ENT Oral Boards Training

Information about the American Board of Otolaryngology Oral Certifying Exam

What is covered on the Otolaryngology Oral Certifying Exam?

According to the ABOto Oral Certifying Exam Guidelines, the exam covers the following:

• General One – Allergy, Rhinology, and Sleep Medicine
• General Two – Laryngology and Pediatric otolaryngology
• Head and Neck – Benign and malignant neoplasms and conditions, and major flaps used in reconstruction (ie. microvascular free flaps)
• Otology/Audiology – Otology, Audiology, and related topics
• Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, facial trauma

Tips on the Oral Certifying Exam

On the Otolaryngology Oral exam the prompts are generally very straightforward. Most test takers have spent the past four to five years learning the core content, so the cases will not come as a surprise. In many ways, the test is configured to make sure that learners communicate effectively and can ask the right questions.

On the real exam, each section has approximately 3 cases and typically the cases are balanced between easy and difficult. Most learners have indicated that the hardest cases can appear in general ENT, so we have presented a series of challenging cases in that category.

Most importantly, the Oral exams have a very high pass rate. (Estimated over 95%) Use the BoardVitals practice guidelines, review high level concepts, sleep well before the exam and you’ll be fine. Good luck!