Pediatric Inservice Exam advice?

[LonePair]

Hey everyone, I am a PGY1 that started in NICU. My pediatric inservice exam is in a week. I heard that it is ok to do average or better on this, especially since it is so early in the year. I feel I do not know much and do not want to bomb this exam. I heard from fellows that it is important to do ok/well on this first one for fellowships.

Any advice on how I can maximize my time/what resources I should use?
I was thinking to review my KAPLAN STEP 2 PEDS binder, because it would be a quick read.

Thank you.

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[TexasRose]

Hey everyone, I am a PGY1 that started in NICU. My pediatric inservice exam is in a week. I heard that it is ok to do average or better on this, especially since it is so early in the year. I feel I do not know much and do not want to bomb this exam. I heard from fellows that it is important to do ok/well on this first one for fellowships.

Any advice on how I can maximize my time/what resources I should use?
I was thinking to review my KAPLAN STEP 2 PEDS binder, because it would be a quick read.

Thank you.

I've always heard that you shouldn't worry about the first exam. Just take it and get the experience under your belt. You can't be expected to know all that much in the first week of residency! It's the 2nd test at the beginning of your second year that needs to show improvement and indicate a higher likelihood of passing your boards.

You have so much to worry about right now just being a new intern. Don't sweat the inservice.

 

[Sweet Tea]

2 Words: AIM LOW.

Everyone likes improvement.

 

[riverie]

2 Words: AIM LOW.

Everyone likes improvement.

I like this advice. I take mine Monday. Not sure I remember how to take exams anymore...

 

[generic]

In the interest of stoking my competitive fires,

Riverie, I will say that I will definitely aim lower than you (on Tuesday)!!! haha

 

[bjackrian]

I took it early because of a scheduling conflict, and I will give anyone a run for their money for lowest score.

 

[jonb12997]

we were told not to worry about it as interns...

 

[CarleneM]

I'm a psychiatry resident but am doing 9 months of peds in the intern year as part of a child/adult psych track. And they are making me take the peds in service tomorrow (and the psych one, i think)...I see no point in me taking it and am not preparing at all. It feels very weird not to prepare for a test, especially one we have 4 hours to take. I bet that my score will be quite impressively low....

Does anyone know how long it really takes? I really don't want to sit there for 4 hours tomorrow.

 

[bjackrian]

I am a really fast test taker and it took me close to two hours, so I don't think it'll be fast unless you just bubble in "c" the whole way through. Might actually have helped my score to do that, come to think of it.

 

[BigRedBeta]

There were definitely questions where I didn't know the answer, but I knew that one answer was definitely wrong...I picked that answer choice. I don't want any lucky guesses making my score look better than it really is. I realized as I drove home that I probably should have just left the questions blank...<sigh>

 

[edmadison]

I heard from fellows that it is important to do ok/well on this first one for fellowships.

I don't know how the fellowship programs would find out your in service examination scores, there's no place for it on the ERAS application. Perhaps it's in the program director's LOR. Does anyone know?

Ed

 

[generic]

Our PD today said that the scores "will have no effect on our future and no consequences other than showing how well prepared for the boards we might be."

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Fellowships have no idea what your in-service exam score is. It is only reported to the program director.

And as the poster said above... it means absolutely NOTHING. Don't study for it and don't worry about it...

 

[twilightdoc]

I agree with the "don't study for the first one" advice. It may help you assess where you are in terms of your knowledge base, and may help your program director if he/she feels that some adjustment in the didactic portions of the educational program are in order for your group. And it will give you some idea as to how difficult, minutiae-driven, etc. the later board exams might be. So I would view the first go-round as a learning experience.

 

[JMMH]

Just to add, some fellowships do ask for your in-service scores, but that is a small minority from what I've seen.

Most will say the first year's score doesn't matter. If you do PREP questions a month or so before the inservice, your score should improve.