We spend a significant amount of time talking to Pediatricians about the board format. Some common questions that we are asked: ‘What format are the questions in?’ and ‘Are there any of the all, some, or none type questions?’ The USMLE exams dropped certain question types and the assumption is that the boards are the same.
Is this true for the Pediatric Boards??? Sort of.
Here’s what we’ve heard… In 2012 when the exam switched over to the Computer Format, the following question formats seem to have been dropped:
– All of the above
– None of the above
– Except
However, it’s more an issue of semantics. You still have to be prepared for this type of question, just under a different construct. There are several questions that ask for the MOST LIKELY answer or the LEAST LIKELY answer. This is different than the USMLE exams, which do not include this form of re-packaged ‘except for’ type question.
Also of note, when computer based testing was implemented – the scoring mechanism changed as well.
NEW ABP SCORING
SCORE RANGE: 0 – 300
PASSING SCORE: 180
INCREMENTAL POINTS: 1
As a benchmark, those who score over 65% correctly on our question bank perform in the top quartile of performance on the boards. (based on pass rates) So, make sure you practice some questions of this type, and more important than anything, practice lots and lots and lots of questions. There is a proven, strong correlation between the number of questions taken and board pass rates.
