Oral boards 2024

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2019medstudent

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First week of oral boards is underway. How is everyone doing? For everyone who took it already, how do you feel?
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OSCE was meh. Felt annoying to talk to actors and felt like I was playing a weird game. UBP had everything you need, but I missed a couple things on here that hopefully aren’t too big of a deal.

SOE #1 went fairly okay (I think)

SOE #2 was like a horrible nightmare

I am numb
 
As i have stated before it felt brutal, osce was okay except for the ultrasound station, lost time on first view
orals were brutal i thought, made me question my management at time. Grab bags were okay . how long we wait 2-3 weeks?
 
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I feel absolutely awful. I can't stop replaying them in my mind. I just PRAY I passed. It's going to a long few weeks.
 
ToKingdomCome said:
do you have any advice or tops? was it not like ubp?
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I did UBP x1 and the red rapid review book x2. Probably shouldve done a few more mock orals? I felt like they dug deep into topics not covered into either that felt very esoteric for anesthesiologist to know. The exam didin't really have a good flow but just felt like rapid question followed by interruption

I made one true mistake that a CA1 in their first month wouldve gotten right it was just right at the very beginning my nerves got the best of me. Said I don't know maybe twice each stem
 
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Dr Granger said:
I did UBP x1 and the red rapid review book x2. Probably shouldve done a few more mock orals? I felt like they dug deep into topics not covered into either that felt very esoteric for anesthesiologist to know. The exam didin't really have a good flow but just felt like rapid question followed by interruption

I made one true mistake that a CA1 in their first month wouldve gotten right it was just right at the very beginning my nerves got the best of me. Said I don't know maybe twice each stem
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I did the same exact thing for studying and felt very similar coming out of the exam. Don’t know if studying for another month or two would have made a difference.
 
Red book kinda sucked imo, there was out of date stuff on there. I can def say I got asked very specific stuff like doses and nit picky things .
 
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Abdominal stuff is not on there yet. Starting later. It was changed just recently within the last several weeks. The online OSCE PDF outline has the updated dates. Don’t waste your time learning gastric ultrasound or doing a FAST exam
 
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What are the chances that those who took it the first week will be getting results by Friday?
 
DG51 said:
What are the chances that those who took it the first week will be getting results by Friday?
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Usually results come out Tuesday morning the 3rd week after your exam. Around 9-10am Eastern time. Can confirm on the day of because the portal will go down for maintenance.
 
How do they do re-scores? Do they actually watch the video of your oral or do they just recount the points?
 
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Taco Time said:
OSCE was meh. Felt annoying to talk to actors and felt like I was playing a weird game. UBP had everything you need, but I missed a couple things on here that hopefully aren’t too big of a deal.

SOE #1 went fairly okay (I think)

SOE #2 was like a horrible nightmare

I am numb
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I felt the same way. I thought I did really well on the first SOE and the second I got destroyed. They baited me into making a decision that I did not want to do by continually asking me. Worried that this big mistake will screw me over
 
Passed! Felt like it could have gone either way walking out of that exam. Glad it's over.
 
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Passed today too! Felt like I failed and was kind of despairing for the last three weeks. Also, someone at my exam literally said “that was so easy” which made me feel like trash.
 
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jayhawk103 said:
I felt the same way. I thought I did really well on the first SOE and the second I got destroyed. They baited me into making a decision that I did not want to do by continually asking me. Worried that this big mistake will screw me over
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I think as long as you were reasonable with your responses and flexible when presented with new info, then you should be okay. I was annoyed because I felt like they were harping on weird stuff that wasn’t relevant even though the second SOE was much more straight forward. I’m hoping you passed as well!
 
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BMC11 said:
Passed today too! Felt like I failed and was kind of despairing for the last three weeks. Also, someone at my exam literally said “that was so easy” which made me feel like trash.
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That person probably failed haha
 
Anyone have experience/think it’s possible to still pass the OSCE even if we messed up some of the monitors/ultrasound stuff? Felt reasonably confident about the rest of it but kicking myself for overthinking some technical stuff yesterday
 
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Yeah I think it’s fine but I haven’t seen a score break down or report (I just got my pass result this Tuesday).

I was not a fan of the monitors section. Felt a little iffy on 1/3 of the monitor questions. Some of the stems wanted diagnosis and treatment while others were just observation. As long as you read carefully and answered the best you could, I wouldn’t sweat it.

US I felt good. I had a skinny male SP and a relatively easy cardiopulmonary window that I was asked to get. I have heard of people that got shafted and were asked to do an apical 4 chamber view on a female with lots of breast tissue or a popliteal block on a male with tree trunks for legs. I know people who passed and ran out of time and couldn’t get the last TTE scan.

You can definitely pass even with struggling slightly. I’m not sure what the exact criteria is for passing and failing. But, I think you’ll be fine if you went through the ABA outline +\- UBP OSCE stuff. I hope you get a pass result in the upcoming weeks!
 
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painfulgas said:
How do they do re-scores? Do they actually watch the video of your oral or do they just recount the points?
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Don’t waste your time on that. It’s not a re-score, it’s not an appeal. It’s just handing another free $250 to them for nothing other than another kick in the rear end and then they’ll promptly waste that money like all the other money they steal from us.
 
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How is the ethics section on the OSCE ? Anyone hear of getting weird ethics scenarios like organ donation
 
jayhawk103 said:
We expecting results today or next Tuesday?
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3rd week after your test. If you took it on a Monday, it'll be 3 weeks and 1 day. If you took it on a Friday, it'll be 2 weeks 4 days.
 
Anyone looking for a partner to do UBP stems with over the phone? I'm taking boards in May and would also like to practice. Feel free to message me if so!
 
Second week results dropped. Passed. Only used UBP + OSCE add on. It was definitely a very quick exam and I felt rushed the whole time. Overall it felt fair and I recognized when they were intentionally trying to fluster me. So relieved!

It seems that the OSCE failure rate has been high the last couple of years. I'd recommend going through the content outline and knowing everything inside and out. According to UBP you need to discuss risks, benefits, and alternatives for most things. I've asked two people that didn't pass the OSCE portion and I think part of it came down to dumb logistical things like that. Hope everybody is getting good news today!
 
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Follow the aba content outline for the osce. You’ll be sorry if you dont
 
SkepticalSkippy said:
Second week results dropped. Passed. Only used UBP + OSCE add on. It was definitely a very quick exam and I felt rushed the whole time. Overall it felt fair and I recognized when they were intentionally trying to fluster me. So relieved!

It seems that the OSCE failure rate has been high the last couple of years. I'd recommend going through the content outline and knowing everything inside and out. According to UBP you need to discuss risks, benefits, and alternatives for most things. I've asked two people that didn't pass the OSCE portion and I think part of it came down to dumb logistical things like that. Hope everybody is getting good news today!
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Congrats!

But for correction, it's the 3rd week currently... You're going to confuse people, then people will keep asking when scores will be posted.
 
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Passed!
SOE: UBP stems and the rapid review book. UBP answers are very long winded but it is good for learning information and organizing thoughts. Most of my answers on the actual boards were 1-2 sentences. Learn to prioritize what is important and relevant and say that first and the examiners will usually move on to the next question. You can include zebras or esoteric information later if the time permits.
My board stems were surprisingly straightforward. I was sort of annoyed because First stem I had no idea what they would ask since it was a relatively healthy patient having a mild-moderate risk surgery.


OSCE: UBP OSCE + ABA OSCE content. Found out from a board examiner that OSCE is scored as an aggregate. You will pass even if you completely mess up at a station
 
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Passed. My approach for each-
Oral boards: UBP and Rapid Review for content. Prioritized practice with friends, co-residents and finally, attendings who are board examiners. That’s the only way to develop confidence and the right cadence for your performance. It’s a performance, you need to convince the examiners you are safe, thoughtful and adaptable.
OSCE: UBP and ABA content outline. It’s also a must to practice out loud and to memorize each station’s criteria. I felt I had to nail the QI and Ultrasound station. IMO these are gimmes, find a cardiac probe and practice getting the views on friends or pacu patients. The standardized patients and monitors station can be tricky.

Hope this helps someone. These exams are so incredibly stressful. I have also heard that the osce non pass rate is similar to the oral non pass rate these days.
 
abolt18 said:
Congrats!

But for correction, it's the 3rd week currently... You're going to confuse people, then people will keep asking when scores will be posted.
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I meant second week of exam takers, but yes it was the third Tuesday after that results were released :)
 
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Dipraman said:
Passed!
SOE: UBP stems and the rapid review book. UBP answers are very long winded but it is good for learning information and organizing thoughts. Most of my answers on the actual boards were 1-2 sentences. Learn to prioritize what is important and relevant and say that first and the examiners will usually move on to the next question. You can include zebras or esoteric information later if the time permits.
My board stems were surprisingly straightforward. I was sort of annoyed because First stem I had no idea what they would ask since it was a relatively healthy patient having a mild-moderate risk surgery.


OSCE: UBP OSCE + ABA OSCE content. Found out from a board examiner that OSCE is scored as an aggregate. You will pass even if you completely mess up at a station
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Is SOE scored as an aggregate ? Second one I feel like I bombed
 
ToKingdomCome said:
Is SOE scored as an aggregate ? Second one I feel like I bombed
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AFAIK there isn't a specific rubric published including minimum requirements to pass. I've heard "killing mistakes" referenced multiple times which indicate that a bad enough mistake on either stem could lead to a fail, but if you performed mediocre on one stem and did well on the other you should be fine.

As for my experience, I passed both the OSCE and SOE. Used UBP (SOE (Gold plan) and OSCE addon (Also did the small group OSCE session with Dr. Flanders which was not helpful imo, would've preferred to use my test credit on a SOE practice session), Board Stiff 3 and the red Rapid Review book on my flight to North Carolina.

I treated UBP stems like a textbook to help create a better knowledge foundation. Practiced mostly with my wife and talking to my monitor. I had a PMNR -> Pain close friend give me two stems at the end of my prep window and he did a great job.

As everyone else has said the UBP answers are much too exhaustive to be realistic in the actual test, but I still feel like practicing their technique was beneficial in preparing for follow up questions (I would XXX, Because, However, Therefore). Multiple times I only really got through my "I would do XXX because of YYY" and they would cut me off, but my practiced "However, XXX and Therefore YYY" aided me in a follow up questions.

My first SOE stem felt amazing. I walked out of it on cloud nine. Both of my first set of examiners were professional and respectful.

My second SOE stem felt brutal. One of my examiners was constantly challenging my plans and giving exaggerated eye rolls and sighs with most of my answers. He would keep pushing on subjects even after I had covered the entire regular algorithm for specific condition. The other examiner on my second SOE stem acted like she was uncomfortable with the challenging examiner, which made the whole experience feel awkward. I did make it through all 3 grab bag questions on both stems.

The OSCE was your classic standardized patient format mostly. You really need to take control of the conversation and just follow the list of criteria on the ABA and UBP OSCE outlines. As long as you hit every point you should be fine. You have time to write on the paper before each room. Just write down each point you need to hit and then at the end of each encounter you should have a moment to look through and make sure you didn't miss anything before leaving. The only station I felt pressured on was the monitors station. The ultrasound views they asked us to obtain were relatively straight forward.
 
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mathezar said:
AFAIK there isn't a specific rubric published including minimum requirements to pass. I've heard "killing mistakes" referenced multiple times which indicate that a bad enough mistake on either stem could lead to a fail, but if you performed mediocre on one stem and did well on the other you should be fine.

As for my experience, I passed both the OSCE and SOE. Used UBP (SOE (Gold plan) and OSCE addon (Also did the small group OSCE session with Dr. Flanders which was not helpful imo, would've preferred to use my test credit on a SOE practice session), Board Stiff 3 and the red Rapid Review book on my flight to North Carolina.

I treated UBP stems like a textbook to help create a better knowledge foundation. Practiced mostly with my wife and talking to my monitor. I had a PMNR -> Pain close friend give me two stems at the end of my prep window and he did a great job.

As everyone else has said the UBP answers are much too exhaustive to be realistic in the actual test, but I still feel like practicing their technique was beneficial in preparing for follow up questions (I would XXX, Because, However, Therefore). Multiple times I only really got through my "I would do XXX because of YYY" and they would cut me off, but my practiced "However, XXX and Therefore YYY" aided me in a follow up questions.

My first SOE stem felt amazing. I walked out of it on cloud nine. Both of my first set of examiners were professional and respectful.

My second SOE stem felt brutal. One of my examiners was constantly challenging my plans and giving exaggerated eye rolls and sighs with most of my answers. He would keep pushing on subjects even after I had covered the entire regular algorithm for specific condition. The other examiner on my second SOE stem acted like she was uncomfortable with the challenging examiner, which made the whole experience feel awkward. I did make it through all 3 grab bag questions on both stems.

The OSCE was your classic standardized patient format mostly. You really need to take control of the conversation and just follow the list of criteria on the ABA and UBP OSCE outlines. As long as you hit every point you should be fine. You have time to write on the paper before each room. Just write down each point you need to hit and then at the end of each encounter you should have a moment to look through and make sure you didn't miss anything before leaving. The only station I felt pressured on was the monitors station. The ultrasound views they asked us to obtain were relatively straight forward.
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I had the same exact experience. The first stem was difficult, but I felt like I crushed it and walked out on cloud nine. The second SOE was a nightmare. The stem was much more straightforward but was very confrontational and borderline unprofessional. I was so happy to hear that I passed
 
Taco Time said:
I had the same exact experience. The first stem was difficult, but I felt like I crushed it and walked out on cloud nine. The second SOE was a nightmare. The stem was much more straightforward but was very confrontational and borderline unprofessional. I was so happy to hear that I passed
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lol wow. The exact experience I had. I passed as well. Maybe they are told to do this as examiners
 
jayhawk103 said:
lol wow. The exact experience I had. I passed as well. Maybe they are told to do this as examiners
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Same experience. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the point though, to make you comfortable with the process then examine your decision making while being flustered.
 
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I don’t know how to prepare for OSCE , I have passed the SOE but I can’t pass the OSCE , I practice and read but when I go to the exam, I get nervous and I miss things up. I am a great clinician but not good at exams. I am not a native English speaker.
 
Charliegak said:
I don’t know how to prepare for OSCE , I have passed the SOE but I can’t pass the OSCE , I practice and read but when I go to the exam, I get nervous and I miss things up. I am a great clinician but not good at exams. I am not a native English speaker.
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I am interested in practicing OSCE. Please DM me.
 
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