For what it's worth, the UWorld interface is similar to the actual exam. Including the colors and the layout. The only difference is that the actual exam has a split screen (question stem on the left, answer choices on the right).
Official ABIM Exam/study tools thread!
- Thread starter timurx
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Mine says the same. Did you pass?
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I took my exam on 8/28/19 and praying for a pass in midst of a busy fellowship. Any idea when we will get our results
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Historically it’s been in October. That’s about the best I can tell you
Considering last few years, i think, results will be out around middle of October.
I dont know about other people but this wait is killing me
It’s been a long wait indeed.
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Go check your results ladies and gentleman. Thank you God I passed
Mine is still not avaible yet even though my friend who took it the same day got his.
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Passed, thank god
Passed.
I'll go ahead and post my stats to help future residents... Ite scores 1st 2nd and 3rd years: 33, 52, 72. Step 3: 239 in August of 2nd year. Used mksap text as reference only, didn't read it all. Oct of 3rd year I started mksap questions(did some subject specific mksap throughout 1st and 2nd years but not much). Was done with about 1/3rd of mksap by graduation. Started fellowship, completed the rest of the 2/3rds of questions. Repeated maybe 200 of the wrongs. Read a few my weakest chapters in board basics, not all of it. Got a 461, which is comfortably passing. Felt good during the test overall. I studied very hard throughout residency as far as reading guidelines and literature goes. I only did mksap at the end, really. So I was overall confident going into it. But I felt like mksap questions covered the content well, didn't need more.
I'll go ahead and post my stats to help future residents... Ite scores 1st 2nd and 3rd years: 33, 52, 72. Step 3: 239 in August of 2nd year. Used mksap text as reference only, didn't read it all. Oct of 3rd year I started mksap questions(did some subject specific mksap throughout 1st and 2nd years but not much). Was done with about 1/3rd of mksap by graduation. Started fellowship, completed the rest of the 2/3rds of questions. Repeated maybe 200 of the wrongs. Read a few my weakest chapters in board basics, not all of it. Got a 461, which is comfortably passing. Felt good during the test overall. I studied very hard throughout residency as far as reading guidelines and literature goes. I only did mksap at the end, really. So I was overall confident going into it. But I felt like mksap questions covered the content well, didn't need more.
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Passed, cuss the ABIM
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Passed! Score 500!
3rd time! Thank God! Will post to after work and pass on all the advice I have received last year!
3rd time! Thank God! Will post to after work and pass on all the advice I have received last year!
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Pass.
I had a busy last six months of residency and had a lot of call at the beginning of fellowship so I only did Uworld maybe halfway through and crammed some MedStudy videos in at the end. I had always gotten above 70th percentile on ITE (one year above 90th) and did 250s-260s on the first two steps. So statistics were on my side but I wished I’d done more as the exam felt much harder to me than the steps (which I actually had time and energy to study for).
See you in ten years ABIM.
I had a busy last six months of residency and had a lot of call at the beginning of fellowship so I only did Uworld maybe halfway through and crammed some MedStudy videos in at the end. I had always gotten above 70th percentile on ITE (one year above 90th) and did 250s-260s on the first two steps. So statistics were on my side but I wished I’d done more as the exam felt much harder to me than the steps (which I actually had time and energy to study for).
See you in ten years ABIM.
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484 in the context of around 60% UWorld x1
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Passed as well! I'll give my two cents as well since I'm not exactly the poster boy of standardized testing.
Step 1: sub 200
Step 2: 220ish
Step 3: Honestly can't remember, but similar to Step 2
ITE 1st year: 10%
ITE 2nd year: 31% (I think)
ITE 3rd year: 39%
Prep: Uworld x1.5 passes starting mainly in May, Awesome Board Review towards the end of residency, skimmed the bolded sections of board basics. Passed with a 430.
Step 1: sub 200
Step 2: 220ish
Step 3: Honestly can't remember, but similar to Step 2
ITE 1st year: 10%
ITE 2nd year: 31% (I think)
ITE 3rd year: 39%
Prep: Uworld x1.5 passes starting mainly in May, Awesome Board Review towards the end of residency, skimmed the bolded sections of board basics. Passed with a 430.
Night Runner
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Failed!
Hard to take on top of a depression.
Congrats to all who passed.
For those who failed I very much feel you pain. Good luck on future exams.
Unfortunately this was my last chance. Hope I'll survive this one.
Hard to take on top of a depression.
Congrats to all who passed.
For those who failed I very much feel you pain. Good luck on future exams.
Unfortunately this was my last chance. Hope I'll survive this one.
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Why is it your last chance?
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Hey man, it’s not an indictment of your ability as a doc. I’m sure you do right by your patients. Seriously, f*** the ABIM. Can always message me if you need someone to chat with.
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I’m very sorry to hear that, I was also in the same boat as this was my seventh year and last chance to take it. Thankfully I passed, however, I can only imagine what you are going through. I had already started planning ahead if I possibly failed it, which would have included one year of residency again which would have been devastating. Don’t give up. You have come this far. Keep at it and devote yourself and time towards getting what you want in the future, whatever that may be. Best of luck
Scorpion K
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I failed too!
Have one more attempt left.
Will need to start preparing again....
Failedagain and Rongy_Dringus how do I get in touch with you?
Thanks again for all your help everyone.
Have one more attempt left.
Will need to start preparing again....
Failedagain and Rongy_Dringus how do I get in touch with you?
Thanks again for all your help everyone.
Passed comfortably, thankfully. Above the mean. I did MKSAP 17 throughout the last year or so of residency but when it came down to 6-8 months before the exam I did UWorld x2 thorough review in untimed tutor mode. Then got about halfway through incorrects which I felt was low yield after going through UWorld twice. I did Medstudy Videos x1 (extremely helpful). Board Basics x1 which may or may not have helped. I don't learn well with fragmented information. I could not get through the Medstudy books. They were too dense. I got through 3 major systems and then couldn't take it anymore. I did below average on my ITEs so I think it took me more effort to prep. So glad to get this bulli**** behind me.
A note: My test was crap. I felt it was really difficult, stupidly confusing questions where two answers seemed very right. My Internal Medicine Board exam did not cover CHF, STEMI/NSTEMI, AKI, DKA, or any of the classic medicine topics that I've seen for the past 1 year that I have been practicing as a hospitalist. Instead, it wanted to know if I could differentiate between vasculitis with all values given in the question stem affirmative for two answer choices, or what happens when you do multiple maneuvers on someone's shoulder. I was angered and disheartened after I took the exam. So glad I came on the right side of the curve. Good riddance for 10 years!
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I passed!!! This was my third attempt and a lot was riding on this for me career wise so my heart goes out to those who didn’t make it this year. Don’t give up. And don’t let it define you or the phenomenal physicians you are.
What did I do different this year? Started earlier. Did uworld 2x and MKSAP once with incorrects. Was around 65% first pass and over 70% second. Attended a board review for a week. Used flash cards. Read MedStudy for all the high yield topics (Cards, Pulm/crit, Endo, GI, Rheum) and made notes. Read board basics once for everything after that. Focusing on the areas that are highest proportionately based on abim’s website and using my score report from the last two times, helped me study in great detail in the areas I needed to most. I studied smarter this year. Happy to help anyone who wants to inbox me
What did I do different this year? Started earlier. Did uworld 2x and MKSAP once with incorrects. Was around 65% first pass and over 70% second. Attended a board review for a week. Used flash cards. Read MedStudy for all the high yield topics (Cards, Pulm/crit, Endo, GI, Rheum) and made notes. Read board basics once for everything after that. Focusing on the areas that are highest proportionately based on abim’s website and using my score report from the last two times, helped me study in great detail in the areas I needed to most. I studied smarter this year. Happy to help anyone who wants to inbox me
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Passed with a little wriggle room. Definitely not a good test taker. I read board basics x 1. Did mksap 18 questions x 1. In retrospect, the questions were such crapshoot that I am not sure if there is a great way to prep.
For folks who have to take it again, we are pulling for you!
For folks who have to take it again, we are pulling for you!
Having said that, test day was awful for me and I felt like I was guessing a lot of them. I do think that having the fundamentals down for all the other more straightforward questions must’ve seen me through ♀️
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Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.........
Passed on my 2nd attempt: Studied for about 8 month while in residency mainly with Board basics and MKSAP, took Awesome Board Prep course which was required by my residency program (didn't find it helpful). Thought I studied enough prior to July, started my job Mid July 2018 at a busy Ivy League Academic practice and commuting 2.5 hours (total) to work didn't leave much time to review but I did the best I could between patient sessions and on weekend. The exam was tough but fair. Towards the end I rushed through the 3/4 block because I had a flight to catch (not recommended). I received my score few days before my birthday. Having never failed an exam in my life, I was sad, angry, depression, worried about how my failure would affect my work, my ability to care for my patients, what my colleagues/peer would think about me but I remained hopeful and optimistic. Life went on, I had an amazing birthday party, and proposed to my long time GF (had be planing for 6-9 months before failing). I looked at my score report in November and made a plan. MKSAP/BB was not enough (imo).
Step 1: 227
Step 2: 225
Step 3: 208
ITE - I think I did okay.
Prep 2nd Attempt: I decided to do things differently I bought First AID for ABIM, Med Study Videos and Uworld. In November, I started listening to Med Study Videos (at 1.25x speed) on my daily commute to work. After Med study, I spent a few weeks reading through First Aid for the first time. Around Feb 2019 I started Uworld and made notes on my First Aid. I did not touch Board basics but I did review all of MKSAP 17 once and also made notes on my First AID. At the end I went through Med study video x3 on my commute to work, Uworld x 2, First Aid x 2, and MKSAP 17 x 1. Prior to my test date, I took the last 2 weeks off work to review and work on my weak areas (an absolute must). For those who didn't pass, don't be discouraged. You can do it!!
Sorry for the TYPOS (just very excited to move on from this BS exam)
Passed on my 2nd attempt: Studied for about 8 month while in residency mainly with Board basics and MKSAP, took Awesome Board Prep course which was required by my residency program (didn't find it helpful). Thought I studied enough prior to July, started my job Mid July 2018 at a busy Ivy League Academic practice and commuting 2.5 hours (total) to work didn't leave much time to review but I did the best I could between patient sessions and on weekend. The exam was tough but fair. Towards the end I rushed through the 3/4 block because I had a flight to catch (not recommended). I received my score few days before my birthday. Having never failed an exam in my life, I was sad, angry, depression, worried about how my failure would affect my work, my ability to care for my patients, what my colleagues/peer would think about me but I remained hopeful and optimistic. Life went on, I had an amazing birthday party, and proposed to my long time GF (had be planing for 6-9 months before failing). I looked at my score report in November and made a plan. MKSAP/BB was not enough (imo).
Step 1: 227
Step 2: 225
Step 3: 208
ITE - I think I did okay.
Prep 2nd Attempt: I decided to do things differently I bought First AID for ABIM, Med Study Videos and Uworld. In November, I started listening to Med Study Videos (at 1.25x speed) on my daily commute to work. After Med study, I spent a few weeks reading through First Aid for the first time. Around Feb 2019 I started Uworld and made notes on my First Aid. I did not touch Board basics but I did review all of MKSAP 17 once and also made notes on my First AID. At the end I went through Med study video x3 on my commute to work, Uworld x 2, First Aid x 2, and MKSAP 17 x 1. Prior to my test date, I took the last 2 weeks off work to review and work on my weak areas (an absolute must). For those who didn't pass, don't be discouraged. You can do it!!
Sorry for the TYPOS (just very excited to move on from this BS exam)
Passed. 501.
ITE intern: 17%ile
PGY2: 7%ile
PGY3: 25%ile
I did MKsap 17 during 2nd year. Repeated during third year. Dedicated 4 weeks to UWORLD. Finished 63%. Did incorrects and took exam.
Exam was fair, I thought. I took it on the 22nd and it sounds like those who took it a week later had a completely different version. Typical post test distress weeks after...
Take aways:
1. This exam has little correlation from prior exams. I don't think it correlates to ITE very well, although this may be the closest measure.
2. Don't take this exam lightly.
3. ABIM has us. Who knows when things will change.
4. Congrats to those who passed.
5. We collectively support all who did not. Keep trying, persevere.
ITE intern: 17%ile
PGY2: 7%ile
PGY3: 25%ile
I did MKsap 17 during 2nd year. Repeated during third year. Dedicated 4 weeks to UWORLD. Finished 63%. Did incorrects and took exam.
Exam was fair, I thought. I took it on the 22nd and it sounds like those who took it a week later had a completely different version. Typical post test distress weeks after...
Take aways:
1. This exam has little correlation from prior exams. I don't think it correlates to ITE very well, although this may be the closest measure.
2. Don't take this exam lightly.
3. ABIM has us. Who knows when things will change.
4. Congrats to those who passed.
5. We collectively support all who did not. Keep trying, persevere.
Passed!
243, 257 & 239 on all 3 steps. 77th, 98th, 99th percentile on my ITE through out my three years. Used MKSAP, MedStudy & UWorld. through out residency
I felt UWorld questions were the closest to the exam structure & content except that I don't think this exam tries to trick you - there will be a lot of questions where you will narrow it down to 2 multiple choice answers and there will be stuff you haven't seen before but I think those are pilot questions and probably won't count towards the final score. I marked at least 15 questions each section - maybe more. Overall, I thought it was a fair exam which required that you study well in your residency. I am in a busy cardiology fellowship and couldn't study much in the first 6 weeks of fellowship (had to also work 2/6 weekends prior to the exam which I took on 8/16) - so please take that into consideration in case any of you are planning on applying for fellowship - study way in advance!
Final Score: 729.
Congratulations to all who passed! For those who didn't, don't give up, you will kill it next year - don't be discouraged at all!
243, 257 & 239 on all 3 steps. 77th, 98th, 99th percentile on my ITE through out my three years. Used MKSAP, MedStudy & UWorld. through out residency
I felt UWorld questions were the closest to the exam structure & content except that I don't think this exam tries to trick you - there will be a lot of questions where you will narrow it down to 2 multiple choice answers and there will be stuff you haven't seen before but I think those are pilot questions and probably won't count towards the final score. I marked at least 15 questions each section - maybe more. Overall, I thought it was a fair exam which required that you study well in your residency. I am in a busy cardiology fellowship and couldn't study much in the first 6 weeks of fellowship (had to also work 2/6 weekends prior to the exam which I took on 8/16) - so please take that into consideration in case any of you are planning on applying for fellowship - study way in advance!
Final Score: 729.
Congratulations to all who passed! For those who didn't, don't give up, you will kill it next year - don't be discouraged at all!
Hi all
First time posting mostly because I am disheartened and am not sure where to go from here.
I failed ABIM for the second time this year. I had used MKSAP 17 first time around with board basics and reviewed the MKSAP books. Used Uworld as my question bank this time with the MKSAP subject books and board basics.
I think I will be looking into online review courses and live courses both. Wondering if anyone has recommendations for either. It seems that awesome board review seems to be the most popular but is it really worth it? What about The pass machine- dont see much about that?
I am currently in a 3 year fellowship. Also wondering what this means in terms of sitting for speciality boards and job prospects? I wont be able to sit for speciality boards next year but would I still be eligible for a job in my field?
Any recommendations would be apprciated.
First time posting mostly because I am disheartened and am not sure where to go from here.
I failed ABIM for the second time this year. I had used MKSAP 17 first time around with board basics and reviewed the MKSAP books. Used Uworld as my question bank this time with the MKSAP subject books and board basics.
I think I will be looking into online review courses and live courses both. Wondering if anyone has recommendations for either. It seems that awesome board review seems to be the most popular but is it really worth it? What about The pass machine- dont see much about that?
I am currently in a 3 year fellowship. Also wondering what this means in terms of sitting for speciality boards and job prospects? I wont be able to sit for speciality boards next year but would I still be eligible for a job in my field?
Any recommendations would be apprciated.
I’m so sorry. I remember what that felt like. Take some time to mourn this and then get back on the horse. See above for the changes I made to my studying for the 3rd attempt. As far as board reviews, I did awesome and mayo in each of the past two years, and mayo was much more high yield and helpful for me. Plus their online portal is much more helpful and they do a pre and post test. Most people do awesome review and swear by it, but his approach was terrible for me and didn’t help me as much because he goes so fast. But that likely is person dependent. I did pass for step 2 and thought it was extremely good but don’t know about it’s abim track record.
Uworld to me is more like the test in general, although i’ll be honest and say this particular year, the test was different from both u world and MKSAP for me. I do think focusing most of your detailed time on the 4-5 subjects with the highest proportion of questions per abim’s breakdown is very useful in the beginning with subject based questions (from other qbanks or books if possible so you save uworld for later). For this I did medstudy books in detail for the highest yield 5 topics, made notes and reviews them over and over. Plus tested myself with subject questions and flash cards. Listened to medstudy audios for the same highest yield topics at home whilst reading from the books and in the car. Also use your score report to see the types of areas you need to understand better. But a month or two before you should be doing more mixed question, longer blocks and high yield flash cards and/or board basics, and reviewing incorrects in detail. Hope this helps. Inbox me if you need help with a schedule
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Ok, so I’ve failed this exam several times before and took it on and off randomly, never taking it serious. First time was right after my wedding and was looking forward to the honeymoon and not the exam. Then, every summer I’d want to enjoy it and travelled a lot. So I kept failing. I didn’t care since my Hospitalist positions required only board eligible. Well, I tried leaving this job and going to another one, and all the ones I applied to wanted certification. So I realized things are getting harder for me. Furthermore, I realized there’s only 7 years of board eligibility post residency and this was my last year. That all hit me at once like a brick wall.
I’ve always been a crappy test taker. Usmle were low 200s and ITEs were 5% or less. But I’m personable, witty, and great at my job. I’ve won various awards every year out of residency for the first 4 years of practice. So I knew the whole time that this exam is just bs and doesn’t mean anything. Just a cash cow for a select few.
Anyway, realizing that I’d have to repeat a year of residency or forever be not certified, I set up a plan. I started studying in November 2018. I’m fortunate to work 7 on 7 off. Lots of study time, especially since I’m divorced now. I started with medstudy and finished all the books, flash cards, the week long course in New York, and questions (72% score), and listened to the audio every morning on the way to work. Medstudy is easy so it shouldn’t be your only source, but it gives a good foundation.
I also bought mksap questions (62% score) and Uworld (63% score, 72nd percentile), and did them once for the remaining 4 months of studying. I also reviewed Know-medge trivia tweets on Twitter, and made stickys that I’d review every night for major GI and cardiology concepts.
I treated this like it was the military. I didn’t skip a day. It was do or die and I was determined to pass.
I’ve honestly had nightmares for years about this exam, everything from broken test computers, arriving late for the exam and being denied entry, to realizing I forgot to learn how do an oil change for cars because that was on the exam.
Sorry for the long post. It’s not just a post for you, but also to forever document my struggle and path to passing.
So all said and done, with the amount of studying I did, I found this exam to be straightforward and fair. Unlike in the past where it all looked Chinese to me. Today I saw the email. I started to hyperventilate as I logged in. My heart raced. I saw “Pass”, fell to my knees and cried tears of joy for the first time in my life.
I passed with a 516, higher than the 500 mean. In the past my scores ranged from 217-358.
I truly believe it’s doable. But you have to set aside time for it daily and review it over and over again. Once you do that, you start to see the patterns. You can do it, but you need to treat it very seriously.
To those who failed, I’ve been in your shoes multiple times before. Keep your head up. Take it seriously. It’s a year from your life, but when it’s done, it’s done. Wishing you all luck. Finally and most important: Thank you God
I’ve always been a crappy test taker. Usmle were low 200s and ITEs were 5% or less. But I’m personable, witty, and great at my job. I’ve won various awards every year out of residency for the first 4 years of practice. So I knew the whole time that this exam is just bs and doesn’t mean anything. Just a cash cow for a select few.
Anyway, realizing that I’d have to repeat a year of residency or forever be not certified, I set up a plan. I started studying in November 2018. I’m fortunate to work 7 on 7 off. Lots of study time, especially since I’m divorced now. I started with medstudy and finished all the books, flash cards, the week long course in New York, and questions (72% score), and listened to the audio every morning on the way to work. Medstudy is easy so it shouldn’t be your only source, but it gives a good foundation.
I also bought mksap questions (62% score) and Uworld (63% score, 72nd percentile), and did them once for the remaining 4 months of studying. I also reviewed Know-medge trivia tweets on Twitter, and made stickys that I’d review every night for major GI and cardiology concepts.
I treated this like it was the military. I didn’t skip a day. It was do or die and I was determined to pass.
I’ve honestly had nightmares for years about this exam, everything from broken test computers, arriving late for the exam and being denied entry, to realizing I forgot to learn how do an oil change for cars because that was on the exam.
Sorry for the long post. It’s not just a post for you, but also to forever document my struggle and path to passing.
So all said and done, with the amount of studying I did, I found this exam to be straightforward and fair. Unlike in the past where it all looked Chinese to me. Today I saw the email. I started to hyperventilate as I logged in. My heart raced. I saw “Pass”, fell to my knees and cried tears of joy for the first time in my life.
I passed with a 516, higher than the 500 mean. In the past my scores ranged from 217-358.
I truly believe it’s doable. But you have to set aside time for it daily and review it over and over again. Once you do that, you start to see the patterns. You can do it, but you need to treat it very seriously.
To those who failed, I’ve been in your shoes multiple times before. Keep your head up. Take it seriously. It’s a year from your life, but when it’s done, it’s done. Wishing you all luck. Finally and most important: Thank you God
As far as career implications, most places need you to be board eligible to credential. That’s all that’s needed for permanent license. Have people advocate for you if you’re interviewing unless you plan to take some time off
phoenix1234
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I failed last year (1st attempt) and passed this year.
I studied significantly more this year and my score was above the mean. My lack of studying last year was due to multiple factors including moving, starting fellowship, etc.
I've reflected a lot in the last year on the whole process we have to go through to become physicians and become board certified because of the experience I've had with this test. To be working 60+ hours a week and then on top of that to have to 1) do research, 2) apply for fellowship, 3) study for boards, 4) be normal people/see family and friends... I know this period is temporary but it is a lot for us to do. And I've always been someone who just keeps working and doing all the things that I need to do... but this experience made me pause and was a reminder to me that I have a limit. Sometimes working as a resident/fellow + board studying + research + spending time with family is just all too much at one time. I wish we had 2 months off to study for this like they do for the bar exam but what can you do.
Anyway, my ITE scores were ~40% on average. I've always done well on standardized tests. I had great internal medicine training. So it takes more than these factors to pass this test.
There are people who will say that this test is easy. This test is not "easy." What I did study-wise is posted below and I will tell you that, even though I did all that, and even though I scored above the average this year, I had to really sit and think about a lot of the questions on test day. Even if you study MKSAP intensely, there will be questions/material on the test that are not in MKSAP. For this reason, I don't see how this test can be considered "easy."
Last year, I did the MKSAP questions 1x. If I didn't understand the answer, I moved onto the next question. Obviously this strategy didn't work.
This year, I did the following:
-I read all the MKSAP books. I know this sounds crazy and I'm not saying you need to do this to pass. Most people do *not* read all those books. However, I was so psyched out from having failed the first time around that I figured, if I just went right into questions and was doing poorly on them, it would really mess with my head. So I read the books and afterward, I'd do the questions.
-MKSAP questions x1 (~68% first run through)
-MKSAP questions x2- somewhere in the 80's
All this took me probably 4-5 months (while working).
There is a booster pack of questions from MKSAP I wanted to do but I didn't have time. I've heard mixed things about UWorld which is why I didn't do UWorld. Someone also told me to do the NEJM questions but I didn't have time for that. I've overall heard good things about Awesome Review.
There are lots of resources but MKSAP appears to be the most widely used. I've heard that being somewhere in the 65+% range on the first run through MKSAP is pretty good in terms of predicting if you are more likely to pass.
The actual test day is VERY long. Or at least for me it is. I felt (both years) that I had enough time to answer questions. I never felt that I had run out of time. I usually run through the questions in about half the time per block and then use the rest of the time to check answers.
However, by the end of the day I am drained. There were a couple questions I had been thinking about right after the test and I couldn't figure out the answer. The following day, I thought of those questions and the answers were so obvious to me. But nearing the end of an 8+ hour test, sometimes it's hard to still be thinking clearly. So be well rested in the days leading up to the exam.
There are all these numbers that float around in terms of what percentage of questions you need to get right to pass. I don't know what the real percentage it.
However, my strategy this year was to be confident about 50% of the test and to try to narrow down the rest of the test to ~2 answer choices. Overall, I was able to do this. There were only a handful I really had to guess on. So based on these numbers, I likely got ~75% of the test right but perhaps I got more/less right. Hard to know. But, regardless of that, I figured with that strategy I should have enough points to pass (because there's no way 75% would be the cut-off for a passing score) and this worked.
I DO feel that you need to study for this test. Even if you did well on your ITE's and even if you're coming out of a solid program, I recommend against just going in cold. I have heard stories of people not studying much and then calling the test "easy" and I just don't really see how that is possible.
Also, be kind to your colleagues. I told very few people I failed on my first attempt. It is a tough thing to experience. It messes with your head and then, you have to wait an entire year to take it again. If you hear that someone failed, don't make fun of that person. Think about what a tough experience that must be. Lawyers get 2 months off (usually) to study for the bar exam. We take this giant test while working more than full time with multiple other work commitments/responsibilities we are dealing with at the same time.
To those who failed, don't lose hope. I obviously know how tough it is to have to go sit in there again after having failed it. Do practice questions. Do MKSAP. Use other sources that are helpful to you. *Rule out wrong answer choices.* And the way you become better at that is from practice. Overall, I narrowed about 50% of the test down to 2 answer choices and was then able to pick the one that I thought was best. Every question counts. I probably only failed the first time by a couple questions. But at the end of the day, on a test like this, whether you fail by 1 question or 50 questions doesn't matter. So take every question seriously. Read every question carefully. You can do it!!
-Phoenix
I studied significantly more this year and my score was above the mean. My lack of studying last year was due to multiple factors including moving, starting fellowship, etc.
I've reflected a lot in the last year on the whole process we have to go through to become physicians and become board certified because of the experience I've had with this test. To be working 60+ hours a week and then on top of that to have to 1) do research, 2) apply for fellowship, 3) study for boards, 4) be normal people/see family and friends... I know this period is temporary but it is a lot for us to do. And I've always been someone who just keeps working and doing all the things that I need to do... but this experience made me pause and was a reminder to me that I have a limit. Sometimes working as a resident/fellow + board studying + research + spending time with family is just all too much at one time. I wish we had 2 months off to study for this like they do for the bar exam but what can you do.
Anyway, my ITE scores were ~40% on average. I've always done well on standardized tests. I had great internal medicine training. So it takes more than these factors to pass this test.
There are people who will say that this test is easy. This test is not "easy." What I did study-wise is posted below and I will tell you that, even though I did all that, and even though I scored above the average this year, I had to really sit and think about a lot of the questions on test day. Even if you study MKSAP intensely, there will be questions/material on the test that are not in MKSAP. For this reason, I don't see how this test can be considered "easy."
Last year, I did the MKSAP questions 1x. If I didn't understand the answer, I moved onto the next question. Obviously this strategy didn't work.
This year, I did the following:
-I read all the MKSAP books. I know this sounds crazy and I'm not saying you need to do this to pass. Most people do *not* read all those books. However, I was so psyched out from having failed the first time around that I figured, if I just went right into questions and was doing poorly on them, it would really mess with my head. So I read the books and afterward, I'd do the questions.
-MKSAP questions x1 (~68% first run through)
-MKSAP questions x2- somewhere in the 80's
All this took me probably 4-5 months (while working).
There is a booster pack of questions from MKSAP I wanted to do but I didn't have time. I've heard mixed things about UWorld which is why I didn't do UWorld. Someone also told me to do the NEJM questions but I didn't have time for that. I've overall heard good things about Awesome Review.
There are lots of resources but MKSAP appears to be the most widely used. I've heard that being somewhere in the 65+% range on the first run through MKSAP is pretty good in terms of predicting if you are more likely to pass.
The actual test day is VERY long. Or at least for me it is. I felt (both years) that I had enough time to answer questions. I never felt that I had run out of time. I usually run through the questions in about half the time per block and then use the rest of the time to check answers.
However, by the end of the day I am drained. There were a couple questions I had been thinking about right after the test and I couldn't figure out the answer. The following day, I thought of those questions and the answers were so obvious to me. But nearing the end of an 8+ hour test, sometimes it's hard to still be thinking clearly. So be well rested in the days leading up to the exam.
There are all these numbers that float around in terms of what percentage of questions you need to get right to pass. I don't know what the real percentage it.
However, my strategy this year was to be confident about 50% of the test and to try to narrow down the rest of the test to ~2 answer choices. Overall, I was able to do this. There were only a handful I really had to guess on. So based on these numbers, I likely got ~75% of the test right but perhaps I got more/less right. Hard to know. But, regardless of that, I figured with that strategy I should have enough points to pass (because there's no way 75% would be the cut-off for a passing score) and this worked.
I DO feel that you need to study for this test. Even if you did well on your ITE's and even if you're coming out of a solid program, I recommend against just going in cold. I have heard stories of people not studying much and then calling the test "easy" and I just don't really see how that is possible.
Also, be kind to your colleagues. I told very few people I failed on my first attempt. It is a tough thing to experience. It messes with your head and then, you have to wait an entire year to take it again. If you hear that someone failed, don't make fun of that person. Think about what a tough experience that must be. Lawyers get 2 months off (usually) to study for the bar exam. We take this giant test while working more than full time with multiple other work commitments/responsibilities we are dealing with at the same time.
To those who failed, don't lose hope. I obviously know how tough it is to have to go sit in there again after having failed it. Do practice questions. Do MKSAP. Use other sources that are helpful to you. *Rule out wrong answer choices.* And the way you become better at that is from practice. Overall, I narrowed about 50% of the test down to 2 answer choices and was then able to pick the one that I thought was best. Every question counts. I probably only failed the first time by a couple questions. But at the end of the day, on a test like this, whether you fail by 1 question or 50 questions doesn't matter. So take every question seriously. Read every question carefully. You can do it!!
-Phoenix
Night Runner
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Thank you CatFactorial for your kind words.
Anyway you slice it it's a bitter pill to swallow. I completed IM residency before 2012 so no more exams allowed at this point unless something changes.
I'm hearing great news from my coresidents who passed but I myself haven't received any notification from ABIM. Did anyone else not receive word yet? This sucks. I was reading in past threads that they can roll out in waves over a few day span.
Night Runner
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I completed IM residency before 2012 and never took the exam, this year was the last chance.
I studied for 4 months before the exam, the last 2 months I took off to study full time and was studying 3-4 hours a day in May & June.
Obviously didn't do the trick, failed and no more attempts allowed in my case unless ABIM changes the rules. (Or go back to do an additional year of residency!)
I feel worthless right now. Hope I'll survive this experience.
Hey everyone, I have used this board studying inspiration and strategy for the last 2 years so I thought I would share my experience.
First, some background information. I am an AMG, Step 1: 205, Step 2: 219, Step 3: 221. I have never been a great test taker and feel thatI spend more time learning material than my peers. I started residency without studying at all my 4th year of med school. PGY 1 ITE: 10% , PGY 2 ITE: 73%, PGY3 ITE 88%.
My intern year ITE scores were a big wake up call and I read the MKSAP 17 && BB from cover to cover, completed all the MKSAP questions and read their explanations x3. I then reviewed all the concepts I missed on my ITE my PGY1 year and made a study guide off of that. I took my Step 3 1 week before my ITE which I think really helped my PGY2 score.
My PGY2 year, I read MKSAP 17&& BB again x1, did all the questions x2 again, by this time, I had all the questions memorized and could easily recite the questions and answers w/ explanations. I again made an outline of all missed concepts on my ITE.
PGY3: my program provides MKSAP so I received the new MKSAP 18- did all the questions x3, read BB x1, purchased UWORLD- completed the questions x2. In the spring, I did the medstudy video course. They provide an outlined study guide- I annotated the uworld questions and incorrect MKSAP questions onto this. I also again made a study guide of all missed concepts on my ITE.
I started fellowship in July and was working 13-14 hour days- so I grossly underestimated my study time but studied during any possible spare time. I maybe studied 10 hours/week.during this time, I kept re-reading my annotated med study outline w/ uworld and mishap questions, did random uworld questions as time allowed, and read my missed questions ITE summary guidelines.
Result: First Time- Pass, 584.
My takeaway: If you are doing a fellowship, start studying early and take the exam early (I took mine at the end of august -_-). I do not think I would have passed if I only read BB and completed the MKSAP questions. I felt the MKSAP questions were too basic and key for learning basic material. UWorld questions were gold and the Medstudy videos and review outline was gold because of the bullet point structure and the expansion of the differential for similar presentations. I felt a lot of questions were not in any review source, and I knew because of clinical encounters, random noon conferences from residency- so residents, constantly look up guidelines and solidify those, go and listen to noon conferences even if they are on a boring topic (that stuff shows up!) I felt good during and after the exam (I never took a timed exam or did timed questions, felt like I had 15-20 minutes after every problem set and went back and reviewed all of the questions/ answers and how sure I was on that being the correct answer-- this helped to build my confidence during the exam as well. I did mark that I was confident on about ~75% of the exam answers and the rest I did not know flat or guessed cold between two answers). This is by no means an easy test, it is the certification exam for internal medicine to become board certified in the United States... anyone who says otherwise is not accurately representing the exam. Some may say I put in more work than necessary, but historically, I don't perform well on tests, and I planned accordingly to address that shortcoming and my learning style (repetition).
For those who did not pass, my advice would be to be self aware regarding how best you learn and structure your study strategy based on it. identifying weaknesses is key and residency did help with this- whenever I had a clinical scenario I didn't know the next step/diagnosis, I read the guidelines. those little things paid off because it ended up appearing on my test.Fully agree that the closer you are to residency, the easier it seems to be able to pass just because of the constant education by attending, noon conferences, journal club, grand rounds, etc.
First, some background information. I am an AMG, Step 1: 205, Step 2: 219, Step 3: 221. I have never been a great test taker and feel thatI spend more time learning material than my peers. I started residency without studying at all my 4th year of med school. PGY 1 ITE: 10% , PGY 2 ITE: 73%, PGY3 ITE 88%.
My intern year ITE scores were a big wake up call and I read the MKSAP 17 && BB from cover to cover, completed all the MKSAP questions and read their explanations x3. I then reviewed all the concepts I missed on my ITE my PGY1 year and made a study guide off of that. I took my Step 3 1 week before my ITE which I think really helped my PGY2 score.
My PGY2 year, I read MKSAP 17&& BB again x1, did all the questions x2 again, by this time, I had all the questions memorized and could easily recite the questions and answers w/ explanations. I again made an outline of all missed concepts on my ITE.
PGY3: my program provides MKSAP so I received the new MKSAP 18- did all the questions x3, read BB x1, purchased UWORLD- completed the questions x2. In the spring, I did the medstudy video course. They provide an outlined study guide- I annotated the uworld questions and incorrect MKSAP questions onto this. I also again made a study guide of all missed concepts on my ITE.
I started fellowship in July and was working 13-14 hour days- so I grossly underestimated my study time but studied during any possible spare time. I maybe studied 10 hours/week.during this time, I kept re-reading my annotated med study outline w/ uworld and mishap questions, did random uworld questions as time allowed, and read my missed questions ITE summary guidelines.
Result: First Time- Pass, 584.
My takeaway: If you are doing a fellowship, start studying early and take the exam early (I took mine at the end of august -_-). I do not think I would have passed if I only read BB and completed the MKSAP questions. I felt the MKSAP questions were too basic and key for learning basic material. UWorld questions were gold and the Medstudy videos and review outline was gold because of the bullet point structure and the expansion of the differential for similar presentations. I felt a lot of questions were not in any review source, and I knew because of clinical encounters, random noon conferences from residency- so residents, constantly look up guidelines and solidify those, go and listen to noon conferences even if they are on a boring topic (that stuff shows up!) I felt good during and after the exam (I never took a timed exam or did timed questions, felt like I had 15-20 minutes after every problem set and went back and reviewed all of the questions/ answers and how sure I was on that being the correct answer-- this helped to build my confidence during the exam as well. I did mark that I was confident on about ~75% of the exam answers and the rest I did not know flat or guessed cold between two answers). This is by no means an easy test, it is the certification exam for internal medicine to become board certified in the United States... anyone who says otherwise is not accurately representing the exam. Some may say I put in more work than necessary, but historically, I don't perform well on tests, and I planned accordingly to address that shortcoming and my learning style (repetition).
For those who did not pass, my advice would be to be self aware regarding how best you learn and structure your study strategy based on it. identifying weaknesses is key and residency did help with this- whenever I had a clinical scenario I didn't know the next step/diagnosis, I read the guidelines. those little things paid off because it ended up appearing on my test.Fully agree that the closer you are to residency, the easier it seems to be able to pass just because of the constant education by attending, noon conferences, journal club, grand rounds, etc.
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Passed, scored >600. First attempt, just finished residency this year. Step 1/2 around 240s; DO grad from mid tier academic program. ITEs around 75-85 percentile all three years. Started prep 4 weeks prior to exam (but read on patients throughout residency) and completed 75% of MKSAP with around 65% average correct in question bank then skimmed board basics 2 days before the exam. Did not read MKSAP per se. Had those weeks off to dedicate to studying before starting full time gig so was able to dedicate around 8 to 10 hours most days to dissecting questions and understand answers. Felt MKSAP questions were enough and board basics def had tips for actual questions on my exam. If you have a strong foundation of knowledge should be enough.
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Sorry man. I really don’t know what to tell you. I was ready to start looking into residencies if I had to. Hang in there, take some time to yourself and do something you enjoy. You’ve studied a lot and regardless if you passed or failed, you should still unwind a bit
I am truly sorry for everyone that didn't pass. I know these words may not mean like much right now but you are not defined by your performance on a test. We are thinking of you as you take your next steps. Sorry for the long post but maybe this will help someone.
Background/My stats: I don't consider myself a good test taker (coupled with moderate anxiety) and I know it takes me at least 2-3x as long with repetition to retain maybe half of what I study. Step1/2 220-230s, Step 3 240s. I took step 3 in my last year, so that was helpful in reviewing medicine. I feel I got a solid IM training but I did a combined residency so I also felt drained and exhausted at the end of residency then went on to start a busy fellowship in pediatrics. My residency required that we take awesome board review, which was a blessing in disguise because some of the material stuck. I did majority but not all of MKSAP 17 over the course of residency (did high yield topics like cards several times and this is what I used to review for ITEs). My initial ITE score sucked about 5th percentile, peaked in 40s but decreased on my last one.
I grossly underestimated how much time I would have to study in fellowship. I finally focused 6weeks before the test. It was SO helpful to have the medstudy personal trainer to guide how much time I needed to focus on each subject and keept it moving (I would review ABR for that subject and then do mixed questions daily). My ideal would've been to do MKSAP 18 and UWorld but I only had time to get thru MSKAP 18 once (averaging anywhere from 67-80% on 30 to 60 question blocks). I skimmed parks of board basics for topics I struggled with to make sure I focused on the highlights.
I finished MSKAP 18 about 1.5weeks before my test. I then focused on reviewing medstudy personal trainer topics that I didn't get thru in my initial review or topics like rheum and oncology that have been my Achilles heel in the past. I got sick unfortunately and had to take 2 days off. On test day, I had medicine, coffee and tons of food on hand. I think about 50% of the test was straight forward and I finished every section with time to spare. I reviewed my questions but I was strategic in any answers I changed, since I knew based on my MKSAP questions, that more than 50% of the time I changed it to the wrong answer. The other half of the test, just guessed or narrowed down to 2 choices. The test felt hard, draining and I was surprised how different from MKSAP many of the questions seemed. While l more than comfortably passed but still think the test was tough but doable.
My suggestions: Pray, take good breaths and stay focused in your studying sessions. Give yourself more time than you think you need. Review questions you've gotten wrong but also convert missed questions to learned concepts. Review, review, review (can't say this enough). Even if the test feels different than what you expected, you built good reasoning skills, recognized patterns and built a good foundation. Finally be confident in your work ethic and studying.
Background/My stats: I don't consider myself a good test taker (coupled with moderate anxiety) and I know it takes me at least 2-3x as long with repetition to retain maybe half of what I study. Step1/2 220-230s, Step 3 240s. I took step 3 in my last year, so that was helpful in reviewing medicine. I feel I got a solid IM training but I did a combined residency so I also felt drained and exhausted at the end of residency then went on to start a busy fellowship in pediatrics. My residency required that we take awesome board review, which was a blessing in disguise because some of the material stuck. I did majority but not all of MKSAP 17 over the course of residency (did high yield topics like cards several times and this is what I used to review for ITEs). My initial ITE score sucked about 5th percentile, peaked in 40s but decreased on my last one.
I grossly underestimated how much time I would have to study in fellowship. I finally focused 6weeks before the test. It was SO helpful to have the medstudy personal trainer to guide how much time I needed to focus on each subject and keept it moving (I would review ABR for that subject and then do mixed questions daily). My ideal would've been to do MKSAP 18 and UWorld but I only had time to get thru MSKAP 18 once (averaging anywhere from 67-80% on 30 to 60 question blocks). I skimmed parks of board basics for topics I struggled with to make sure I focused on the highlights.
I finished MSKAP 18 about 1.5weeks before my test. I then focused on reviewing medstudy personal trainer topics that I didn't get thru in my initial review or topics like rheum and oncology that have been my Achilles heel in the past. I got sick unfortunately and had to take 2 days off. On test day, I had medicine, coffee and tons of food on hand. I think about 50% of the test was straight forward and I finished every section with time to spare. I reviewed my questions but I was strategic in any answers I changed, since I knew based on my MKSAP questions, that more than 50% of the time I changed it to the wrong answer. The other half of the test, just guessed or narrowed down to 2 choices. The test felt hard, draining and I was surprised how different from MKSAP many of the questions seemed. While l more than comfortably passed but still think the test was tough but doable.
My suggestions: Pray, take good breaths and stay focused in your studying sessions. Give yourself more time than you think you need. Review questions you've gotten wrong but also convert missed questions to learned concepts. Review, review, review (can't say this enough). Even if the test feels different than what you expected, you built good reasoning skills, recognized patterns and built a good foundation. Finally be confident in your work ethic and studying.
I passed. 550. Above mean.
3rd try. Yes 3rd.
I have been mostly a silent reader of this forum.
I would like to share my experience so that future text taker could benefit..
I have always been poor text taker. IMG. In my home country, we did not had MCQs system, so i never became good in MCQs. Borderline passing marks on USMLE.
Got residency mainly because of MPH and lot of research and publications.
Was named Intern of the year in my first year. But once my low ITE scores started to come, i was no longer in good books of my PD.
Anyways, i was always around 10th percentile of ITe. Was married with kids and old parent to take care of with busy residency program, so never got enough study time.
Took my boards first time, got 337.
I was working as Hospitalist. Again Very busy job. Took 2nd time, got 441.
This time, i had a baby born 2 months before my exam but still took the exam, and passed.
My score 550.
So what did i did different. Answer is Focus on high Yield subjects.
Musculoskeletal, Endocrinology and General IM.are very highly tested topics which we dont see too much especially in-patient and ignore and they end up biting you big time. I feel Board focus more of out patient stuff more and most of IM are now working as hospitalist so it dont help.
There will be questions which no matter how hard you study, you wont be able to answer. I asked questions from cardiologist and GI specialist after exams and they have no idea about it. But you should focus on other questions which are doable.
So here is my prep
1- Board Basics. Must have. Seriously. You should know each word of BB by heart. Its such a high yield that i cannot emphasize more
2- MKSAP. I did both 17 and 18. 18 is very good and must have. For a average resident, Just BB and MKSAP should be enough.
3. Med Study Video. I bought it from Ebay. Its very good. Esp ID,Endo, Pulmonary, Oncology,dermatology, General IM.
4. U World. Lot of people really like it. I did it in my 2nd attempt. but still i failed. This time i didnt do it and i passed with flying color. Its not that U World is bad. But it do require lot of time, energy and sometime you end up trying to remember too much stuff while ignoring basic and high yield stuff. For those who fail, i would advise them to first master BB, MKSAP 18 and Med study video. Once you are done and still have time, then do U World. Otherwise leave it. Again, thats my experience. I have colleagues who have done Uworld and really really swear on it for its effectiveness but i am not one of them.
Its not really a fair exam. But we have to do it. Its doable. If i can do it, anybody can.
Those who pass, Congratulations. Those who have not, please dont lose hope. Change your study plan as previous one is not working. Make a study plan, talk to people who passed, read this forum which will help you make new study plan depending on your situation. If possible try to find a study partner and get this done. Good luck.
3rd try. Yes 3rd.
I have been mostly a silent reader of this forum.
I would like to share my experience so that future text taker could benefit..
I have always been poor text taker. IMG. In my home country, we did not had MCQs system, so i never became good in MCQs. Borderline passing marks on USMLE.
Got residency mainly because of MPH and lot of research and publications.
Was named Intern of the year in my first year. But once my low ITE scores started to come, i was no longer in good books of my PD.
Anyways, i was always around 10th percentile of ITe. Was married with kids and old parent to take care of with busy residency program, so never got enough study time.
Took my boards first time, got 337.
I was working as Hospitalist. Again Very busy job. Took 2nd time, got 441.
This time, i had a baby born 2 months before my exam but still took the exam, and passed.
My score 550.
So what did i did different. Answer is Focus on high Yield subjects.
Musculoskeletal, Endocrinology and General IM.are very highly tested topics which we dont see too much especially in-patient and ignore and they end up biting you big time. I feel Board focus more of out patient stuff more and most of IM are now working as hospitalist so it dont help.
There will be questions which no matter how hard you study, you wont be able to answer. I asked questions from cardiologist and GI specialist after exams and they have no idea about it. But you should focus on other questions which are doable.
So here is my prep
1- Board Basics. Must have. Seriously. You should know each word of BB by heart. Its such a high yield that i cannot emphasize more
2- MKSAP. I did both 17 and 18. 18 is very good and must have. For a average resident, Just BB and MKSAP should be enough.
3. Med Study Video. I bought it from Ebay. Its very good. Esp ID,Endo, Pulmonary, Oncology,dermatology, General IM.
4. U World. Lot of people really like it. I did it in my 2nd attempt. but still i failed. This time i didnt do it and i passed with flying color. Its not that U World is bad. But it do require lot of time, energy and sometime you end up trying to remember too much stuff while ignoring basic and high yield stuff. For those who fail, i would advise them to first master BB, MKSAP 18 and Med study video. Once you are done and still have time, then do U World. Otherwise leave it. Again, thats my experience. I have colleagues who have done Uworld and really really swear on it for its effectiveness but i am not one of them.
Its not really a fair exam. But we have to do it. Its doable. If i can do it, anybody can.
Those who pass, Congratulations. Those who have not, please dont lose hope. Change your study plan as previous one is not working. Make a study plan, talk to people who passed, read this forum which will help you make new study plan depending on your situation. If possible try to find a study partner and get this done. Good luck.
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US grad
205/215 step 1/2
20/10/30 percentile ITE PGY 1/2/3
Just finished residency
ABIM 600+
30% MKSAP completed (55% correct)
70% uworld completed (60th percentile)
Read BB4 x 2 (I never do anything twice but the common theme I kept seeing was that BB was money)
205/215 step 1/2
20/10/30 percentile ITE PGY 1/2/3
Just finished residency
ABIM 600+
30% MKSAP completed (55% correct)
70% uworld completed (60th percentile)
Read BB4 x 2 (I never do anything twice but the common theme I kept seeing was that BB was money)
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This post brought tears of joy to my face
I Passed!
Step scores in the 230s, ITE scores around 40th percentile. Step 3 219. Studied MKSAP questions ONLY, but I understood the explanations and memorized them very well. I would add BB to mksap questions next time, as I just looked at the pages of BB very quickly. Passing score was 370 and I got 490. My percent correct questions on mksap was 65%. I hope this helps someone. The exam is not hard and was fair. You just need to have confidence and relax during the exam.
Step scores in the 230s, ITE scores around 40th percentile. Step 3 219. Studied MKSAP questions ONLY, but I understood the explanations and memorized them very well. I would add BB to mksap questions next time, as I just looked at the pages of BB very quickly. Passing score was 370 and I got 490. My percent correct questions on mksap was 65%. I hope this helps someone. The exam is not hard and was fair. You just need to have confidence and relax during the exam.
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All steps in 230s
ITEs all 3 years around 60-70%
ABIM 640
University hospital
Did mksap 18 x 1 (about 85% done... most of the undone ones were in neuro and derm since they are low yield)
Uworld x 1.5 (all on tutor mode)
Never read board basics
Did it slow and steady starting in November 2018 (maybe 10 questions every other day), then upped intensity in spring 2019.
Best thing in my opinion is reading throughout residency, whether it be cecils, harrisons, review articles, etc... read throughout residency and you will not need to cram at all
ITEs all 3 years around 60-70%
ABIM 640
University hospital
Did mksap 18 x 1 (about 85% done... most of the undone ones were in neuro and derm since they are low yield)
Uworld x 1.5 (all on tutor mode)
Never read board basics
Did it slow and steady starting in November 2018 (maybe 10 questions every other day), then upped intensity in spring 2019.
Best thing in my opinion is reading throughout residency, whether it be cecils, harrisons, review articles, etc... read throughout residency and you will not need to cram at all
I’ll provide a different, hopefully less intense perspective since most people who post were on the more prepared end.
Our IM program does only one ITE in second year, somehow got about 93%ile which probably inflated my head about the ABIM. I didn’t study through unless I was interested in something or found that I had deficits to address — which I had plenty. Our program was pretty intense with little didactic teaching and mostly a learn as you go vibe. I didn’t start studying until residency was over. I started the weekend before starting cards fellowship but I made a study schedule and stuck with it. I read all of MKSAP except derm and did all of the questions once in test mode. Got about 73% on mksap. Got 600 on ABIM, which I suppose is not the best but under the time constraints— I’m pretty happy with.
I only post this since reading the above study methods may suggest that it can only be done with a lot of time investment which most of us going into fellowship will not have.
Our IM program does only one ITE in second year, somehow got about 93%ile which probably inflated my head about the ABIM. I didn’t study through unless I was interested in something or found that I had deficits to address — which I had plenty. Our program was pretty intense with little didactic teaching and mostly a learn as you go vibe. I didn’t start studying until residency was over. I started the weekend before starting cards fellowship but I made a study schedule and stuck with it. I read all of MKSAP except derm and did all of the questions once in test mode. Got about 73% on mksap. Got 600 on ABIM, which I suppose is not the best but under the time constraints— I’m pretty happy with.
I only post this since reading the above study methods may suggest that it can only be done with a lot of time investment which most of us going into fellowship will not have.
I think this is potentially dangerous advice, although I understand what you're trying to do.
You mention not having time to prepare and that the test is doable, but in the same breath say you scored a 93%ile on ITE without prep. Obviously this shows you are prepared to a high level or just a test taking juggernaught. Likely both. In either case you are an outlier. Congrats on your score and fellowship.
To those who don't wake up scoring 93%ile on a whim, study hard for this exam. Whether it is slow and steady and/or dedicated month. I think there are enough brutal stories on this thread to suggest that being underprepared may be catastrophic.
