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I got my ConCert Exam scores back and was happy to get a 93. I also wrote a blog post reviewing the three resources I used - Peer IX, Rosh Review, and Board Vitals that I wish someone had written for me when I was trying to decide what to use.
Studying for the Boards- Peer IX Vs Rosh Review Vs Board Vitals
Here's the bottom line:
In the end, I liked different things about each database, so it is hard for me to give you one recommendation over another.
I think the PEER questions were most like the ones I actually saw on the test. But they don’t do anything flashy, the explanations are merely adequate, and they charge you quite a bit for the number of questions they’re giving you ($0.64 per question). But you do get the CME for free, even if you might have to take the tests twice to actually claim it!
Rosh Review is the premium product in the space. Way more questions (more than I did between all three databases in three months) and gorgeous explanations. But they also charge like it, at $449 for three months plus another $100 for CME. It offers maximal value at $0.21 per question, assuming you can get to all those questions in three months. It is pretty clear that Adam Rosh is an emergency doc, as this is a pretty EM-focused business.
Board Vitals is the discount product on the market at the low, low price of $249 (minus 10% if you use the links on this page.) It offers good value at $0.39 a question ($0.35 if you use my links) and is definitely going to motivate you to study given the difficulty of its questions. The questions aren’t quite as applicable to the exam as the other two databases, but there are still areas that showed up on the exam that the Board Vitals database prepared me for and the other two did not. Board Vitals also has the huge advantage that it isn’t just an EM focused product. While Rosh is branching out, they’ve got a long way to go to catch up to Board Vitals as far as other specialties go.
In the end, which of these you buy should come down to what you’re looking for. If you want it all, just buy all three databases. I was glad I used them all. They all helped me raise my score. Sure, it’ll cost you a cool $1,000, but when the test costs $1,850 to retake and when you consider the value of your time, that really isn’t all that much money.
If you’re looking for a deal, well, you get over 600 questions with Board Vitals for just $224. If you’re either not planning to study much or doing most of your studying using a course or a book and just want to take some practice tests, that should be adequate.
If you want to pick something in the middle, you won’t run out of questions going with Rosh Review or you could combine Board Vitals with PEER to again get plenty of questions for not much more than you pay for Rosh.
If CME credit is really important to you, PEER is likely your best bet since the CME is included, but you can get it from any of the three databases for a little more money.
If convenience is your main concern, it’s hard to go wrong with Rosh Review. You make one purchase where you get plenty of questions, a good predictor of how you’ll do, CME credit at a reasonable price, and almost all the information you need to study without having to purchase another resource.)
Studying for the Boards- Peer IX Vs Rosh Review Vs Board Vitals
Here's the bottom line:
In the end, I liked different things about each database, so it is hard for me to give you one recommendation over another.
I think the PEER questions were most like the ones I actually saw on the test. But they don’t do anything flashy, the explanations are merely adequate, and they charge you quite a bit for the number of questions they’re giving you ($0.64 per question). But you do get the CME for free, even if you might have to take the tests twice to actually claim it!
Rosh Review is the premium product in the space. Way more questions (more than I did between all three databases in three months) and gorgeous explanations. But they also charge like it, at $449 for three months plus another $100 for CME. It offers maximal value at $0.21 per question, assuming you can get to all those questions in three months. It is pretty clear that Adam Rosh is an emergency doc, as this is a pretty EM-focused business.
Board Vitals is the discount product on the market at the low, low price of $249 (minus 10% if you use the links on this page.) It offers good value at $0.39 a question ($0.35 if you use my links) and is definitely going to motivate you to study given the difficulty of its questions. The questions aren’t quite as applicable to the exam as the other two databases, but there are still areas that showed up on the exam that the Board Vitals database prepared me for and the other two did not. Board Vitals also has the huge advantage that it isn’t just an EM focused product. While Rosh is branching out, they’ve got a long way to go to catch up to Board Vitals as far as other specialties go.
In the end, which of these you buy should come down to what you’re looking for. If you want it all, just buy all three databases. I was glad I used them all. They all helped me raise my score. Sure, it’ll cost you a cool $1,000, but when the test costs $1,850 to retake and when you consider the value of your time, that really isn’t all that much money.
If you’re looking for a deal, well, you get over 600 questions with Board Vitals for just $224. If you’re either not planning to study much or doing most of your studying using a course or a book and just want to take some practice tests, that should be adequate.
If you want to pick something in the middle, you won’t run out of questions going with Rosh Review or you could combine Board Vitals with PEER to again get plenty of questions for not much more than you pay for Rosh.
If CME credit is really important to you, PEER is likely your best bet since the CME is included, but you can get it from any of the three databases for a little more money.
If convenience is your main concern, it’s hard to go wrong with Rosh Review. You make one purchase where you get plenty of questions, a good predictor of how you’ll do, CME credit at a reasonable price, and almost all the information you need to study without having to purchase another resource.)
