Agree with beta blocker recommendation. Worried about the osce- definitely screwed up the monitors section cause it went so fast.
I know it’s hard but take some time for yourself and go do something you enjoy. Or get something nice for yourself. You just took one of the toughest exams and made it through! As others have said you don’t have a grade yet and you may have very well passed. I took the exam last year and I thought I failed. I don’t think anyone I knew came out confident. After the exam I thought about every incorrect answer I gave. The number of times I said “I don’t know”. I was losing sleep and the wait for the grade was terrible. 4 weeks later I ended up passing. And trust me I was also extremely nervous on the exam. I had my attendings at my program telling me I should be taking a beta blocker but didn’t. Hang in there. And the worst case scenario you would have to take it again. It doesn’t mean you are a terrible physician. Sometimes our anxiety on exams get the best of us. The best thing is to practice as much as you can. But again don’t think about restudying yet until you know your results.Hi guys I just took my oral boards and it was horrible. I had a horrible flight in and the weather was not on my side. I wasn't feeling well as a result. I ended up not being able to sleep as a result and frankly a nervous wreck. It was a train wreck. I was shaking the whole time for both stems. I for some reason could not get my composure together. I got led into some traps and it was just awful even though I know the material well. I know I definitely failed. And the nerves continued into the OSCE component.
I haven't failed any standardized test so feeling really really bummed. I am of course going to wait for the official result. I feel so beat up in this field - studying over and over and over. After caring for patients relentlessly through even the worse of times like COVID ICUs and at this point in training, still trying to have to prove ourselves. And then this in light of the recent world affairs, I just am so exhausted and tired of it!
Does anybody have any tips to re-study and/or how to reschedule for sooner?
Took it 3/4 still no resultsAsked the ABA….results will be posted 15 business days after the exam date
I took it 3/2 and no resultsTook it 3/4 still no results
I am seriously considering getting a propranolol to take before the exam as I tend to fo terrible in interviews.Beta blocker does wonders.
The ABA clarified its 15 business days (meaning Saturday and Sunday do not count). Another way to look at it is it will post 3 weeks after your test date, ie if you took it 3/4 you should have results 3/25. Good luck!Took it 3/4 still no results
The ABA clarified its 15 business days (meaning Saturday and Sunday do not count). Another way to look at it is it will post 3 weeks after your test date, ie if you took it 3/4 you should have results 3/25. Good luck!
Could be wrong! It was just the answer given to me by the ABA last week. They were pretty responsive if you want to reach outI do not think this is correct…I took it on 2/28 and still do not have my results. If that was the case then I would have gotten my results today.
Could be wrong! It was just the answer given to me by the ABA last week. They were pretty responsive if you want to reach out
Took mine 2/28. Havent gotten my result yet either. Called the ABA, one person said 3 weeks, another said any day now.
If you do this, would recommend doing it a few times when practicing to figure out how it makes you feel, in case it slows you down TOO much and makes you feel bad somehow.I am seriously considering getting a propranolol to take before the exam as I tend to fo terrible in interviews.
I could use some propranolol while waiting for these results to come.If you do this, would recommend doing it a few times when practicing to figure out how it makes you feel, in case it slows you down TOO much and makes you feel bad somehow.
Is there a place to store the luggage at the testing center?For those flying out, the shuttle took them straight from the hotel to the airport.
in the transport vanIs there a place to store the luggage at the testing center?
Like they said, you leave it on the van. Since I drove, I just left my luggage with the hotel front desk.Is there a place to store the luggage at the testing center?
Congratulations to those that passed! Any tips on prep?
Currently doing UBP but definitely getting caught up on how long winded their answers and differentials are.
At the same time going to read a primary source like Yao, Baby Miller etc also seems daunting. Any advice?
I was a pain fellow last year, in practice this year, little more than 1.5 hrs out of anesthesia residency.Congratulations to those that passed! Any tips on prep?
Currently doing UBP but definitely getting caught up on how long winded their answers and differentials are.
At the same time going to read a primary source like Yao, Baby Miller etc also seems daunting. Any advice?
My two cents from someone who failed last year on zoom and passed this year.
Last year I went in cocky. I had always done well on the ITEs (90th% percentile all three CA years, passed basic and got a personalized letter from the president of the ABA that I was in the top 10 percent of my advanced exam). I had done a lot of prep pre covid, but when my test was delayed I stopped studying. About a month in advance of my rescheduled exam I started “studying” which meant just doing ubp, sometimes by myself and sometimes with friends. It wasn’t enough. As another person posted above, ubp is too in depth. Studying with friends is fine, but it’s not enough. You need someone more experienced (ideally a board examiner) to give you more direct feedback. Friends will be too nice and you’re going to ignore your mistakes if it’s by yourself.
I ended up signing up for the Ho course. It was expensive, but it made me want to study a lot harder since I had paid a **** ton of money. Some of the videos are really helpful and helped me review some of my weaker topics (I’m peds trained). I went through every practice test that was included in the course and watched the relevant videos. I did all the mock orals and attended the mock oral practice session via zoom. The examiners in the Ho course are generally pretty good and they provided good feedback. Some more than others. One of the scenarios i got ended up being similar to the ones I had in the real exam. I also reread a few textbooks (Stoelting was probably the best). I did a few practice sessions with real board examiners as well. The board examiners in my practice sessions really went in on my answers. The feedback they provided was that I talked too much, probably because I relied too heavily on UBP previously. If it’s a yes or no question, say yes or no. They may not want to know why, so don’t say why. You’re just wasting their time. It’s the examiner’s exam - they just want to get through the script, go back to the hotel, and drink at the ****ty hotel bar.
The Hilton Raleigh was the biggest waste of money I’ve ever spent. If only registration for the morning session wasn’t at 6AM in the hotel lobbyTo be fair, the hotel they're being housed at had a much nicer bar (Renaissance). The hotel we had to stay at had a decent lobby but man those rooms...especially at that "discounted" price.
I had always done well on the ITEs (90th% percentile all three CA years, passed basic and got a personalized letter from the president of the ABA that I was in the top 10 percent of my advanced exam).
I thought it was useful, if anything to improve the ability to articulate my thought process in a coherent way and not sound like a rambling idiot.Also, having taken this exam, I can now confidently say that the oral board offers no value and does not adequately assess an anesthesiologist, it’s a waste of time. Just a really expensive trip to North Carolina .
Oh I have a story about that...I was just thinking this today. Not to mention the flight cancellations and travel headache.
Dunno. 2019 for what it’s worth. One of my co residents got 100th percentile. Literally all questions correct and got a hand-written letter I believe.I was 99th percentile on my boards and never got a personalized letter. wtf is this a new thing?
True. I had CME money and opened a new credit card to pay for it with a welcome offer that partially paid for my honeymoon. I’m the type of person that needs organization when studying. FWIW I had ADHD as a child/teen and thought it was relatively under control until I studied for the boards that I failed. Having a format to follow with a course was helpful, but I agree it isn’t for everyone. If you start planning mock orals with actual board examiners months in advance and set up and stick to a schedule to study yourself (and are doing well), then you probably don’t need it.My personal opinion is that unless you have CME money to burn, why waste your money if it’s your first time taking the test in an expensive course. 90 percent pass rate or something on the oral exam for first time takers I beleive, if you fail then paying to retake and extra study time will be comparable to the cost of a expensive prep course.
Argg guys, I took mine one week ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. Truly felt like I've failed... I keep thinking back about the things I answered wrong or could have done better. In my first room, it felt like the senior examiner was done with me from the beginning. Kept on telling me to cut to the chase. When I practiced, I thought we were supposed to show them our thought process, and do exactly what we would start off with, so "examine the patient or look at monitors." She hated that phrase and was like "just answer the question." Feels like everything I practiced doing was wrong. There was also multiple times I tried jolting down ABGs and lab values, but she kept saying "you don't have to write it down, it'll stay up." Completely messed up the usual way I think about things and made me lose confidence. Took that lack of confidence with me to the 2nd room. There was no time to think about anything. Definitely blurted out bone headed bad answers. If I were the examiners, I would not pass me, that's how bad my answers were.
Hey man, i think most of us feel like we failed when we leave. its pretty normal. I certainly did and still some how passed. And oh yes, i remember exactly what questions i got wrong and in the most detail i have ever remembered something in my life.Argg guys, I took mine one week ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. Truly felt like I've failed... I keep thinking back about the things I answered wrong or could have done better. In my first room, it felt like the senior examiner was done with me from the beginning. Kept on telling me to cut to the chase. When I practiced, I thought we were supposed to show them our thought process, and do exactly what we would start off with, so "examine the patient or look at monitors." She hated that phrase and was like "just answer the question." Feels like everything I practiced doing was wrong. There was also multiple times I tried jolting down ABGs and lab values, but she kept saying "you don't have to write it down, it'll stay up." Completely messed up the usual way I think about things and made me lose confidence. Took that lack of confidence with me to the 2nd room. There was no time to think about anything. Definitely blurted out bone headed bad answers. If I were the examiners, I would not pass me, that's how bad my answers were.
Thats genious! I too paid for all the micheal Ho stuff - all the MOPS, a bunch of mocks, anything i could get my hands on, and it was totally worth it. One thing i didnt have access to was a board examiner, i think that would have been really helpful as well.True. I had CME money and opened a new credit card to pay for it with a welcome offer that partially paid for my honeymoon. I’m the type of person that needs organization when studying. FWIW I had ADHD as a child/teen and thought it was relatively under control until I studied for the boards that I failed. Having a format to follow with a course was helpful, but I agree it isn’t for everyone. If you start planning mock orals with actual board examiners months in advance and set up and stick to a schedule to study yourself (and are doing well), then you probably don’t need it.
To be fair, the hotel they're being housed at had a much nicer bar (Renaissance). The hotel we had to stay at had a decent lobby but man those rooms...especially at that "discounted" price.
And it was such a ****ty hotel too. Dirty, no water pressure, thin walls.The Hilton Raleigh was the biggest waste of money I’ve ever spent. If only registration for the morning session wasn’t at 6AM in the hotel lobby
I’m pretty sure I could see my junior examiner rolling his eyes a handful of times. Pretty sure I heard a scoff as well. Was quite aggravating as I felt I was doing very well…then that BS got me all in my own head.Argg guys, I took mine one week ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. Truly felt like I've failed... I keep thinking back about the things I answered wrong or could have done better. In my first room, it felt like the senior examiner was done with me from the beginning. Kept on telling me to cut to the chase. When I practiced, I thought we were supposed to show them our thought process, and do exactly what we would start off with, so "examine the patient or look at monitors." She hated that phrase and was like "just answer the question." Feels like everything I practiced doing was wrong. There was also multiple times I tried jolting down ABGs and lab values, but she kept saying "you don't have to write it down, it'll stay up." Completely messed up the usual way I think about things and made me lose confidence. Took that lack of confidence with me to the 2nd room. There was no time to think about anything. Definitely blurted out bone headed bad answers. If I were the examiners, I would not pass me, that's how bad my answers were.
Dude, that's what my senior examiner was doing in my first room too. Def heard her sigh and shake her head like I was doing everything wrong when it was the junior examiner's turn to quiz me.I’m pretty sure I could see my junior examiner rolling his eyes a handful of times. Pretty sure I heard a scoff as well. Was quite aggravating as I felt I was doing very well…then that BS got me all in my own head.
I could have sworn I saw my senior examiner smirking while the junior examiner was questioning me but maybe my stress in the situation was messing with me.Dude, that's what my senior examiner was doing in my first room too. Def heard her sigh and shake her head like I was doing everything wrong when it was the junior examiner's turn to quiz me.
Masks still on?I could have sworn I saw my senior examiner smirking while the junior examiner was questioning me but maybe my stress in the situation was messing with me.
Yes, masks on.Masks still on?