Pediatric Board Exam 2021

[ShogonK]

How are you doing now after the Peds board exam last week? I am still feeling depressed because I feel I didn't do great. I had a lot of questions that I needed to choose between 2 choices, and most of them were wrong. I did Prep 2018-2020 (65-67% at first take) and Medstudy (70-71% at first take), and I had some confidence that I would do well......
I had a nightmare last night and I failed the board test in the nightmare. I cannot believe I need to get 70-75% correct, which is too high.

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[SurfingDoctor]

Nobody walks out of that exam thinking they nailed it.

 

[sweetberry]

I'm feeling the same. A lot of anxiety over failing and I did not pass last year

 

[andrek82]

How are you doing now after the Peds board exam last week? I am still feeling depressed because I feel I didn't do great. I had a lot of questions that I needed to choose between 2 choices, and most of them were wrong. I did Prep 2018-2020 (65-67% at first take) and Medstudy (70-71% at first take), and I had some confidence that I would do well......
I had a nightmare last night and I failed the board test in the nightmare. I cannot believe I need to get 70-75% correct, which is too high.

I took the boards last year eith the exact same study plan and first pass a couple percentage points below yours. I walked out of the test with a pass right around the mean. Not a guarantee, but hopefully you do the same!

 

[ShogonK]

I took the boards last year eith the exact same study plan and first pass a couple percentage points below yours. I walked out of the test with a pass right around the mean. Not a guarantee, but hopefully you do the same!

Thank you so much. I hope it, too!!

 

[cm1988]

how are you guys feeling about the board results? I'm so nervous and anxious. Affecting my daily living. Results may come up this week or the other week. How are you guys dealing with stress and anxiety!?

 

[811031488s]

how are you guys feeling about the board results? I'm so nervous and anxious. Affecting my daily living. Results may come up this week or the other week. How are you guys dealing with stress and anxiety!?

Very anxious 🤞

 

[genpeds237]

Results were posted on Thursday, December 3 last year. The equivalent day this year would be tomorrow. Should we anticipate it being posted tomorrow morning?

 

[AliKu2984]

When I called the ABP yesterday, they said "they are working hard to get results out ASAP," so hopefully sometime this week! They, of course, couldn't give me more specific info than that, and I probably wasted my time even calling at all. I can't handle the wait much longer...my stomach has been in knots for days and it's literally all I can think about... :/

 

[cm1988]

Results were posted on Thursday, December 3 last year. The equivalent day this year would be tomorrow. Should we anticipate it being posted tomorrow morning?

Or it can be Friday!! Because Friday is the 3rd.... Couple of friends that have taken the exam different years looked into there history on the ABP and all refers that it was the 3rd of December. I dont know if this year will be the same.
The waiting is killing me: with anxiety. Even if the results are bad news!!

 

[cm1988]

When I called the ABP yesterday, they said "they are working hard to get results out ASAP," so hopefully sometime this week! They, of course, couldn't give me more specific info than that, and I probably wasted my time even calling at all. I can't handle the wait much longer...my stomach has been in knots for days and it's literally all I can think about... :/

I completely understand. SAME HERE!! I WAS NOT ABLE TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT

 

[AliKu2984]

I completely understand. SAME HERE!! I WAS NOT ABLE TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT

It’s soooooo unbearable! Fingers crossed for good news all around! 🤞

 

[brave18]

Count me in guys for the PPBSD (post peds boards stress disorder)! Was waking up every hour last night to check the website if the results were up! Hope this torture ends soon…

 

[Docp01]

Anyone notice a change in their exam history on ABP? No score report up yet but mine now says certified in general pediatrics.

 

[brave18]

Same here---woke up at 3am to check and noticed that too. It shows I am certified and I see a certification number but no score report available yet :-(
I guess that means we passed but it is good to see the actual score report for full reassurance!

 

[ShogonK]

Same here---woke up at 3am to check and noticed that too. It shows I am certified and I see a certification number but no score report available yet :-(
I guess that means we passed but it is good to see the actual score report for full reassurance!

Oh no!! I didn't see the certification number...Good luck everyone.....

 

[dmusic]

I don’t see an update to my portfolio. I really hope this isn’t a bad sign, anyone else not see it either?

 

[brave18]

Oh no!! I didn't see the certification number...Good luck everyone.....

Go to My ABP Portofolio-->Exam History (under examinations and registrations). Then under examination Summary you will see: General Pediatrics: Original Certification Date: (exam date), Certification expiration: Cont upon meeting MOC requirements, Current status: Certified, Certificate Number: xxxxx. Do you see that?

 

[brave18]

I don’t see an update to my portfolio. I really hope this isn’t a bad sign, anyone else not see it either?

Follow the steps on my previous post... you should see it

 

[ShogonK]

Go to My ABP Portofolio-->Exam History (under examinations and registrations). Then under examination Summary you will see: General Pediatrics: Original Certification Date: (exam date), Certification expiration: Cont upon meeting MOC requirements, Current status: Certified, Certificate Number: xxxxx. Do you see that?

No.......

 

[brave18]

Hm... I think we should all wait to see the official score report to know for sure. I would not panic just because you don't see that....

 

[ShogonK]

Hm... I think we should all wait to see the official score report to know for sure. I would not panic just because you don't see that....

Yeah...., the hope is small, but thanks for your kindness!

 

[dmusic]

Yeah...., the hope is small, but thanks for your kindness!

I don’t see anything in mine, so let’s hope and pray together, ours has just not been updated 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

 

[brave18]

I guess ABP will be getting non stop calls in a few hrs if they don't fix this soon....

 

[ShogonK]

I don’t see anything in mine, so let’s hope and pray together, ours has just not been updated 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Let's pray!
Please let me know when your status is changed.

 

[dmusic]

Let's pray!
Please let me know when your status is changed.

I will definitely let you know! I felt really good about the exam, so I would be so shocked and devastated 😩

 

[ShogonK]

I will definitely let you know! I felt really good about the exam, so I would be so shocked and devastated 😩

I can see the score now. I failed...

 

[brave18]

Still no score report for me but i can see the certification tab and they added the in good standing letter.

 

[811031488s]

I have a good standing letter too. No score report though

 

[AliKu2984]

Ugh…another stressful night of compulsively checking to see if scores were posted. Since scores were released 12/3 last year, I’m really hoping we know either today or tomorrow! I don’t want to have to wait through another weekend. Although, if I find out I didn’t pass, I suppose my weekend would be ruined either way…😭😭😭

 

[ShogonK]

Not sure why I can see the score, but my score is 179/180.... OMG.

 

[AliKu2984]

I can see the score now. I failed...

Me too…for the second time. My score went up at least. I prepared for the possibility of this outcome. The worst part is that we have to take the stupid test again…😭😭😢

 

[AliKu2984]

Not sure why I can see the score, but my score is 179/180.... OMG.

I got a 173. That really really really sucks. Look at it this way, you were so close that you’ll get it next time! I also heard there’s no point in paying $250 for a re-score because it never changes anything.

 

[brave18]

score reports are up. I was exactly at the mean. Based on the curve and where the cutoff is, it seems to me the passing rate is between 70-80% this year which seems worse than previous years....

 

[ShogonK]

I have a question. I was checking my scaled scores. It looked not bad and the means are obviously over 180 (both means of "Performance in Universal score" and "Performance in Content domains")...., but my final score is 179. Does your final score match your means of scaled scores? Should I contact ABP?

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I just saw the curve and it does appear that the failure rate (not sure if that's only for first time takers) is around 30% which is much higher than in the past. If that is correct, I wonder if study and education issues related to the pandemic are partly to blame? They went to a fixed passing score a few years ago but before that the failure rate as I recall was 20-25% then dropped to closer to 10%. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I just saw the curve and it does appear that the failure rate (not sure if that's only for first time takers) is around 30% which is much higher than in the past. If that is correct, I wonder if study and education issues related to the pandemic are partly to blame? They went to a fixed passing score a few years ago but before that the failure rate as I recall was 20-25% then dropped to closer to 10%. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

I believe that's correct, OBP. The peds boards have always been a beast, but 30% failure, if true, would really be shocking.

Keep your head up everyone. This test does not define you, and it sounds like many who did not pass were verrrrrrry close.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I believe that's correct, OBP. The peds boards have always been a beast, but 30% failure, if true, would really be shocking.

Keep your head up everyone. This test does not define you, and it sounds like many who did not pass were verrrrrrry close.

Absolutely, I do not see the value in a failure rate that high. It does not protect anyone from anything and is inconsistent with the excellent training from our pediatric residencies. It is destructive to our field and our practitioners in a time when we need to be supportive.

 

[rocketwriter]

Making an account just to post. I'm another person who received a 179 with the passing cut off 180. I felt fantastic after taking the test. The whole thing is bizarre to me after reading everyone's comments on here. My residency program typically has a 100% pass rate but I already know of one other person who failed (with a close fail like I did). You would think they would lower the threshold for passing this year with that high of a failure rate. It sounds like getting a "rescore" isn't helpful in most cases unfortunately. I guess I will just suck it up and retake it next year, but ugh!

 

[Pendulum2020]

This was my 8th and final attempt (before losing board ineligibility) and I passed with an increase in score by 20 points from last year. So there is definitely hope for all. I felt confident leaving last year but failed. I left this year so discouraged and not confident but I did pass! This year I used PBR, medstudy questions, and 9 years worth of prep questions. I went through the PBR book 5-6 times and listened to their audio chapters whenever I drove. Thanks to a few SDN members who reached out and shared their experience and methods.

 

[lac332]

Also failed with a 174 after doing great on my ITE exams all through residency (predicted >90% chance to pass on first attempt) and never having an issue with previous boards. I was pretty surprised by the result but now looking at the bell curve more closely it’s obvious that something different happened this year; a 20-30% failure rate would be insane

 

[Oso]

Wow a 30% failure rate is ridiculous and seems so unnecessary and honestly cruel. I passed well above the mean but felt terrible leaving the exam because I had so many questions where I narrowed it down to 2 options and essentially just guessed between them. I wish I had better study advice for others, but I don’t, I exclusively used med study and prep questions, as to not overload myself with different resources.

It just doesn’t make sense for a post-residency exam to feel and be this difficult, I mean it’s not like the purpose is to screen people out of pediatrics.

Does anyone know what the other specialty board pass/fail rates are, generally speaking?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Wow a 30% failure rate is ridiculous and seems so unnecessary and honestly cruel. I passed well above the mean but felt terrible leaving the exam because I had so many questions where I narrowed it down to 2 options and essentially just guessed between them. I wish I had better study advice for others, but I don’t, I exclusively used med study and prep questions, as to not overload myself with different resources.

It just doesn’t make sense for a post-residency exam to feel and be this difficult, I mean it’s not like the purpose is to screen people out of pediatrics.

Does anyone know what the other specialty board pass/fail rates are, generally speaking?

Both General Surgery and General Internal Medicine are 85% and 93% pass rate for first-time test takers respectively.

https://absurgerydata.shinyapps.io/PassRates/

https://www.abim.org/Media/yeqiumdc/certification-pass-rates.pdf

Based on that, it seems as if Pediatrics has a fundamental problem with itself.

 

[cm1988]

I PASSED!! SO HAPPY. IT HAS BEEN A CRAZY WEEK WITH THE ANXIETY!!

 

[AliKu2984]

Both General Surgery and General Internal Medicine are 85% and 93% pass rate for first-time test takers respectively.

https://absurgerydata.shinyapps.io/PassRates/

https://www.abim.org/Media/yeqiumdc/certification-pass-rates.pdf

Based on that, it seems as if Pediatrics has a fundamental problem with itself.

Agreed! Money making scam. They’ll get what they want from all of us who have to re-take the test - more $$$$!! 😡😡

Since when is getting >70% correct on an exam not enough to pass?! It’s so unnerving…

 

[Oso]

Both General Surgery and General Internal Medicine are 85% and 93% pass rate for first-time test takers respectively.

https://absurgerydata.shinyapps.io/PassRates/

https://www.abim.org/Media/yeqiumdc/certification-pass-rates.pdf

Based on that, it seems as if Pediatrics has a fundamental problem with itself.

Wow that is a huge difference. Makes sense though, if you completed residency and generally did well, you should have a much higher chance of passing your boards. I have little hope the ABP will really change anything though, more money in their pockets to keep the pass rate so low.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Wow that is a huge difference. Makes sense though, if you completed residency and generally did well, you should have a much higher chance of passing your boards. I have little hope the ABP will really change anything though, more money in their pockets to keep the pass rate so low.

What?! A bunch of old codgers out of touch with reality won't change their opinion?!

 

[Peds1990]

It's interesting to see why this happened with so much failure compared to previous years. The questions from this year are probably from the same people who wrote the questions in the past few years as well. Statistically speaking there shouldn't be much variation. A good point was made above, maybe with the way COVID has impacted residency and work in the past year and a half has been a problem with the learning cycle (whether from a low census or no structured learning onsite vs at home with Zoom etc). Think about it, a year and a half of this pandemic is HALF of a residency program to be done in a nontraditional way.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I'd like to see what the actual first time taker failure rate turns out to be for this year. But it's hard to look at the curve and put it at < 30%, probably a bit higher. Will be interesting to see what IM is this year.

 

[Peds1990]

I passed and I can tell you even though I prepared from about 1 year ago I was still worried after that test. I used PBR (listened to all lectures while driving to work) and the book (which is the written form of the audio lectures). I did all Med Study questions about 1.5-2x through. I also bought the book called Pediatrics Board Review by Osama Naga just to use the last minute review guide at the back of the book (the were questions directly from there on the test).