2024 – PAGE 09 – STUDY SCHEDULE: Resident? First-Time? Failed? MOC? MOCA? WE’VE GOT YOU TAKEN CARE OF!
We have a TON of guidance on how you can schedule your study time. Since PBR is of benefit to pediatricians at all different levels, I’ve tailored my recommendations accordingly below.
EVERYONE MUST recognize the difference between clinical practice and what the ABP would want you to do on the exam. The exam is filled with answer choices that sound like they would be great options in practice, but unless you know what “the book” says, you will have to simply roll the dice.
For anyone taking the Initial Certification exam, recognize that the pass rates are DRAMATICALLY LOWER than the USMLE Step Exams. In 2022, the first-time pass rate for US and Canadian medical students taking the USMLE Step 1 was approximately 91% while the pass rate for the ABP initial certification exam was only 80%! Our members’ pass rate for first-time test takers of the ABP exams is estimated to be > 98%! So, stay focused on PBR!
* ARE YOU A RESIDENT? Simply familiarizing yourself with everything in the PBR content before you graduate will dramatically increase your chances of passing the boards.
While on subspecialty rotations, READ and KNOW the associated PBR chapter. While on general inpatient or outpatient rotations, focus on the rest of the book, and take just 15 minutes per day to read the QUICK and high-yield topics about your patients. Pace yourself so that you can get through the material at least once per year. That’s it! If you do that, your in-training scores will skyrocket, and you will DESTROY the boards.
* ARE YOU TAKING THE INITIAL EXAM FOR THE FIRST TIME? If you have never taken the pediatric boards before and you have never come close to failing a medical board exam (average or above average board scores), visit the following PBR article for a detailed study schedule:
www.pediatricsboardreview.com/Schedule
* HAVE YOU EVER FAILED A MEDICAL BOARD EXAM (OR COME CLOSE)? If you were categorized as being “at risk” of failing based on your in-training exam scores, or if you have ever failed ANY medical board exam, or if you scored below the national average on your USMLE exams, visit the following PBR article for detailed instructions on how you can avoid failing your next attempt at the pediatric boards:
www.pediatricsboardreview.com/Schedule-Failed
* ARE YOU STUDYING FOR MOCA-PEDS? For the “at home,” MOCA-Peds questions, the plan is simple. Use the MOCA-PBR Study Guide & Test Companion. Go through our concise summaries of the most current year’s Learning Objectives in detail one time. It may only take you a single day! Since MOCA-PBR is setup to be an efficient test companion to help you with your open book exam, keep it open as you do your MOCA-Peds questions. Review your MOCA-PBR study guide once per quarter. That’s it!
www.pediatricsboardreview.com/MOCA
* ARE YOU STUDYING FOR THE MOC? If you are taking the pediatric recertification exam, then your goal should be to get through the PBR materials at least twice and to do at least 550 practice questions. Did you know that you may have access to 200 FREE ABP questions (for board-certified pediatricians only after logging into the ABP website)?