Official ABIM Exam/study tools thread!

[gritsngravy]

I did pretty well on ITE (top 20 percentile) but did much worse in ABIM (less than average)
I think these two tests are very different. Don't let high ITE score make you think you are going to pass with a breeze

Same! Passed, which is all that matters. But did very well on Steps/ITEs and below average on this which was a little humbling even though I thought the test wasn't bad while taking it? Just to reiterate, may not correlate and you should still take it seriously towards the end of third year! As mentioned above, though, P=MD/DO/Board Certified/Eligible for heme/onc boards haha

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[tacowithgreensauce]

i started intern year ranked in the bottom quartile nationwide for ITE.

pgy2 and 3 was slightly better, but still below average.

i did mksap casually during 2nd year and first half of 3rd yr.

i did another pass during the last half of 3rd year.

i did uworld x1 and reviewed incorrects about 2 months leading into test.

i read board basics x2 and reviewed my mksap incorrects.

3 days before abim i glanced thru board basics

i passed and did way better than i thought i would.

take the time and effort to pass and be done with it. u dont need to pay for insane material. good luck everyone.

 

[tenacious11]

Hi, Congrats on Passing. Did you do MKSAP questions only and uworld q+board basics. Dis you also read through the material in mksap books. Thanks

 

[randomguymd]

Hi, Congrats on Passing. Did you do MKSAP questions only and uworld q+board basics. Dis you also read through the material in mksap books. Thanks

Look at the previous post. Everyone is posting what they did for examination prep in the previous 15-ish posts. Good luck.

 

[Blaughable]

Mid 500s. ITEs in 70th-80th percentile. Clinically busy residency. Did Uworld starting 5 day before test day (finished 80% of it) Barely touched MKSAP (hated it)

At the end of the day if you have been doing ok on ITEs, reading as you went along in residency (provided you’re at a reasonably busy residency), you don’t need to go crazy on the studying. (Pass rate is 91% after all...)

Agreed. Was at a busy residency. Good subspecialty resident rotations. Really didn’t do much dedicated studying besides board basics the week before and a handful of MKSAP questions. Passed mid 500s.

 

[hotsaws]

Passed with a 591

ITEs all high 90th percentile. USMLEs all above 90th percentile.

Trained at a clinically busy program and mostly learned by reading about patients. Did MKSAP17 questions off and on during residency. I am currently in fellowship and did about 300-400 mksap questions prior to taking boards.

Always been a good test taker. I don't plan on practicing most of IM ever again and all I wanted to do was pass this test. My score wasn't anything to brag about but I did it with very little studying. I mostly post this because I went with my gut and ignored people who were buying Uworld and other prep materials and I'm very happy for doing so.

 

[tacowithgreensauce]

Hi, Congrats on Passing. Did you do MKSAP questions only and uworld q+board basics. Dis you also read through the material in mksap books. Thanks

yes i read thru the books once during my “first pass” of the mksap questions.

glad i read it more for my own review of knowledge, but in terms of “cramming for a test” i think board basics would be better fit for that.

i share my experiences bc i think sdn tends to focus on humble-bragging and ego-stroking. I wanted to share that a normie like me can also pass (and only had to pay for mksap and uworld)

 

[Medhead30]

Hi, Congrats on Passing. Did you do MKSAP questions only and uworld q+board basics. Dis you also read through the material in mksap books. Thanks

don’t waste your time reading the MKSAP books. Do board basics, uworld, and mksap q’s.

 

[abimxyz]

Can anyone comment on taking the ABIM MOC and using Up to date? Any helpful insights or recommendations?

 

[recerter]

Hi - I took my recert yesterday - felt there really was not much need to look at uptodate - i did try a couple of times but there is so much stuff on UTD and the questions were just not really answerable from there. i thought it was a tough paper - I used only MKSAP questions (both the regular and the extra booster packs), Board basics and the First Aid Book for IM which is just easier to read than BB - and a few Medstudy questions.

 

[holaho]

Hi - I took my recert yesterday - felt there really was not much need to look at uptodate - i did try a couple of times but there is so much stuff on UTD and the questions were just not really answerable from there. i thought it was a tough paper - I used only MKSAP questions (both the regular and the extra booster packs), Board basics and the First Aid Book for IM which is just easier to read than BB - and a few Medstudy questions.

Wait, you took a paper exam? Din't know that was an option.

 

[butterflydoc]

I'm not someone who actively studies. I learn by doing. I did residency in a small community hospital and it wasn't very strong in academics. Also I spent all my off time throughout residency doing non-medicine related things. I scored like in the 2nd percentile in my PGY 2 (I randomly was guessing near the end because it was so long) and 3 year. I was the lowest scoring person in my program as a third year apparently - which sucked because I felt like I was kinda trying to do well when I took that ITE lol. I started studying November 2019. I used MKSAP and started doing like 35-40 questions a week and taking notes in Board basics. COVID hit and I had more free time to study. I read Board basics, did MKSAP 1-1.5x, Uworld, and I did the Awesome course. I knew it was a little overkill but I was getting nervous as apparently based on my ITE score I had a "2% chance of passing". MKSAP was 58% overall and uworld was like 55%. I did the awesome course a month before my exam and basically spent the entire last month reading the Awesome books. I passed with a 570 or something. Found the test to be fairly reasonable and much more doable!

Hope this helps someone! spent a lot of time reviewing this forum for various exams throughout the years and it was always rare when I found someone who actually made me feel better/was helpful because everyone seems to be "99 percentile who never studies and scores in the top 1%" or whatever.

 

[USMLEA2015]

Hi, got a question

How good is (knowmedge) and Medstudy qbank?
Thanks

 

[ewax]

Hi, got a question

How good is (*********) and Medstudy qbank?
Thanks

Didn't use the qbank but thought the videos (at least the nephro and ID sections) were high yield and worth watching.

 

[USMLEA2015]

Didn't use the qbank but thought the videos (at least the nephro and ID sections) were high yield and worth watching.

What about knowmeedge?

 

[ewax]

What about knowmeedge?

Hmm, not sure what that is.

 

[Splenda88]

Taking the board in August 2021

I have completed half of MKSAP 18 so far and my score is pretty low (58%)... All my ITEs have been in the low 30 percentile. Plan to do MKSAP 3x and read board basic probably twice.


Should I be worried?

 

[Splenda88]

Got my report finally.

726

Did MKSAP 18 questions once and took detailed notes.

Reviewed those notes around 3 times.

Read basic board review book once.

That's it.

Would you mind sharing how detailed your notes were?

 

[gutonc]

Taking the board in August 2021

I have completed half of MKSAP 18 so far and my score is pretty low (58%)... All my ITEs have been in the low 30 percentile. Plan to do MKSAP 3x and read board basic probably twice.


Should I be worried?

I will refer you back to my strategy (posted roughly 73 times in this thread already).

1. Make a "pre-test" with 20-40 questions from a single subject. More for things like Cards and Renal, less for Geri and ID.
a. 70%+ Correct? You're fine on that subject for now, save it for later
b. <70%? You need to read that section in MKSAP, BB, Whatever you've got
c. If you had to do b, repeat until you hit 70+, then move on to Step 2.
2. Make random tests of 50-100 questions (each ABIM block is 60 questions so do that if you like). Test through 200-300 questions and see how you do. Repeat. Again.
If you're consistently <70%, you probably need another study strategy.

Remember to read every single answer explanation, even for the questions you got right. The explanations have a lot of information in them that will help you with testing strategies.

 

[BicepsTriceps]

Would you mind sharing how detailed your notes were?

Pretty detailed.

 

[Splenda88]

Pretty detailed.

These are very detailed notes... Did you start actively studying very early on (PGY1)?

 

[BicepsTriceps]

These are very detailed notes... Did you start actively studying very early on (PGY1)?

No. I started by June of PGY3 and finished by August. ~2.5 months.

 

[dqbmd]

Failed by 8 points . Got 362 feeling miserable . Do you think I shud ask for rescoring ? Anyone heard about someone passing after rescoring ?
Please help I was 100% sure I passed

Did you get your exam rescored?

 

[recerter]

Wait, you took a paper exam? Din't know that was an option.

Sorry no I call the exam a paper - showing my age!

Passed with 560 which I was surprised at - must have learnt somethng from MKSAP and BB!

 

[ZRF80]

For those who took it in October/November 2020, results are up. I Passed MOC.

Just watched MedStudy videos which I felt were very high yield and set up a good foundation, followed by MedStudy questions and a brush over Board Basics a few weeks prior to exam. Felt this was more than enough needed to take this exam.

Study time approximately 4 months intermittently.

If anyone is interested in discussing taking my MedStudy material (videos and all questions and flashcards online) along with the syllabus as well as my Board Basics book (I’ll ship to you for free) for a negotiable fee, please message me and we can work something out.

I felt the videos and questions were more than enough for this exam. Board Basics is a good way to put it all together before the exam itself.

thanks all.

 

[jderosa333]

I have my ABIM Tuesday, didnt get much time to study given starting a busy fellowship, did MKSAP and got through 1/3 of uworld, any utility in clicking through the rest of it just to read the 1-liner? someone mentioned about ~ 20 similar questions from uworld that they saw on the exam?

In addition, any other resources you recommend for last minute cramming? thank you in advance

 

[workinman]

Took the exam in December and it was really tough and made a lot of stupid mistakes in easy stuff that I knew mostly due to mental block and freaking out!
Any ideas

 

[workinman]

I have my ABIM Tuesday, didnt get much time to study given starting a busy fellowship, did MKSAP and got through 1/3 of uworld, any utility in clicking through the rest of it just to read the 1-liner? someone mentioned about ~ 20 similar questions from uworld that they saw on the exam?

In addition, any other resources you recommend for last minute cramming? thank you in advance

How did it go!

 

[Teanotcoffee]

Took the exam in December and it was really tough and made a lot of stupid mistakes in easy stuff that I knew mostly due to mental block and freaking out!
Any ideas

Same here!! I hope they release the scores sooner since there were only two December test dates

 

[workandwork]

Same here!! I hope they release the scores sooner since there were only two December test dates

I don't know, my sleep is interrupted, many nights with nightmares about it and feel like a mess, I don't know what will happen but I keep refreshing the ABIM website and hopeful for good news, I am not sure if that is denial or just curiosity or desperation

 

[Medic112]

I am looking to purchase the MKSAP 18 Board Basics book. Anyone have one they are willing to sell asap?

Thanks much.

 

[workandwork]

waiting for the results is just a non-ending headache

 

[usamd2015]

I am scared **** now myself. Not sure how I did. The credentialing dept emailed today and my heart almost lost a beat. Hoping for the best.

 

[workandwork]

I am scared **** now myself. Not sure how I did. The credentialing dept emailed today and my heart almost lost a beat. Hoping for

I think I never did as bad as I did in this exam, or maybe I did but never cared, especially the first block and when I walked out, I was like what the **** just happened?

 

[Romeo00]

So I took the exam in December and have this message on the “my assessments and certifications” screen in the ABIM portal. Does this message mean anything? I’m hoping that I passed. Good luck to all!

 

[workandwork]

So I took the exam in December and have this message on the “my assessments and certifications” screen in the ABIM portal. Does this message mean anything? I’m hoping that I passed. Good luck to all!

I am hoping for the same too,
I went back and checked the last 44 pages over the years and that came up once and someone stated that it is a ''to do list'' but hey, I hope it is true for us, I really hope we get that over with

 

[usamd2015]

I am hoping for the same too,
I went back and checked the last 44 pages over the years and that came up once and someone stated that it is a ''to do list'' but hey, I hope it is true for us, I really hope we get that over with

I have the same thing and when I click on the My Exams link it states that Exams not yet scored. This is torture!

 

[tomcruise9]

So I took the exam in December and have this message on the “my assessments and certifications” screen in the ABIM portal. Does this message mean anything? I’m hoping that I passed. Good luck to all!

No, that screen does not mean anything, you must click on it, it will open the next screen showing your exam history, when you can find out the status of your exam (s), passed or failed. So far, December exam is not scored yet. AOA are suing ABIM, therefore, it will be delayed until after the lawsuit over in another few months, I guess. Good luck!

 

[tomcruise9]

I have the same thing and when I click on the My Exams link it states that Exams not yet scored. This is torture!

The good side of delayed result is when people find out they did not pass the exam, they are only about 6 months away from the next exam. Just about the right time to prepare, study, and less suffering compare to 1 year waiting for the next round as usual

 

[tomcruise9]

I think I never did as bad as I did in this exam, or maybe I did but never cared, especially the first block and when I walked out, I was like what the **** just happened?

My friend told me that she wish she passed out on the exam so she did not have to deal with the waiting and the final result. Hope we all did well

 

[workinman]

My friend told me that she wish she passed out on the exam so she did not have to deal with the waiting and the final result. Hope we all did well

I can imagine why, it was a miserable experience and still is

 

[workinman]

No, that screen does not mean anything, you must click on it, it will open the next screen showing your exam history, when you can find out the status of your exam (s), passed or failed. So far, December exam is not scored yet. AOA are suing ABIM, therefore, it will be delayed until after the lawsuit over in another few months, I guess. Good luck!

Why would the results be delayed because of a law suit

 

[tomcruise9]

Why would the results be delayed because of a law suit

Let’s wait and see if it is correct. Can’t say now ;@

 

[TAVR4life]

It was a very weird exam, a lot of esoteric stuff on the exam..factoids that you either knew or didn't know. A lot of the high yield stuff was not even tested. Definitely worst feeling after an exam compared to all the USMLEs. Don't understand why board exams do this--they really should ask relevant every day to day stuff to ensure your competent.

Roughly when are the December test takers expecting their results? I've seen anywhere between 4-7 weeks. Looks like August test takers got their results in 6 weeks. It'll be 4 weeks next week although Christmas/New Years holiday week may not count.

 

[workinman]

It was a very weird exam, a lot of esoteric stuff on the exam..factoids that you either knew or didn't know. A lot of the high yield stuff was not even tested. Definitely worst feeling after an exam compared to all the USMLEs. Don't understand why board exams do this--they really should ask relevant every day to day stuff to ensure your competent.

Roughly when are the December test takers expecting their results? I've seen anywhere between 4-7 weeks. Looks like August test takers got their results in 6 weeks. It'll be 4 weeks next week although Christmas/New Years holiday week may not count.

True, I have read that the results were released in as little as 4 weeks,
It was a bizarre exam, made a lot of stupid mistakes in stuff that I knew and since then have been freaking out,
How many questions do we need to get right to pass!
I counted so many questions that I got wrong so far
Just feel bad about the things I knew and still got wrong in addition to the stuff that I didn’t know

 

[workandwork]

refreshing and refreshing and no updates

 

[TAVR4life]

A lot of subspecialty board exams had the same December dates as well. Have any of those been released yet?

 

[workandwork]

A lot of subspecialty board exams had the same December dates as well. Have any of those been released yet

nothing on the ABIM website so far, do you have any idea how the passing score is determined?
do you get a higher mark for answering a difficult question or it doesn't matter and how many questions
do we have to answer correctly to pass?

 

[gutonc]

nothing on the ABIM website so far, do you have any idea how the passing score is determined?
do you get a higher mark for answering a difficult question or it doesn't matter and how many questions
do we have to answer correctly to pass?

Varies every examination. A rough estimate is 70% to pass but that's extremely rough.

 

[workandwork]

Varies every examination. A rough estimate is 70% to pass but that's extremely rough.

the flashbacks are really bothering me, life is going to be a total mess if things don't go well