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Passed ! UW was the most high yield resource for me . The forum helped me a lot .
 
Congratulations to those who passed! UW is the best source.
 
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The site is really slow now. Can't even search for people...I guess the word is out.
I guess its time to weigh in on resources: UWorld best qbank (MKSAP not representative) and Awesome Review. After you do Awesome Review just read his notes.
My 2 cents.
 
i passed. whether i passed or failed, makes no difference in my positions:

1) this test is COMPLETELY worthless measure of competence as internist or primary care
2) we should DEMAND more meaningful test content
3) we should SUPPORT competition (i.e. https://nbpas.org/) only and only so ABIM gets its head out of its rear and starts LISTENING to our complaints
4) those who passed now, remember the absolute BS you were put through with exam cost, prep cost, irrelevant test content, and lack of transparency on the part of ABIM, and consequently please support the wave of change that our senior physicians are demanding in terms of MOC changes. We need initial cert exam changed as well to reflect true practice

to those who have to take the exam for the FIRST TIME
****************************************************
1) there will be a good 40 questions on this test where nobody knows where the F*** ABIM got it from

2) if you speak to your program directors who may have meetings with ABIM, demand these GUINEA PIG questions be removed from your test as much as possible. $1500 for a test is enough to demand this. Why do we have to be guinea pigs for MOC exam test takers?

3) in terms of prep, read Board Basics back and forth 3-4 times and memorize it. You will still end up getting out of exam like WTF !!! There will be stupid ENT and Ophtho questions over and over again. I had NO questions on COPD or Asthma, NO questions on CHF management, NO questions on DM management, NO questions of GI bleed management. Instead I had questions on eosinophilic pneumonia. I had question whose answer hinged up knowing whether amyloidosis vs waldenstrom has retinal involvement (and that's after going through hell to eliminate the other choices). I had three questions on the interpretation of Rinne, Weber, and nystagmus patterns. I had plenty of ophtho questions. The questions in my fellowship field were SO FREAKING hard (and I'm sure I got them all), that I felt super bad about others taking the test. Yeah, Cards wasn't hard. Pulm wasn't hard. And there wasn't that many questions in them to begin with. At least that was my test.

4) Question banks are great and at the same time COMPLETELY WORTHLESS. Yeah you should do them all and memorize every detail in it. However, they are not EVER at the depth that the real exam requires it to be.

Plenty of people got out of the test and felt like "oh yeah, i knew the answer" but trust me, when i say they were completely wrong (questions happen to be in the area of my fellowship). You may get a false sense of security from the questions banks that you know stuff, but the hard test questions on this test, test you on absolutely the smallest minutiae (think one single buzzword throughout the question stem, or lack of a buzzword in it as the only factor that gives you the answer). If you happen to have time and finances to read Medstudy or MKSAP text (which is worthless IMO, too vague and not enough to know the hard questions on the test), then go ahead. Plenty of us cannot afford Awesome review and plenty of us are starting busy fellowships and can't read Medstudy for 1-2 months prior to exam. If you're in this group, make sure every single goddamn word in Board Basics is memorized to your core, and you may have a chance of passing this way.

5) If I were taking this test again, I would do MKSAP, UW at least twice, and read Board Basics 5 times, with last review of BB in the last 2-3 days prior to exam.

For those of you still having to take this test, please ask your PDs to DEMAND change to this exam like they are doing for MOC. We have NO VOICE in this whole mess of institution. Initial cert exam deserves a change to reflect true practice of internist, hospitalist, and PCP. Not the practice of hematologist, oncologist, hepatologist, neurologist and ENT.

To those who have to retake. I pray for you to have the patience to deal with this BS of process. Keep your head up. You're no different than people that passed. This test measures NOTHING of value.

*************************************
I know I will never recertify again. Even if I could, had the money, and had the knowledge to do so, I will absolutely NOT SUPPORT this piece of s*** institution.

Get their competition supported, so we can demand change from ABIM. Its overall goals and aspirations are great and admirable and I support it. I just don't support the crooks running it and absolutely don't support its current way of writing the exam.
 
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Congrats to all who passed. For those who are not certified - does it show on your profile " First attempt" - " results not available yet", does it mean I failed? For people who are certified - does your profile show " pass"?
 
I second UW as the best question bank source. The concepts generally lined up with the exam, but more importantly the difficulty level was the best preparation. MKSAP's concepts were okay, but the difficulty level was way easier than the actual exam. The MKSAP chapters that explained the concepts were probably more helpful. I went through MKSAP twice and UW once, focusing heavily on the concepts on wrong answers and wild guesses.

For books, Medstudy was outstanding. It can be a little heavy to read, but just about everything I saw on that test was in Medstudy. Just give yourself plenty of time to get through the books at least twice. I barely got through one round during the last six months of R3 year. Board Basics should be memorized at minimum for this test.

I can't comment on the board review courses, as I don't learn well from lecture-based courses. But my co-residents who used Awesome Review all passed, so that's a good endorsement of that program.
 
doc201611 said:
Congrats to all who passed. For those who are not certified - does it show on your profile " First attempt" - " results not available yet", does it mean I failed? For people who are certified - does your profile show " pass"?
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I am certified. It shows "results not yet available" on my examination results page.

There's also a good 6 of my friends where it still says "not certified", but given that there have been at least 3 waves of people flipping from not certified to certified, I have hope they can flip over still too.
 
Long time, first time...and all that jazz. Looking at my "not certified" status. Pretty sure if any of us still see that, I'm afraid it means a failure. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is my second round of this stupid exam. Unless I'm very wrong, they're done updating and we're all waiting on the email to tell us that our score reports are available. That might come tomorrow. I'll admit, this year is odd with the gradual updates last night. Last year we all were updated at about 10:30 EST and that was it in one shot...emails the next day.

The only thing that could give any of us hope...has anyone's status changed since 7-8 am EST this morning? If so, it's possible they will update more tonight. Otherwise, that...as they say...is that. It looks like they were working into the wee hours of the morning and finished their jobs.

About my experience- I studied horribly last year as a new grad, used CF's (famous educator) ABIM book and UW, minimal MKSAP. Studied for about 2 months. I failed with a score of 367 (hurt so bad). Felt awful the day of the exam. Guessed on just about 2/3 questions. Made a new plan for this year.

This year-6 months of UW, went to Awesome Review, Mksap heavily, took 2 weeks off before the exam. Day of the exam, felt much better than last year. Felt like I had a handle on most of the questions. Certainly felt like I probably got THREE more points than last year. Looks like I didn't.

I have to say, I'm truly amazed and at a loss right now. If I failed, I have no idea what I could do differently. I'm pretty sure this is the last time I will try to pass this pointless test. I'm an attending credentialed with all of the insurance companies I've applied to, I'm making more money than I ever thought I would, and I've been very happy with my job over the last 1+ year.

We shall see...I'll post again when scores are out. But I think the chips have fallen...
 
doc201611 said:
Congrats to all who passed. For those who are not certified - does it show on your profile " First attempt" - " results not available yet", does it mean I failed? For people who are certified - does your profile show " pass"?
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Mine still says results not available.

Apparently, this is not the first year that the ABIM posted certification statuses before sending the test results to candidates. Hope that holds true this time as well.
 
Now after watching my NY Giants pull off an amazing win despite horrendous officiating (ABIM in this dream scenario) I have some false hope as I second theirryhenry's post...some changes seem to be happening to the site right now as I can't search anyone's names. Perhaps we will see the scores in a few hours.

Pass or fail, I am not giving another dollar to this piece of garbage archaic organization.

My edit-I mean this sincerely, congrats to those who passed. Please don't be robots. Join the nbpas and make the ABIM as useless as it truly is.
 
Passed. Never looked at UWorld. Bought the Hopkins review book but only read 1 or 2 chapters. Bought MKSAP and only read 1-2 chapters. Huge waste of money when there isn't time. Probably should have studied more than 6 weeks in advance, lol.

I did all of the MKSAP questions and read Board Basics once. I felt like crap after the exam, but I guess it worked!
 
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Raryn said:
Question for you guys: Did we have the option to enroll in MOC yesterday? I certainly do now.
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I'd really like to know the answer to this. I'm not able to check my certification status ( trying for past two hours every 30 minutes). Would someone kindly let me know if the MOC enrollment link is related to the result? I greatly appreciate your help, in advance,
 
onc2012 said:
I'd really like to know the answer to this. I'm not able to check my certification status ( trying for past two hours every 30 minutes). Would someone kindly let me know if the MOC enrollment link is related to the result? I greatly appreciate your help, in advance,
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After checking with a couple people yesterday, it seems to be. If you can see the MOC enrollment link, it looks like your result is available (and you passed). If you can't, it doesn't necessarily mean you failed, it just means its not up yet.
 
Raryn said:
After checking with a couple people yesterday, it seems to be. If you can see the MOC enrollment link, it looks like your result is available (and you passed). If you can't, it doesn't necessarily mean you failed, it just means its not up yet.
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Thanks for taking the time to respond Raryn. The ABIM link for checking cert. is consistently timing out for me.
Fingers crossed.
 
doc201611 said:
Congrats to all who passed. For those who are not certified - does it show on your profile " First attempt" - " results not available yet", does it mean I failed? For people who are certified - does your profile show " pass"?
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No, under your sign-in page if the first page changed to
onc2012 said:
Thanks for taking the time to respond Raryn. The ABIM link for checking cert. is consistently timing out for me.
Fingers crossed.
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Right. Earlier today under the "Home," page you could search the "check certification," and type in your name and/or others and you would see the certification status. That seems to be timing out, not working for the last 3-4 hours now.

But if you sign in with your own credentials your homepage you will see under Reminders: "Enroll in MOC Program," which changed from a few days ago. If you try to go to review results it will still say "results not available yet," whether certified or not (thats the discussion of hoping the score reports come out tomorrow). Also on the home page at the left hand side if it says: "Highlight your ABIM certification status on your website," that is new as well, and shows up on mine. I'm assuming if you did not pass that entry wouldn't be there but can't comment..
 
thierryhenry said:
No, under your sign-in page if the first page changed to



Right. Earlier today under the "Home," page you could search the "check certification," and type in your name and/or others and you would see the certification status. That seems to be timing out, not working for the last 3-4 hours now.

But if you sign in with your own credentials your homepage you will see under Reminders: "Enroll in MOC Program," which changed from a few days ago. If you try to go to review results it will still say "results not available yet," whether certified or not (thats the discussion of hoping the score reports come out tomorrow). Also on the home page at the left hand side if it says: "Highlight your ABIM certification status on your website," that is new as well, and shows up on mine. I'm assuming if you did not pass that entry wouldn't be there but can't comment..
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I still don't have the moc enrollment but i have the highlight your abim status link
Last i checked still not certified in the morning before the slowdown
Does that mean anything
 
thierryhenry said:
No, under your sign-in page if the first page changed to



Right. Earlier today under the "Home," page you could search the "check certification," and type in your name and/or others and you would see the certification status. That seems to be timing out, not working for the last 3-4 hours now.

But if you sign in with your own credentials your homepage you will see under Reminders: "Enroll in MOC Program," which changed from a few days ago. If you try to go to review results it will still say "results not available yet," whether certified or not (thats the discussion of hoping the score reports come out tomorrow). Also on the home page at the left hand side if it says: "Highlight your ABIM certification status on your website," that is new as well, and shows up on mine. I'm assuming if you did not pass that entry wouldn't be there but can't comment..
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Thanks for responding t Henry/ Poppi.
I'm so anxious
 
thierryhenry said:
No, under your sign-in page if the first page changed to



Right. Earlier today under the "Home," page you could search the "check certification," and type in your name and/or others and you would see the certification status. That seems to be timing out, not working for the last 3-4 hours now.

But if you sign in with your own credentials your homepage you will see under Reminders: "Enroll in MOC Program," which changed from a few days ago. If you try to go to review results it will still say "results not available yet," whether certified or not (thats the discussion of hoping the score reports come out tomorrow). Also on the home page at the left hand side if it says: "Highlight your ABIM certification status on your website," that is new as well, and shows up on mine. I'm assuming if you did not pass that entry wouldn't be there but can't comment..
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Pretty sure the "highlight your status" link has always been there. I have that link, but am not showing as certified...which it's safe to say at this point means a fail.
 
I was not certified yesterday but was when I checked about 10am central time this morning. When I log in, there is a new link for MOC under the 'reminders' heading. My results have not yet posted and it says they are unavailable. The 'highlight your status' was up several months ago, so I don't think that is new.

Let's hope those that weren't certified this am will be later tonight. It seems this is coming in waves.
 
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Frank Costanza said:
I was not certified yesterday but was when I checked about 10am central time this morning. When I log in, there is a new link for MOC under the 'reminders' heading. My results have not yet posted and it says they are unavailable. The 'highlight your status' was up several months ago, so I don't think that is new.

Let's hope those that weren't certified this am will be later tonight. It seems this is coming in waves.
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Good info. I guess at this point if you didnt check earlier in the day today and saw certified, that if you login under your own credentials and see "Enroll in MOC Program," link on your homepage this is the most representative. The searching for certification is continuously timing out. We'll see tomorrow for those waiting.
 
This is so annoying. It's like when they turn you on without letting you have it.
 
To those of us still watching the website and clinging onto hope, I can tell you that this is strange. Last year the verify certification section did not go dark for several hours. It seems like there is no consistency to the ABIM's methods, so I guess anything is possible.

To those of you who do find out that you failed, do not despair. This test has become an "everyone needs a blue ribbon" monopoly and I can tell you that unless you're planning on specializing or seeking a lofty appointment at a very prestigious institution, board certification really amounts to nothing.
 
Even I am not able to see anything, but if you click "View MOC status report" , then it takes you to page where on left side it says if you are certified and MOC if pending, I am hoping I passed based on this, not sure if any other way.
 
residentx said:
Even I am not able to see anything, but if you click "View MOC status report" , then it takes you to page where on left side it says if you are certified and MOC if pending, I am hoping I passed based on this, not sure if any other way.
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Where do you see "View MOC status report"?
 
Right, okay. Figured as much. I don't have either the "Enroll in MOC" or "View MOC status", which again would suggest failure.

Awesome.
 
I think I might have failed. The site was weird today. I initially was told by a friend that scores were out around 9 am. When I searched my name, there were 2 accounts under my name. One would show, "An unhandled exception occured while initiating the request physician", the other would show "Not certified". I do not have the "Enroll in MOC program" option when I login, but my result tab still says "Results Not Yet Available". I am just assuming that I failed since others who passed on this thread have the "Enroll in MOC program" option. Hard to say what's going on. I hope those who pass remain a pass and hoping that those of us who don't know for sure get to find out early tomorrow.
 
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DMARDed said:
I think I might have failed. The site was weird today. I initially was told by a friend that scores were out around 9 am. When I searched my name, there were 2 accounts under my name. One would show, "An unhandled exception occured while initiating the request physician", the other would show "Not certified". I do not have the "Enroll in MOC program" option when I login, but my result tab still says "Results Not Yet Available". I am just assuming that I failed since others who passed on this thread have the "Enroll in MOC program" option. Now the site is down and I was unable to contact the ABIM because they are not open. Hard to say what's going on, but I think this is very unprofessional on the ABIM's part. They could at least have some courtesy to the test takers and give them their score reports prior to letting the general public know. Either way, I hope those who pass remain a pass and hoping that those of us who don't know for sure get to find out early tomorrow.
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In years past the certification status changed on their website prior to the test-takers receiving their score report, as detailed above in this thread. I think there was a time period from when people were posting at around midnight last night until about 1-2 PM EST today that you could search your name or others and see their certification status. Now this option is unavailable and times out. Still the general response from this thread that is if you log into your HomePage and see things regarding enrolling in MOC program that you are certified.

Here's hoping to those that don't know or were not certified earlier today flip tomorrow AM when they release official score reports (now I wanna see what I got)...
 
I for one am happy ABIM released the certification status. I think the earlier they can report it the better. Score reports may take awhile. That way I can tell my employer right away and will get paid more for being board certified.
 
maybe i'm misunderstanding these posts, but i seem to still be able to check certification status with ease on the site. if anyone wants to PM me and give me their name, i can check for them?
 
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saphireflame said:
maybe i'm misunderstanding these posts, but i seem to still be able to check certification status with ease on the site. if anyone wants to PM me and give me their name, i can check for them?
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Sent you a PM, TIA
 
saphireflame said:
maybe i'm misunderstanding these posts, but i seem to still be able to check certification status with ease on the site. if anyone wants to PM me and give me their name, i can check for them?
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The verify cert section seems to be working now. Not sure what they were up to, but my status didn't change. Still a likely fail.
 
saphireflame said:
maybe i'm misunderstanding these posts, but i seem to still be able to check certification status with ease on the site. if anyone wants to PM me and give me their name, i can check for them?
Click to expand...

Page is really slow and timing out..

Still nothing when you try to search on homepage the verify certification section.
 
I would recommend all to calm down and hope for the best. It is tough, due to the way they are doing this. Also all post fellowship jobs need IM certification to be board eligible in the sub specialty exams ., made it extra stressful. This exam just needs cramming trivia and buzz words and this is supposed to somehow translate to safer and better patient outcomes, which does not make any sense.
It is sad that so many people are using precious time and resources for this and after all that, we have these weird website issues and worries. Unfair!
Hopefully we all get answers / results tomorrow.
After so many computerized tests and simulations, none so far have been like the ABIM IM cert exam ever.
 
Site is searchable now for certifications. Let's hope we see score reports later today. Can anyone confirm people bein listed as "not certified," changing to certified since yesterday? Everyone I searched had the same status.
 
So it shows "not certified" on my page. I will assume that I failed. I'm still dealing with the emotions of that. This was my second attempt. I am wondering what my approach should be this time.

#1, should I take it again next year or wait?
#2, What if I don't pass during the seven year period ? (I have until 2019 to pass).
#3, I took the board review Pass Machine, watched the videos, and did MKSAP questions. Clearly not enough.
#4, I am signing up for The Awesome Review and UW this weekend. I can't believe I have to devote more time to this. I'm losing hope, feel awful, and incompetent as a physician. Any words of encouragement from someone who passed on the third or more attempt would be greatly appreciated at this point.
 
so I did find this thread helpful (the only one I looked at since starting residency in the black hole that is otherwise SDN), so I wanted to put in my advice as an average Joe:
passed (scores pending, but who cares really); terrible test taker, my ITE scores were bad (~24th percentile PGY1, 12th percentile PGY2 (I had just come off MICU), and ~30th percentile PGY3)
I never read MKSAP or much of anything medical during residency, except learning from patients and little bits of the MKSAP books to prepare for conferences and such

I bought UWorld 6 months out from the test. I did minimal questions in the spring (mostly the soft subjects, ethics, psych, biostats), then hit a hard stretch to end residency (ended on q4 call ICU in June; needless to say, zero studying happened there). I hit UWorld hard in July and August after starting my (chill) fellowship, and was able to get through the complete Qbank once. I can honestly say even for someone who is not innately intelligent, like myself, UWorld is all you need. If you read the answer explanations thoroughly, 90% of the stuff showed up on the actual exam, and I do think the difficulty level was on par with the test.

I intended to get through the MKSAP 17 qbank, but I was really burned out and only had a week left. I took a week off to take the test, and crammed some high yield MKSAP 17 questions (gen med, cardiology, and heme/onc, which if you look at the ABIM blueprint made up 42% of the test) for 3-4 days before the exam. I did not even get to the other subject areas and did not touch Board Basics.

I do not recommend this study strategy, but it worked for me. I can say UWorld is money for this test. I liked it a lot better than MKSAP (which was far more popular in my program).

However, my close friends really just used MKSAP 17 qbank (going through it at least twice) and Boards Basics 4 (going through it several times as well) and did fine. So there are several ways to skin this cat...
 
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A-non-y-mous said:
So it shows "not certified" on my page. I will assume that I failed. I'm still dealing with the emotions of that. This was my second attempt. I am wondering what my approach should be this time.

#1, should I take it again next year or wait?
#2, What if I don't pass during the seven year period ? (I have until 2019 to pass).
#3, I took the board review Pass Machine, watched the videos, and did MKSAP questions. Clearly not enough.
#4, I am signing up for The Awesome Review and UW this weekend. I can't believe I have to devote more time to this. I'm losing hope, feel awful, and incompetent as a physician. Any words of encouragement from someone who passed on the third or more attempt would be greatly appreciated at this point.
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A-non-y-mous said:
So it shows "not certified" on my page. I will assume that I failed. I'm still dealing with the emotions of that. This was my second attempt. I am wondering what my approach should be this time.

#1, should I take it again next year or wait?
#2, What if I don't pass during the seven year period ? (I have until 2019 to pass).
#3, I took the board review Pass Machine, watched the videos, and did MKSAP questions. Clearly not enough.
#4, I am signing up for The Awesome Review and UW this weekend. I can't believe I have to devote more time to this. I'm losing hope, feel awful, and incompetent as a physician. Any words of encouragement from someone who passed on the third or more attempt would be greatly appreciated at this point.
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I passed on second attempt. I know you asked for third attempt people to respond, but I'm just here to say don't lose hope. Take some time to come to terms with this, and then regroup.

Here's my experience :
I took it last year in the midst of a very busy fellowship . I used to study for 3 hours a day, and then took a month off before the boards, and failed by about 3-4 more questions needing to be correct. It hurt. It hurt bad. I didn't start reading till March of this year, because I honestly felt burnt out after the last time. I took the AR course early, ( March or April). Found it useful for a couple of subjects ( Cvs , plum crit care, gen med) , and did not re reread more than 25 percent again, because it didn't feel useful.

I read each word of three of the MKSAP 17 books : gen med, cvs and pulmonary.
I read EACH of the HVC recs in each subject, and I read everything I could from choosing wisely.
I did all MKSAP questions once, and incorrect ones again before exam.
I read bb4 two days before the exam.
For me it was a question of stamina ( I feel like I'm quoting dump the trump now. Ugh) . Last time, I was pretty wiped out by the third block. This time, because I had done more questions, studied longer hours, I seemed to be better off in this regard.

Both times, I felt it was a fair exam, but definitely had every third question that was tricky/ I had not come across before.
Know your screenings, know GI , don't ignore rheum. Look at the syllabus often to make sure you're not spending more time on the wrong things : I chose to ignore acid base, a weak area of mine . Ultimately, the question did not need me to know more than the shape of a urine sediment.

You need to know MKSAP cold, and then bb4 because they teach you to think tangentially. AR probably helps in the latter too. If I had to do it again, I would read bb4. again, and maybe take a course closer to exam date.

Again, it's do able. Don't lose hope. Good luck to all ,
Onc2012
 
My story:

ABIM: Certified (pending score report)
USMLE: 226/240/219
ITE: 58/65/73
Program: Mid/Upper Tier Community Hospital Residency

Prep: MKSAP16 bought by my residency in the first few months of residency. Did whole Qbank in 1st year, and then again 2nd year. 3rd year we had to submit monthly MKSAP tests corresponding to our rotation. Bought 6 months of UWorld ABIM to run out right before my test (in mid-August), thus February. Did only untimed tutor mode, random questions, did not do it by subject. UWorld percentage by the end: high 70%'s, low 80%'s. I was lucky enough to have time and CME money as Chief Resident to do Awesome Review the first week in July. Made sure to have the whole UWorld Qbank done before Awesome, which I did. Only read the Awesome Review notes after in the remaining 6-8 weeks. Got through 1.5 times all of the notes. Had Board Basics 3 but never really opened or got through, stuck to Awesome Review notes.

Test Day: Definitely a hard test and some of the questions were out of left field. No board review book could have answered some of these, and you just gotta do your best on those and utilize test taking strategies. Remember flagging or marking at least 6 questions per block. Timing was not an issue, and actually is quite comfortable compared to the USMLE's. Breaks are really long and quite excessive. Felt good coming out, better than some of the USMLE's in my life.

My advice: This calculator is spot on. If you are at risk on your ITE scores (i.e. < 30-35% percentile every year) then you have to devote extra time and energy to this test as it can not be taken lightly. Utilize this calculator here: http://www.r-calc.com/administrator...lator_id=de409368-643f-4f71-b96e-b040cb7478bf.
I didn't think I would be such a fan of Awesome Review but it really is the best board review. I would recommend this course to anyone, even 2nd time test takers or people who are re-certifying. As Chief now, I was thinking about requiring all our residents to attend this course. Uworld is the best Qbank in my opinion. The MKSAP questions are not representative of the difficulty or the vague-ness of the real test.
 
I also passed. This was my first attempt and I have never been a good test taker (my Step1 score was like a 208).

To be honest, I did not think the exam was the hardest I've ever taken. I finished in only 5.5 hours.

I studied very differently over a 3.5-month period. I read the MKSAP Board Basics book and basically re-typed it in outline format. After finishing a section, I would answer the MKSAP questions (typically scoring high because I had just taken notes -- good confidence boost), then add information that may have been missing and highlighting the things I missed on my notes.

After completing this for every section, I bought MedStudy and finished it in scramble mode -- all questions on untimed tutor. Every question I missed resulted in my notes being highlighted and adjusted again. Pretty soon it became clear which sections I kept missing and I focused on learning that stuff cold. By the end I felt I could navigate my notes with ease and the information started getting redundant in my head.

The last week I went over 4-5 sheets of paper on things I had a harder time memorizing (the alcohols, pregnancy cautions, rheum antibodies, some infections/ABXs, etc). Overall I think I answered ~3000 questions. I also LOVE my notes and still refer to them in my practice.

I wish I had studied this way earlier in my career. I'm intrigued by all the love UWorld is getting. If I hadn't passed I would probably give it a try.

EDIT: I found out I barely passed haha (story of my life). I'm probably not the one to be giving advice.
 
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A-non-y-mous said:
So it shows "not certified" on my page. I will assume that I failed. I'm still dealing with the emotions of that. This was my second attempt. I am wondering what my approach should be this time.

#1, should I take it again next year or wait?
#2, What if I don't pass during the seven year period ? (I have until 2019 to pass).
#3, I took the board review Pass Machine, watched the videos, and did MKSAP questions. Clearly not enough.
#4, I am signing up for The Awesome Review and UW this weekend. I can't believe I have to devote more time to this. I'm losing hope, feel awful, and incompetent as a physician. Any words of encouragement from someone who passed on the third or more attempt would be greatly appreciated at this point.
Click to expand...

Hi I actually signed up to respond to you but ended up responding to DMARD. Anyway, here is what I meant to send to you.

Hi, I signed up specifically to respond to you. I don't know if your status has changed to certified but if it hasn't I want you to know that you should not lose hope. Took it a second time and passed. I know you asked for third timers but as you decide on a strategy, here is what I did. It may not be for everyone but it worked for me. As soon as I found out I had to retake it, I immediately purchased the online MKSAP 17 QBank in October last year and started doing the questions (untimed tutor mode by subjects). I know the real test is scrambled but I have always organized my study sessions by subjects as it is easier for me to return to my weaker subjects. As a fellow, I simply could not afford time away to a live review course and so I bought the ACP review course video as well as the binder of power points. (A lot of people love Awesome Review). I watched the review course at home religiously, took notes etc. I liked that I could stop and rewind etc. I felt this was useful because a lot of the presenters were able to explain what the "question asked for" instead of "what I may incorrectly think the questions ask for". The ACP review course comes with a lot of questions. While I started studying early there were some months where I was simply too busy to study every single night but I managed to see all the words in my study material. By June 2016. I had seen everything twice and made sure I read through the explanations. By July I was worried that the MKSAP questions were too familiar and bought UWorld for a month. I thought world's questions were very picky but honestly I wanted to make sure I see as many questions as possible and they have (in my opinion) more thorough explanations compared to MKSAP. I didn't doubt that I have mastered the material but I wanted to see several ways I can be asked about a topic. I also realized that I used to shut down when I saw questions with long stems and so doing an insane amount of questions helped me overcome that weakness. As it got closer to the exam date, I started focusing more on the big 4 (when you look at the ABIM blueprint these are roughly cards, pulm, GI, Hem + Onc. My current fellowship is in one of the big four and so I figured I had that in the bag. My weakest is cardiology and so I pounded that as much as I could with the knowledge that I would still miss a few. That being said don't ignore nephro, neuro, ID, rheum, endo (figure out what you may need to spend more time on for your self). I made sure I was able to pick up the low hanging stats and women's health questions. I didn't lose sleep over ophtho etc. I look through the vaccines once or so.

What I DID NOT DO and do not regret it: I did not read through the MKSAP textbooks. I did not read Board basics at all. Again do what works for you but please do not lose hope and remember that this exam does not dictate what sort of physician you will become. Lastly, unlike the previous time, I took off 1.5wk prior to the exam to ramp up the study session. On the exam, I feel like some questions were verbatim but overall it felt like my ability to get through was based on a composite of everything I had seen and was able to quickly narrow down to two choices. There was at least two questions where I felt I was supposed to spit out a diagnosis with the least amount of information given and there was a question where I simply didn't know what I was being asked. My strategy may seem like overkill but I was not about to spend another year on this. You can do it!! Good luck!!
 
A-non-y-mous said:
So it shows "not certified" on my page. I will assume that I failed. I'm still dealing with the emotions of that. This was my second attempt. I am wondering what my approach should be this time.

#1, should I take it again next year or wait?
#2, What if I don't pass during the seven year period ? (I have until 2019 to pass).
#3, I took the board review Pass Machine, watched the videos, and did MKSAP questions. Clearly not enough.
#4, I am signing up for The Awesome Review and UW this weekend. I can't believe I have to devote more time to this. I'm losing hope, feel awful, and incompetent as a physician. Any words of encouragement from someone who passed on the third or more attempt would be greatly appreciated at this point.
Click to expand...

My experience:
Passed, what a relief!
University affiliated community program for IM then large university program for fellowship
below avg steps
foreign grad
notoriously terrible test taker right here.

I just finished a 2 year fellowship and delayed the ABIM exam until after completing fellowship this year (I don't recommend delaying the test this long). I had very subpar ITE scores in IM residency which was part of the reason I was hesitant to take the test sooner. I started reading over the MKSAP text books in January 2016 and with a busy fellowship I concluded that this route was not at all efficient as it took a good 3 weeks to get thru the cardio and gen med books each. So then I shifted my studying to simply reading board basics 4 and immediately completing the MedStudy questions then the MKSAP questions pertaining to each subject then supplementing the board basics with notes from the explanations. I felt MedStudy Qs was a great bank to drive home the basics, particularly in the big 4 subjects (Cards, GenMed, GI etc.) , which I figured went a long way with me since I was 2 years removed from IM residency. I felt the MKSAP questions were hit or miss.... either high yield and helpful or just obscure meaningless questions. If I was giving anyone advice I'd stay pick a good concise review book (BB4) which is easy to get thru multiple times and know it cold. Additionally do two different question banks if possible. Moral of the story, invest much more time in active learning (questions), than passive learning (reading/review courses). With this method I found out quickly in which areas required I was weak or strong and was able to make the adjustments quickly. I am not really a live review course person because I can't stay engaged in the classroom for hours at a time, but many people I know took AR and passed also. Again as many others have reiterated, this exam is not a measure of how good of a physician you are, its merely an obstacle we all gotta get thru. If I can pass this test, anyone can.
 
its 1:10 PM CST and still no score report, physician look up shows that I am certified. Has anyone gotten an email from ABIM with score report information?
 
pendrin said:
Did anyone call ABIM for score reports?
Click to expand...
Yes as it is not very helpful
There is a message saying that the results are being released today and have to wait for 48 hours
And when I spoke to someone they told me it has happened before thet people get certified before results and they can not confirm or deny if not being certified means a failure we will have to wait and see
But it looks like a fail
 
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