In comparison, people who took the ABIM exam once in their life decades ago and never did maintenance of certification are qualified to practice medicine because they did it before 1990 when people were smarter and standards were higher. Moreover, they are qualified to administer maintenance of certification programs they have never partaken of, administer recertification exams they have never sat for, and are entitled to millions of dollars for doing so.

Are you trying to scare people? I get what you're saying though. It's all a scam.

 

[FreakofMeds]

And remember, for the April recert exam, one-third failed. These are people who

-did well on the PSAT
-did well on the SAT
-did well on the MCATs
-got good grades in college
-passed all medical school courses
-completed a residency
-many completed a fellowship
-passed NBME/USMLE I
-passed NBME/USMLE 2
-passed NBME/USMLE 3
-passed the original ABIM certification exam
-practiced medicine for 13+ years without losing licensing
-completed maintenance of certification over a decade
-many completed maintenance of certification for two decades
-many practiced medicine for 23+ years without losing licensing
-many passed the ABIM recertification exam x 1
-many passed other ABMS certification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams x 2

Then they failed this exam, probably the first exam in their life that they every failed.

The lesson: clearly they are stupid, their prior academic and professional success in life was a fluke, and they are unqualified to be practicing medicine.

In comparison, people who took the ABIM exam once in their life decades ago and never did maintenance of certification are qualified to practice medicine because they did it before 1990 when people were smarter and standards were higher. Moreover, they are qualified to administer maintenance of certification programs they have never partaken of, administer recertification exams they have never sat for, and are entitled to millions of dollars for doing so.

Take it easy, pass rate on cert last year was 85%. Only bottom 15% failed. There is nothing wrong with feeling well about a test. Besides, what's your goal here? Clearly asking people to not trust their feelings about how they did is only adding anxiety to their wait until the scores are released, it certaily won't help them get a better score, or improve their chances of passing.

 

[desi6]

been talking to people at work who just took the initial certification test...talked to about 5 people..heres the feedback: .they all said it was hard test. they all say they are not sure they passed or not. no one feels confident...

They all said that MKSAP 16 questions were NOT reflective in style or content of what was tested on the exam. One person said she did all the MKSAP 16 questions several times and while she learned a lot, she is not sure it helped her get the correct answers on the test. people are saying lots of rheumatology on the test this time.

I was going to do the MKSAP 16 questions but its so disheartening to hear person after person say that it did not help them for this test. looks like lots of different views on this. some say it helps and others say it doesnt help

 

[desi6]

And remember, for the April recert exam, one-third failed. These are people who

-did well on the PSAT
-did well on the SAT
-did well on the MCATs
-got good grades in college
-passed all medical school courses
-completed a residency
-many completed a fellowship
-passed NBME/USMLE I
-passed NBME/USMLE 2
-passed NBME/USMLE 3
-passed the original ABIM certification exam
-practiced medicine for 13+ years without losing licensing
-completed maintenance of certification over a decade
-many completed maintenance of certification for two decades
-many practiced medicine for 23+ years without losing licensing
-many passed the ABIM recertification exam x 1
-many passed other ABMS certification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams
-many passed other ABMS recertification exams x 2

Then they failed this exam, probably the first exam in their life that they every failed.

The lesson: clearly they are stupid, their prior academic and professional success in life was a fluke, and they are unqualified to be practicing medicine.

In comparison, people who took the ABIM exam once in their life decades ago and never did maintenance of certification are qualified to practice medicine because they did it before 1990 when people were smarter and standards were higher. Moreover, they are qualified to administer maintenance of certification programs they have never partaken of, administer recertification exams they have never sat for, and are entitled to millions of dollars for doing so.

- very well made point.

 

[surge55]

been talking to people at work who just took the initial certification test...talked to about 5 people..heres the feedback: .they all said it was hard test. they all say they are not sure they passed or not. no one feels confident...

They all said that MKSAP 16 questions were NOT reflective in style or content of what was tested on the exam. One person said she did all the MKSAP 16 questions several times and while she learned a lot, she is not sure it helped her get the correct answers on the test. people are saying lots of rheumatology on the test this time.

I was going to do the MKSAP 16 questions but its so disheartening to hear person after person say that it did not help them for this test. looks like lots of different views on this. some say it helps and others say it doesnt help

I feel that in studying for boards you can't rely on just doing questions if you don't have that good of a foundation. MKSAP 16 also has an excellent test to accompany the questions. The questions themselves only cover so many topics.

 

[ResidentMD]

been talking to people at work who just took the initial certification test...talked to about 5 people..heres the feedback: .they all said it was hard test. they all say they are not sure they passed or not. no one feels confident...

They all said that MKSAP 16 questions were NOT reflective in style or content of what was tested on the exam. One person said she did all the MKSAP 16 questions several times and while she learned a lot, she is not sure it helped her get the correct answers on the test. people are saying lots of rheumatology on the test this time.

I was going to do the MKSAP 16 questions but its so disheartening to hear person after person say that it did not help them for this test. looks like lots of different views on this. some say it helps and others say it doesnt help

One way to sort this out is to do the questions yourself and see how you feel. I agree with posters that this exam tests your foundation, but also tests some random facts. I do not think you will fail if you have a good foundation, just because you did not know some random facts.

My program provided us with MKSAP questions, I liked them and I only had time for them, so I did them and nothing else. I also read some MKSAP + Boards Basics in addition. On the test day, you need to be confident. So do whatever you need to do to get that confidence.

Its a test of your internal medicine knowledge. IM is vast. So ensure you use a resource that covers the most commonly asked questions in a vast field. I used Boards Basics, people have used other resources, which sound okay also (First Aid, Conrad Fischer, Awesome Review).

This thread just freaks out every one sometimes...just do what you feel will help you and what you will be comfortable reading and completing.

 

[mrpankration]

Different people are going to have different feelings and subjective experiences about what preparatory methods worked for them and what their testing experience was like. You hear the same wide experiential variations in Step 1, 2, and 3 discussions as well. I agree with ResidentMD that as a whole, ABIM is a test of your general IM knowledge not just a series of questions about random facts. Thus, if you showed up and did your job as a resident and gave the test the respect it deserves while studying, you should pass. I think the 85% pass rate is evidence of this as was pointed out previously.

 

[GATAgo]

...as a whole, ABIM is a test of your general IM knowledge not just a series of questions about random facts. Thus, if you showed up and did your job as a resident and gave the test the respect it deserves while studying, you should pass. I think the 85% pass rate is evidence of this as was pointed out previously.

Then how do you explain the fact that for the spring 2013 recertification exam the pass rate was actually just 67% for people who showed up and did their job as residents, passed the exam, and then continued to show up and do their job as attendings for another decade (or two decades plus passing a prior recertification)?

 

[DrVanNostran]

Then how do you explain the fact that for the spring 2013 recertification exam the pass rate was actually just 67% for people who showed up and did their job as residents, passed the exam, and then continued to show up and do their job as attendings for another decade (or two decades plus passing a prior recertification)?

Resident education is a lot different than CME that attendings go to (or just sign in to). Months of General medicine floors and ICU prepares residents for the boards. The recert takers includes sub-specialists who don't the luxury of recently being exposed to "everything." Just my 2 cents.

 

[mrpankration]

Then how do you explain the fact that for the spring 2013 recertification exam the pass rate was actually just 67% for people who showed up and did their job as residents, passed the exam, and then continued to show up and do their job as attendings for another decade (or two decades plus passing a prior recertification)?

I can't explain it. My test experience that I posted was with respect to the initial certification exam, not the recertification exam. I have no experience with the recert exam and cannot comment intelligently on it.

 

[DoctorDr]

Its waiting game now

HAve a great post labor day everyone

 

[Celestine]

Hey, not takings boards any time soon, lol (just a lowly intern). However, I did recently buy MKSAP 16 because I seem to learn best with questions, especially when I don't have much time to study. Do you guys have any idea what the "H" in the top right corner of some questions signifies? Thanks

 

[docrusa]

Looking for a SP to study the FA for IMboards please email me at [email protected]

 

[obiwan]

Hey, not takings boards any time soon, lol (just a lowly intern). However, I did recently buy MKSAP 16 because I seem to learn best with questions, especially when I don't have much time to study. Do you guys have any idea what the "H" in the top right corner of some questions signifies? Thanks

i believe high yield ?

 

[Bandido]

It means Hospital Medicine.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

regarding the ABIM test, is there any difference between scoring passing and scoring full score? Any benefits to the latter?