Sae

[Dr. Ice]

So...what did you guys think of the SAE?? (This question is mainly directed towards the PGY2s) Just wanted to get a sense of how well you all thought your program has been preparing you so far for the boards.

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[mehul_25]

Most of our residents (including the PGY-II) felt that the exam was fair but quite challenging.

 

[violet1024]

Does anyone know when the SAE questions/answers will be posted on the AAPMR website?

 

[Dr. Ice]

I personally liked the question about the role of cannabis in treating ALS patients! I agree the test seemed fair, but challenging.

Does anyone know when the SAE questions/answers will be posted on the AAPMR website?

 

[axm397]

We(PGY2s) all thought it was really hard. We have had no EMG or Peds and there was a good bulk of both.

Some programs specifically train for the SAEs and make people study for it. We were told it is what it is - Self Assessment Exam. So we just took it without any preparation.

There were rumors a little while back that it's open book at some places - I think that's been squashed.

Some programs release people's SAE scores, others do not.

BTW - the question mentioning late admissions confirmed for us skeptics that late admissions annoy many PM&R residents all over the country.

 

[Finally M3]

We(PGY2s) all thought it was really hard. We have had no EMG or Peds and there was a good bulk of both.

Some programs specifically train for the SAEs and make people study for it. We were told it is what it is - Self Assessment Exam. So we just took it without any preparation.

There were rumors a little while back that it's open book at some places - I think that's been squashed.

Some programs release people's SAE scores, others do not.

BTW - the question mentioning late admissions confirmed for us skeptics that late admissions annoy many PM&R residents all over the country.

Biggest waste of time: trying to interpret the EMGs. I think I got one of the EMG questions right. Who knew they wouldn't give us the normal values for amplitude, conduction velocity? Kinda important stuff to know, huh? (We at UMich don't get EMG till PGY3 as well)

Apparently, Canabis DOES work by blocking glutamate excitation within the CNS; whodathunk?

Also, dunno what y'all's O&P experience is on an outpatient basis...but WTF?

Finally, I didn't know I was a rheumatologist specializing in anklyosing spondylitis. Did you?

Personally, all I did was look over the old exams on the AAPMR website. That was a joy to take. Looking forward to next year!

 

[mehul_25]

Two quick points, typically the SAE is not posted online until sometime in late March, at or around the same time that the scores are released to the programs.

Second, looking at the previous posts I am not sure when they were posted exactly, but which the majority of programs take the test on Friday, some take them on Saturday, so posting questions and answers should be done with caution.

This test is usually tough for PGY-II, many of the topics covered on the test are yet to be covered by new residents. It is interesting how different programs emphasize the test in different ways. Our program as well as Walter Reed and Hopkins (I think) put a fair amount of emphasis on it.

 

[Dr. Ice]

I personally was trying to think of the affects that cannabis had on me (granted I dont have ALS) however, none of the other answer choices made sense so I think I picked bronchodilation...whatevs

Two quick points, typically the SAE is not posted online until sometime in late March, at or around the same time that the scores are released to the programs.

Second, looking at the previous posts I am not sure when they were posted exactly, but which the majority of programs take the test on Friday, some take them on Saturday, so posting questions and answers should be done with caution.

This test is usually tough for PGY-II, many of the topics covered on the test are yet to be covered by new residents. It is interesting how different programs emphasize the test in different ways. Our program as well as Walter Reed and Hopkins (I think) put a fair amount of emphasis on it.

 

[Sivastraba]

Hey I was wondering if someone has the PDF archives for the SAE's of previous years with their answer keys. If so, I would appreciate if you could private mail me a copy of them.

 

[axm397]

Hey I was wondering if someone has the PDF archives for the SAE's of previous years with their answer keys. If so, I would appreciate if you could private mail me a copy of them.

If you're a member of the AAPMR, you can access them here:

http://www.aapmr.org/education/saer/archive.htm

 

[rehab_sports_dr]

In our program, we only take the SAE in our last year. So this is my first time taking it, in my senior year.

I studied by doing the old SAE's from the past few years, available on the AAPM+R website.

A few thoughts:
1. A striking number of repeat questions- some word-for-word exactly the same
2. I am glad I looked at old SAEs beforehand, because there are some topics that I would have never thought to study (things like pulmonary functions tests, Parkinson's, ALS)
3. The P+O questions are consistently difficult. I know nationally this is the weakest area, and I think they are simply tougher questions.
4. I thought the EMG questions were pretty easy. Reading other posts, I suspect the difference is that I am a senior and have already done 200+ EMGs. I would have gotten many of them wrong as an R1, but I probably would have gotten most of them right as an R2.
5. I was definitely annoyed with all of the HIV questions. That seems so low yield that I will wait until July to memorize the medication side effects.

Easiest questions:
SCI, EMG, musculoskeletal, ethics and system-based medicine questions

Hardest:
Medical (HIV/cancer type stuff), P+O, peds