What's the best multiple choice question bank for ABFAS?

[FutureDPM123]

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The general consensus when it comes to the CBPS portion of the exam is to use Boardwizards which makes sense. However, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which resource to use for practice multiple choice questions. I've heard complaints of Boardwizards multiple choice questions not preparing people for that part of the exam. So I was wondering what people who have passed recently felt would be the highest yield.

I know reading McGlamery helps, but I'd like to apply the knowledge through high quality multiple choice questions.

 

[Boba Foot]

ABFAS are a bunch of jabronis and half the rear foot questions are nowhere to be seen on board wizards. Good luck.

 

[footpainhealer]

I took the one in March since I messed around for my ITE one several months ago, and passed all of the 4 sections.

I used boardvitals to "attempt" to study and got through 185 of the Podiatric surgery and complications sections. I always unchecked the "general medicine, anesthesia, etc" sections of BV since they don't ask that stuff on the exams from what I have noticed over the past 3 ITE's.

If I had to put a 1-10 rating on how much it (BV questions) helped, I would say 6/10. It helps to refresh you on school level details, but I felt so many of the questions on the actual exam were more opinion based than true wrong or right answers. There were questions where 3/5 options are valid and would work just fine. Even on BV, they get they're answers based on articles, but for every article that says one thing, there's others that say to do something different. lmao.

Anyways, I would recommend BV for just the didactic portion. I did not ever buy wizards, but learned from the ITE that shot gunning treatments or images (even though they are correct imo) just loses points for whatever reason.

For the real exam, I only put the pertinent stuff I personally needed to know (like for exam or imaging or labs) even if the "correct" answer choices may have wanted more. It was enough to pass so I would recommend not shotgunning just cause it says "please select 10-20 things" lol

 

[Weirdy]

I took the one in March since I messed around for my ITE one several months ago, and passed all of the 4 sections.

I used boardvitals to "attempt" to study and got through 185 of the Podiatric surgery and complications sections. I always unchecked the "general medicine, anesthesia, etc" sections of BV since they don't ask that stuff on the exams from what I have noticed over the past 3 ITE's.

If I had to put a 1-10 rating on how much it (BV questions) helped, I would say 6/10. It helps to refresh you on school level details, but I felt so many of the questions on the actual exam were more opinion based than true wrong or right answers. There were questions where 3/5 options are valid and would work just fine. Even on BV, they get they're answers based on articles, but for every article that says one thing, there's others that say to do something different. lmao.

Anyways, I would recommend BV for just the didactic portion. I did not ever buy wizards, but learned from the ITE that shot gunning treatments or images (even though they are correct imo) just loses points for whatever reason.

For my real one, I would only put 1, maybe 2 answer choices even if it asked for 5 or 10 or whatever and it worked and I passed it hahah. makes no sense to me but it is what it is.

Recent rule change docs you for shotgunning labs/images.
You have to know what they want in terms of treatment etc to get the right answer.

 

[Aresnebula]

Recent rule change docs you for shotgunning labs/images.
You have to know what they want in terms of treatment etc to get the right answer.

Wait so, I shouldn't go to "image" tab right away? I would like to clarify because that is how I have been prepping on Board Qizards CBPS.

 

[Hybrocure]

Recent rule change docs you for shotgunning labs/images.
You have to know what they want in terms of treatment etc to get the right answer.

Funny because that’s how medicine works

 

[Retrograde_Nail]

Recent rule change docs you for shotgunning labs/images.
You have to know what they want in terms of treatment etc to get the right answer.

I find that hard to believe

 

[Weirdy]

I find that hard to believe

I got dinged going the spam labs route.
Pregnancy test for females etc
Happy to hear from others

 

[Sendin_Toes_2market]

I got dinged going the spam labs route.
Pregnancy test for females etc
Happy to hear from others

because you didn’t do the “ask patient about their gender identity” button.

Don’t cancel me.

 

[Adam Smasher]

I still don't know what you're supposed to do for preoperative labs. My understanding is in the real world of outpatient surgery, you don't order these tests unless you're looking for something specific, like elevated creatinine. But PCPs and anesthesia will still order bmp and cbc on pts just because. Even ASA 2s.

I have no clue what ABFAS is looking for because I got different answers from different attendings when I was in residency. Presumably they don't expect a bmp on everyone because there was no bmp option on the test when I took it. But I don't like to assume.

 

[MicroPod]

I do not think there is an option for bmp but you can order potassium, sodium, etc. all separately on the test.

 

[Flip-flop-flerpity]

Fairly sure they only want pre-op labs specific to the condition they're looking for you to suspect that the patient has. I know for several cases I didn't select any preop labs at all.

 

[FutureDPM123]

Now that ABFAS exam is done, I figured I'd mention what was useful. Boardwizards has over 1500 questions, and maybe 2 of them out of the 160 multiple choice showed up word for word. While it did cover topics that were examed on, it did not do a good job of asking the types of questions or the specific content that was high yield for that topic (i.e. yes there are questions about evan's, but the real exam was asking more trivial and obscure knowledge). The annoying thing is after looking up the questions of the real exam, there's still no consensus in literature or research, and a lot of times it's not even mentioned. Do the writers of the exam just make up what they think is right instead of evidence based practice? I do think boardwizards is essential for their cases though because it's good practice.

Boardblasts (didactic portion only): Maybe like 2 useful questions, but still not particularly high yield for what's examined on the real board exam. My biggest gripe is I can't believe they charge $1000 for their question bank.

Waterhouse: They have a pretty solid study guide, essentially a concise version of the McGlamry textbook. The multiple choice offered another 2-3 high yield questions.

At the end of the day, the multiple choice questions on the real ABFAS exam are ridiculous. While the forefoot had more manageable questions, the rearfoot didactic is so vague and non-existent in literature that >50% of it can't really be studied for. They want people to retake the exam so they can continue to make money off the already low paying profession I guess. Even if you do pass, you still have part 2 which only 20% of people pass both parts so what's the point.

Anyways, looking forward to the ABPM exam in October, the superior board certification

 

[med2345]

Now that ABFAS exam is done, I figured I'd mention what was useful. Boardwizards has over 1500 questions, and maybe 2 of them out of the 160 multiple choice showed up word for word. While it did cover topics that were examed on, it did not do a good job of asking the types of questions or the specific content that was high yield for that topic (i.e. yes there are questions about evan's, but the real exam was asking more trivial and obscure knowledge). The annoying thing is after looking up the questions of the real exam, there's still no consensus in literature or research, and a lot of times it's not even mentioned. Do the writers of the exam just make up what they think is right instead of evidence based practice? I do think boardwizards is essential for their cases though because it's good practice.

Boardblasts (didactic portion only): Maybe like 2 useful questions, but still not particularly high yield for what's examined on the real board exam. My biggest gripe is I can't believe they charge $1000 for their question bank.

Waterhouse: They have a pretty solid study guide, essentially a concise version of the McGlamry textbook. The multiple choice offered another 2-3 high yield questions.

At the end of the day, the multiple choice questions on the real ABFAS exam are ridiculous. While the forefoot had more manageable questions, the rearfoot didactic is so vague and non-existent in literature that >50% of it can't really be studied for. They want people to retake the exam so they can continue to make money off the already low paying profession I guess. Even if you do pass, you still have part 2 which only 20% of people pass both parts so what's the point.

Anyways, looking forward to the ABPM exam in October, the superior board certification

I agree with all of this. I felt the exact same way about the didactic. Several didactic questions which would have 2 right answers but the question need more details and depends which articles you’ve decide to read/believe. “More likely” or “more right” still needs more clinical detail.

I actually thought the rearfoot didactic was easier/more manageable than the foot and atleast stuck to more surgical questions given it’s a SURGICAL board.

The foot didactic felt like the ABPM exam, in my opinion.

Several didactic questions I didn’t truly understand what it was asking.

CBPS on both parts I felt were actually good and fair. For the most part workable cases and if you treat the case as real patients you’ll get to the diagnosis easily and treatment.

However there are 1 or 2 cases that have those follow up complications where you may have already did the exact follow up treatment and initial treatment in your own initial treatment prophylactically. Not really sure how they go about grading that, I can’t imagine they dock points or if any at all since it shows you knew where it was going/competency. (?)

Who knows, I find it crazy the didactic rearfoot passing rate went down from 78% in 2022 to 55% in 2024.

 

[Adam Smasher]

Oh I have such a great idea for a meme but I'm in the middle of something. Everyone bookmark this conversation for Monday morning!