Oral Board Date

[Gas]

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Hey all, wondering when or how we find out the day that we take the oral boards. Couldn't find it on the website - just curious so I can plan my work/call schedule and flight plans.

 

[Sevo]

ABA Oral Examination Dates:

Spring: Ft Lauderdale, FL; April 14-18, 2008

Fall: Phoenix, AZ; September 22-26, 2008

 

[Gas]

I meant the exact date. Or do we not know that until we get there?

 

[Sevo]

I meant the exact date. Or do we not know that until we get there?

You'll get a letter from the ABA roughly a month before with the exact date and time.

 

[ecCA1]

How are potential source of bias (i.e. you know the examiner) handled? Can you request a roster of them prior to signing up and go where the ones you know aren't?

 

[mille125]

I meant the exact date. Or do we not know that until we get there?

You get a letter in the mail telling you the exact date and time within the aforementioned weeks. It comes about 2 months before your date. It will give you hotel information as well. If you want to stay in the same hotel you should contact them immediately because the rooms fill up fast. I chose to stay at a different hotel which i think was a good decision for me. There is a lot of "unneeded hysteria" at the hotel that I did not want to be involved in. Good luck.

 

[mille125]

How are potential source of bias (i.e. you know the examiner) handled? Can you request a roster of them prior to signing up and go where the ones you know aren't?

The board goes through extreme measures to try to prevent this from happening. They use your medical school and training information as well as your current address. You can rest assured that you will not get any examiners from your current state or the state of your medical school/residency. With all of this said there is a very small chance that you may get someone that you know. If so, you are asked to tell the examiner and you will be reassigned.


With all of that said, it is a very subjective test. I felt that it tested less than 1 percent of my preparation. If you are in academics practice often (especially if your institution has some board examiners). If you are in private practice try to practice with collegues. It is a talking test and you need to practice your responses.

There are several review courses out there. Many doctors do one or several courses. Some do none. It depends on your personal situation. I chose to do two and probably would have passed the exams without them (even though they were helpful). If you are interested, PM me and I can tell you about the best ones.


Good luck...

 

[pgg]

With all of this said there is a very small chance that you may get someone that you know. If so, you are asked to tell the examiner and you will be reassigned.

As I understand it, they have a handful of unoccupied examiners hanging around drinking coffee, eating donuts, and making fun of the guys they tested that morning. These examiners are available to fill in if one of their colleagues runs into a former resident or acquaintance. So you don't get reassigned - the examiner leaves and is replaced.

 

[ecCA1]

It sounds like it depends on the examiner needing to identify the situation as a potentially biased one.

Is it possible to see who your examiners are prior to entry into the test room and ask one of them to recuse?

 

[Gern Blansten]

The examiners receive a list of all candidates who will be examined that week. It is their responsibility to examine the list and mark any that they know. Most choose to also include anyone from their home state. The examiners also get a list of who they will examine just prior to the exam and that is one additional opportunity for them to notice any conflicts. As mentioned, there are extra examiners immediately available to jump in at a moments notice if a conflict arises.

 

[mille125]

It sounds like it depends on the examiner needing to identify the situation as a potentially biased one.

Is it possible to see who your examiners are prior to entry into the test room and ask one of them to recuse?

this is really a very rare event...please dont worry excessively about it...concentrate on preparing for a good performance..