Official ABIM Exam/study tools thread!

[E92er]

CAn you tell me more about your experience... what scores were you getting on mksap? what do you think is a good comfort level... if you knew what you knew now would you have taken it ?

Best way to explain it is by my 3rd time through MKSAP, I was scoring in the 80%'s but it was because I knew for that specific question, the answer was B, but I couldn't remember why the answer was B. I honestly don't know what a good comfort level is and am just doing as much as possible with the mindset that no matter what I'm scoring, I won't be 'comfortable' until after I finish the test.
I wouldn't take it if I knew I'd fail. My problem for the actual test was, I could almost always narrow the choices down to two. After that, I would be guessing 50/50 it felt like. I knew enough to narrow the options, but not enough to know the exact answer if that makes any sense. I'm focusing more on the little detail differentiators this time around....

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[Manuca]

what is the best way to spend the last week before the exam?
- keep doing questions
- review notes
- other

 

[Successor12]

This is scary
80% but failed?

 

[Successor12]

I think I will do notes from now on I am thinking about reviewing board basics

 

[Successor12]

I am also doing flash cards and virtual diagnosis and did a pretest scored 68%
Would that be like ok or should I be worried?

 

[zephyrhills123]

This is scary
80% but failed?

I think what E92er was saying was that they recognized the question and without really reading it through or thinking about it, remembered that the answer was "B" just because that's what the answer was. They really didn't understand the core concept, just question recognition.

I can't wait for this to be over! Le sigh.

 

[Successor12]

Me too the stress is unbelievable

 

[E92er]

I think what E92er was saying was that they recognized the question and without really reading it through or thinking about it, remembered that the answer was "B" just because that's what the answer was. They really didn't understand the core concept, just question recognition.

I can't wait for this to be over! Le sigh.

Exactly.
That's why I went with UW this time around. Still using MKSAP for the Virtual Dx questions this week.

 

[Manuca]

Me too the stress is unbelievable

UGhhh same here .....
lol keep going back and forth between taking it or not.... hour by hour

 

[Anri of Astora]

I'm a bit disappointed in some of these MKSAP 16 questions, which have the wrong answers. I just did a cardiology question, which stated that all patients with high risk NSTEMIs based on TIMI score should receive anticoagulation, antiplatelets AND GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors (irrespective of planned PCI). Pretty sure GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors are only given at the time of PCI. :/

 

[hopefuloncologist]

I'm a bit disappointed in some of these MKSAP 16 questions, which have the wrong answers. I just did a cardiology question, which stated that all patients with high risk NSTEMIs based on TIMI score should receive anticoagulation, antiplatelets AND GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors (irrespective of planned PCI). Pretty sure GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors are only given at the time of PCI. :/

I remember that question. I had never used a GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor during residency, so I was just taking MKSAP at their word; maybe I need to read about those agents independently

8 days and counting. I wonder how long on average people spend studying for the exam. I guess no way to know. People in my program seem to say they take "a month" to study.

 

[Anri of Astora]

^Yeah in residency I only used GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors when I was on my CCU rotation, where patients post-STEMI would come to the CCU on an abciximab infusion. I thought I had completely misunderstood the use of those drugs when I did that MKSAP question, but then looked up the AHA guidelines. GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors are only recommended at the time of PCI for high risk patients.

Would love to be corrected if this is wrong! But it made me lose faith in MKSAP, and back to Uworld I go.

Not sure what the average time for studying is. 1 month seems a like a lot, if people mean they sit at home and study for 1 month straight. If it's an hour or two here and there then yeah I could see that. It's hard to find much time with heavy clinical duties, new fellowship setc.

 

[Raryn]

^Yeah in residency I only used GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors when I was on my CCU rotation, where patients post-STEMI would come to the CCU on an abciximab infusion. I thought I had completely misunderstood the use of those drugs when I did that MKSAP question, but then looked up the AHA guidelines. GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors are only recommended at the time of PCI for high risk patients.

Would love to be corrected if this is wrong! But it made me lose faith in MKSAP, and back to Uworld I go.

Not sure what the average time for studying is. 1 month seems a like a lot, if people mean they sit at home and study for 1 month straight. If it's an hour or two here and there then yeah I could see that. It's hard to find much time with heavy clinical duties, new fellowship setc.

So MKSAP 17 states:

the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors should be reserved for administration in the catheterization laboratory rather than up-front in the emergency department owing to the increased risk of bleeding and no clear benefit when administered prior to primary PCI.

Cards Question 81 reinforces the point.

I found the MKSAP 16 question you're referring to (#25), and it seems to be wrong. That said... MKSAP 16 at this point is 5-5.5 years old. Perhaps there was more controversy in 2012 regarding the use of the IIb/IIIa inhibitors in different settings (they still argue about their use in patients who got thrombolytics for example) such as a STEMI with a high risk TIMI score.

Regardless, go with the more recent source. The first half of MKSAP 18 comes out in something like 4 months, so you can imagine MKSAP 16 is getting to be pretty long in the tooth.

 

[Successor12]

I was just about to say MKSAP 17 states their use at the time of PCI and that is why I was a little bit confused with this conversation. I think doing the last mksap version which 17th is the safest way to go!

 

[Anri of Astora]

Oh man, I never really thought about how old MKSAP 16 was. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Manuca]

anyone know what the ideal MKSAP 17 percent score is the goal?

 

[Successor12]

I think it depends on how many times you do em
I like to think high 60s should be safe? Even though when you repeat it you should be in the low 80s
Now how predictable this of the actual ABIM pass rate is something that I would like to know too

 

[Thebestofus]

I am also doing flash cards and virtual diagnosis and did a pretest scored 68%
Would that be like ok or should I be worried?

I scored 66% on the pretest, test is tomorrow. I'm a little worried. I scored a 73% on mksap round 2 so I hoped the pre-test assesment would go a little bit better. Should I be worried?????????????

 

[Successor12]

I honestly have no idea how predictive this would be all I know is this whole process is nerve recking
If I were you and my test is Friday so not far away!
I'd just take the test and hope for the best! I don't see the point of panicking at this point. I mean(and making an assumption here) you tried to learn from Mksap as much as possible hopefully and didn't just do questions without studying answers and did it twice so relax and give it your best
Good luck

 

[Thebestofus]

I honestly have no idea how predictable this would be all I know is this whole process is nerve recking

Agree. The pre-test was kinda unfair too, 120 mins for 120 questions??? Doesn't the real thing give you 2 hours for 60 questions? Not that time was an issue but I was less likely to flag the question and move on, instead i just guessed at face value.

 

[Successor12]

Agree. The pre-test was kinda unfair too, 120 mins for 120 questions??? Doesn't the real thing give you 2 hours for 60 questions? Not that time was an issue but I was less likely to flag the question and move on, instead i just guessed at face value.

Yes I hear you and I was thinking it was too tight too for 120 Questions!

 

[E92er]

Fingers crossed for everyone! I've gotten a few bad blocks on UW that were demoralizing but still trucking through! Only 150q's left and then I'll spend a couple days doing my wrongs....

 

[Thebestofus]

Fingers crossed for everyone! I've gotten a few bad blocks on UW that were demoralizing but still trucking through! Only 150q's left and then I'll spend a couple days doing my wrongs....

how are you scoring if you dont mind my asking?

 

[E92er]

how are you scoring if you dont mind my asking?

mid 60's mostly the last week or two. had 2 sets i did that were in the 30s though.

 

[Manuca]

Agree. The pre-test was kinda unfair too, 120 mins for 120 questions??? Doesn't the real thing give you 2 hours for 60 questions? Not that time was an issue but I was less likely to flag the question and move on, instead i just guessed at face value.[/QUOTE

you did mksap right? 17 ?
good luck tomorrow.
im still panicking here... have till friday to decide to give up ... can you let me know how it went... let me know if i should save myself the trouble...

 

[Successor12]

I am doing board basics study tables IMHO they are great

 

[gutonc]

Agree. The pre-test was kinda unfair too, 120 mins for 120 questions??? Doesn't the real thing give you 2 hours for 60 questions? Not that time was an issue but I was less likely to flag the question and move on, instead i just guessed at face value.

If you spend more than 20 seconds on a question you're doing it wrong.

 

[Raryn]

If you spend more than 20 seconds on a question you're doing it wrong.

I consider myself a pretty damn fast test-taker and still averaged almost a minute a question on the real thing. Some of those questions are looooooong.

That said, they give you 2 minutes/question. No one has any excuse for ever running out of time.

 

[Thebestofus]

If you spend more than 20 seconds on a question you're doing it wrong.

A gross generalization.

I'm a pretty fast test taker as well and as I mentioned time wasn't an issue, but 1 minute per question average is pretty fast. There are some questions that can be answered in 5 seconds. Others like triple acid-base disorders that need at least 2 minutes. Then there's the occasional daydreaming, self doubting, etc. That being said 2 minutes per question is a luxury.

 

[bestdoctor2017]

I just took MKSAP pretest 120 questions and 75% correct. Is it safe to pass ABIM exam? Exam will be next week Monday.

 

[E92er]

I just took MKSAP pretest 120 questions and 75% correct. Is it safe to pass ABIM exam? Exam will be next week Monday.

I don't think anyone can say if you're safe or not but 75% is promising! Hopefully as people start taking it they'll atleast report back on what was helpful in their study methods for the actual test.

 

[Anri of Astora]

Just did the tutorial to familiarize myself with the layout of the exam. Seems quite similar to UWorld. However, the sample questions they had were a bit discouraging. One was a video of a heart in parasternal long axis (I think) with Doppler flow and asked for the diagnosis. Another was a histopathology slide of a renal transplant patient asking for the diagnosis. If these questions are representative of what is on the ABIM I am doomed

 

[Successor12]

Just did the tutorial to familiarize myself with the layout of the exam. Seems quite similar to UWorld. However, the sample questions they had were a bit discouraging. One was a video of a heart in parasternal long axis (I think) with Doppler flow and asked for the diagnosis. Another was a histopathology slide of a renal transplant patient asking for the diagnosis. If these questions are representative of what is on the ABIM I am doomed

Would you mind passing on the link for this?

 

[Anri of Astora]

Would you mind passing on the link for this?

Yes, here it is: Internal Medicine Certification Exam Tutorial | ABIM.org
Click on Internal Medicine Certification Exam Tutorial

Should save you a few minutes during test day!

 

[Thebestofus]

Took this today.....that was hard

I didn't do so well on my ITEs so I studied pretty wel for this. By my calculations (and they were fairly accurate for the steps) I got about 60% of the entire exam correct (and with some luck on those 50/50 guesses, maybe around 65%).

I'm not sure if that will be enough to pass the exam.....but waiting is going to suck.....

 

[fattymangox03]

Took this today.....that was hard

I didn't do so well on my ITEs so I studied pretty wel for this. By my calculations (and they were fairly accurate for the steps) I got about 60% of the entire exam correct (and with some luck on those 50/50 guesses, maybe around 65%).

I'm not sure if that will be enough to pass the exam.....but waiting is going to suck.....

Don't dwell on it too much (easier said than done!). Do you mind sharing what your score was on any Q banks you've used to study?

 

[DoubleBogey]

Took this today.....that was hard

I didn't do so well on my ITEs so I studied pretty wel for this. By my calculations (and they were fairly accurate for the steps) I got about 60% of the entire exam correct (and with some luck on those 50/50 guesses, maybe around 65%).

I'm not sure if that will be enough to pass the exam.....but waiting is going to suck.....

Took it today as well - some questions from out of nowhere with some scenarios I've never thought about/came across through studying. Hoping for a pass, but man this was rough - long wait until October

 

[DoubleBogey]

Don't dwell on it too much (easier said than done!). Do you mind sharing what your score was on any Q banks you've used to study?

Score 68% MKSAP and 67% Uworld (both first pass) - 80% on Uworld 2nd pass, ITE in PGY2 upper 80s

 

[zephyrhills123]

Took it today as well - some questions from out of nowhere with some scenarios I've never thought about/came across through studying. Hoping for a pass, but man this was rough - long wait until October

I feel like this is meme is appropriate (if it loaded!) I'm sure everyone did better than they think... and if not, well, it's just a test and there's always next year.

 

[E92er]

Score 68% MKSAP and 67% Uworld (both first pass) - 80% on Uworld 2nd pass, ITE in PGY2 upper 80s

Wow that definitely makes me nervous now. I've got a few days left to cram! Don't think about it now! You're done! Go celebrate!

 

[naseeha]

Done with this stupid exam. mksap/uworld is enough. Same old feeling like the steps.

 

[Successor12]

How similar /different was the exam to Mksap?

 

[Successor12]

Mine is on Friday
Maaaaan now I am so scared I can't sleep !

 

[coffeebeanjenn]

Took it yesterday. I always feel like I failed every standardized exam and this was no different. Will try to just put it out of my mind until October. Also the noise cancelling headphones they provide gave me stage I pressure ulcers on my poor little ears so I stopped wearing them.

I wasn't fully aware of the magical "IM Calculator" - if anyone ever mentioned it I wasn't listening and I foolishly never did the tutorial until the actual exam just to calm my nerves. Wish I hadn't bothered memorizing how to calculate some things like the osmolar gap - although I can't find a reliable list of what the calculator offers (it offered more in the exam than in the tutorial, like Light's criteria), so I'm not sure whether there is a way to know what they're going to give you. Like stool anion gap was not offered. Anyway, hoping I'm not violating something by posting this info about the calculator. Moderators....?

I got the same question twice in two different blocks - except the second time the answer choices were different by one option. Of course the option I chose the first time wasn't there the second time. Hoping those were experimental... otherwise I know I got it wrong at least once. Seeing the question come up again and realizing I probably screwed it up the first time was not a pleasant experience whilst in the throes of the exam.

Anyway. I feel like UWorld > MKSAP. But for the long haul, I'd say do MKSAP throughout residency and then use UWorld for focused study for the test. But since I have no idea if I passed, this advice may be terrible.

 

[zephyrhills123]

Took it yesterday. I always feel like I failed every standardized exam and this was no different. Will try to just put it out of my mind until October. Also the noise cancelling headphones they provide gave me stage I pressure ulcers on my poor little ears so I stopped wearing them.

I wasn't fully aware of the magical "IM Calculator" - if anyone ever mentioned it I wasn't listening and I foolishly never did the tutorial until the actual exam just to calm my nerves. Wish I hadn't bothered memorizing how to calculate some things like the osmolar gap - although I can't find a reliable list of what the calculator offers (it offered more in the exam than in the tutorial, like Light's criteria), so I'm not sure whether there is a way to know what they're going to give you. Like stool anion gap was not offered. Anyway, hoping I'm not violating something by posting this info about the calculator. Moderators....?

I got the same question twice in two different blocks - except the second time the answer choices were different by one option. Of course the option I chose the first time wasn't there the second time. Hoping those were experimental... otherwise I know I got it wrong at least once. Seeing the question come up again and realizing I probably screwed it up the first time was not a pleasant experience whilst in the throes of the exam.

Anyway. I feel like UWorld > MKSAP. But for the long haul, I'd say do MKSAP throughout residency and then use UWorld for focused study for the test. But since I have no idea if I passed, this advice may be terrible.

I have heard about the calculator, but like you I didn't know what was on it (and could not find anything regarding the contents)... it'd be nice if they had something out there with the included equations. Not sure why it would be kept a secret, and it'd save us from memorizing unnecessary things. C'est la vie.

 

[DrHoffy]

Has anyone used the board vitals qbank? What about the medstudy qbank? any thoughts on either of these?

 

[Anri of Astora]

Took it yesterday. Felt like it was a dumb exam, with a lot of questions that were out of left field. The questions weren't even necessarily difficult -- you couldn't reason them out or use clinical judgement. You either knew the answer or you didn't. The exam focused on how much minutiae you memorized rather than testing how well you can incorporate book knowledge into a clinical scenario.

I used Uworld once and at the end scored in the 83rd percentile. AITEs all above 90th percentile. Read bits and pieces of MKSAP and did maybe 20% of the questions. I really hope I passed this exam.

 

[wamcp]

Agree completely with Anri of Astora.
I just finished it today.
Finished residency in June, I had 99 percentile on ITE first year, then 95 percentile on ITE third year.
Did UWorld questions from start to finish in one pass through in the past 30 days, ending with 75% raw score (91 percentile).
I did MKSAP 16 qbank once (ended with 70% correct) throughout 3rd year residency.

And I still thought this test was SO hard. Sure some questions were easy but at least half of them were in the category of "I'm unsure" or flat out "do not know the answer" questions.

....I hope I passed...

 

[HIIT]

Agree completely with Anri of Astora.
I just finished it today.
Finished residency in June, I had 99 percentile on ITE first year, then 95 percentile on ITE third year.
Did UWorld questions from start to finish in one pass through in the past 30 days, ending with 75% raw score (91 percentile).
I did MKSAP 16 qbank once (ended with 70% correct) throughout 3rd year residency.

And I still thought this test was SO hard. Sure some questions were easy but at least half of them were in the category of "I'm unsure" or flat out "do not know the answer" questions.

....I hope I passed...

Agree with wamcp.
I was 90th percentile Uworld, and had done all of mskap17 twice. The test asks you the most weirdest questions-- things you wouldn't even think about. I hope I answered correctly, and pass!

 

[gutonc]

If it chills any of you out (which it won't, but, whatever):

It's been a few years since I took the exam, but it doesn't sound like it's changed all that much.

I got very mediocre ITE scores (don't actually remember the %ile, but, while a little embarrassing, it seemed about right to me).

I took the exam in my PGY5 year (I did the research pathway so was in my 3rd year of fellowship at that point). I started studying in late June. I did MKSAP 15 (16???...I honestly don't remember which version they were on at that point) questions twice and read through BB3 once.

I made 30 question pre-tests of all the subject areas for myself and if I scored <70% on it, read the BB3 chapters and did all the questions in 1 or 2 sittings. For topics I got >70% on, I didn't bother to read and went through the questions once when I had time. At the end of all of this I was scoring in the mid-70s to high-80s on all sections.

I have never left a high-stakes test feeling good about it, but I always knew that I had passed...until the ABIM exam. I was fairly certain I'd failed it and was already looking up review courses for the following year.

I passed easily. My subject scores pretty much paralleled my actual clinical abilities (if not my sample test scores). Turns out I'm an excellent hematologist, oncologist, gastroenterologist, PCP and geriatrician. I'm a pretty decent endocrinologist, pulmonologist, ID doc and rheumatologist. I won't kill most of my critical care patients. But I will definitely kill the vast majority of my renal and cardiology patients. At least if the test is to be believed.

TL;DR - The test is hard, but mostly fair. You more than likely passed. Do something other than worry about this for the next few weeks until the results come back.