ABIM Internal medicine boards - certification exam.

American Board of Internal Medicine – ABIM, certification examination is usually given in the third week of August, each year. The certification exam is given to Physicians who have graduated from Internal Medicine Residency programs. The Internal Medicine recertification exam is given to Internists already in clinical practice, who have been board certified in the past. This web page will review some important information on registering for the ABIM exam, Internal medicine board review courses, study materials and tips on taking the ABIM board exam.  

ABIM exam is a two-day, high stress ordeal. Each day, the exam consists of two sessions of 3 hours each. In total there are 4 sessions (over two days), with 90 multiple choice questions in each session. You will have about 2 minutes to answer each question. Out of the total 360 ABIM questions, roughly 330 questions are counted towards the determination of your Internal Medicine boards score (30 questions are “experimental” and not scored). You can apply for the ABIM exam online (with credit card payment – fast and easy) or by mailing a completed application form. Once your ABIM exam application is accepted, you will receive a post card confirming this fact. Apply for ABIM Internal Medicine exam online.   

Change of ABIM exam center and mailing address. 

When you apply for the ABIM Internal medicine board exam, you probably do not know where you will be working in August 2004. You can ask for a change in your ABIM exam center, in writing before June 1, 2004. Your current address may change once you finish your Medical residency at the end of June. You can change your address online at ABIM’s website. This will ensure that your admission permit and ABIM exam results are mailed to the correct address. Though ABIM gives Nov 15, as the mailing date for the board exam results, most Residents and Physicians who took the 2003 ABIM exam received their results in mid- October.  

Permanent medical licensure required for ABIM exam? 

The ABIM instruction booklet says “Valid, unrestricted medical license required” to sit for the boards. However, some residents have, in the past, applied and taken the ABIM exam without a permanent medical license. However, ABIM looks for your residency program director’s letter saying that you have successfully completed your Internal Medicine residency. In other words, ABIM makes sure that you are eligible to get a Permanent medical licensure and eligible to sit for the board exam. It is in your best interest to obtain a permanent medical license at the earliest. 

USMLE Step 3 - is it required for ABIM exam? 

Yes, you should have completed the USMLE Step 3 exam. So plan to take the Step 3 exam early in your second year of medical residency (PGY 2). If you get a high score, this will also help you in your Fellowship search. USMLE Step 3 & CCS exam tips. 

Schedule for the August 2004 ABIM Internal Medicine exam. 

• Sept 1, 2003 to Dec 1, 2003 = Register for ABIM exam (application fee $950).
• Dec 2, 2003 to Feb 1, 2004 = Late registration ($950 + $300 extra late fee)
• June 1, 2004 = deadline for cancellations ($825 refunded) and deadline for changes in test centers.
• July 31, 2004 = Admission permits mailed out
• August 24,25  = ABIM’s paper based exam is administrated
• November 15   = ABIM exam results are mailed.   

Useful ABIM exam data from prior years. 

• Passing score for the year 2002 was 215 questions out of 330

• Passing score for the year 2003 was 220 questions out of 330

• Aug 2002 ABIM exam - 87 % of first time takers passed

• Aug 2003 ABIM exam – 92 % of first time takers passed

• Aug 2003 ABIM exam – only 42 % of repeat takers passed

• Total number who took the Aug 2003 ABIM exam = 9060 physicians

2003 ABIM exam – where did the questions come from?  

ü  Cardiology    46  (14 %)

ü  G.I.             34 (10 %)

ü  Pulmonology  34 (10 %)

ü  I.D.              29 (9 %)

ü  Rheumatology 27 (8 %)     

ü  Endocrine      26 (7 %)

ü  Oncology      24 (7 %)

ü  Hematology   20 (6 %)

ü  Nephrology    21  (6 %)

ü  Miscellaneous 69 (each about 3 - 4 %)(Allergy, Derm, Neuro, OB/GYN, Ophthal, ENT, Psych) 

ABIM Internal Medicine computer based exam. 

ABIM will switch to a computer-based format for the certification exam for residency program graduates from August 2006. Internal Medicine recertification exams will be computerized from May 2004. ABIM Internal Medicine computer based testing info.       

Procedures required by ABIM for completion of Internal medicine residency. 

The minimum number of procedures recommended is given in parenthesis. These procedures must be done under direct supervision of the attending physician and must have been successful procedures (not attempts). 

• Abdominal paracentesis  (3)

• Arterial puncture (ABG) (5)

• Arthrocentesis of the knee (3)

• Central venous line placement (5)

• Lumbar puncture (5)

• Nasogastric intubation (NG tube) (3)

• Thoracentesis (5)

• Pelvic exam, Pap smear and endocervical culture (5)

• Rectal exam (5)

• Breast exam (5)

ABIM Internal Medicine board review courses and study material.

MKSAP questions for ABIM Internal medicine exam  (our rating for ABIM board review= 5 stars): this is excellent Internal medicine board review material for preparing for the ABIM board exams. Ideally, you should begin solving the multiple choice questions in your second year of medical residency (PGY 2). This preparation should be in addition to the MKSAP conferences that your Residency program conducts. Aim to complete two revisions of all the MKSAP questions during your second and third years of medical residency. Do not postpone preparing from MKSAP questions. If you are planning to start studying MKSAP after your residency, think again. You will not have time after residency. The best time is during your medical residency. In the weeks prior to the ABIM board exams, you can do a few MKSAP questions for practice and timing. Make sure you read all the teaching principles and testing objectives given in the explanation section of the MKSAP questions. You may use the MKSAP textbooks as reference for the ABIM exam. This MKSAP text is too detailed and is often not used as the primary ABIM Internal medicine board review material by individual Residents. The MKSAP questions are also excellent tools to learn practical Internal medicine during your residency training (residency learning rating = 4.5 stars)  

Medstudy Internal medicine core curriculum and Medstudy questions (ABIM board review rating = 4.5 stars). The Medstudy core curriculum is a “no non-sense” internal medicine board review for the ABIM board exams. Medstudy core curriculum is focused on exam content and therefore an excellent board review resource. However, since it is geared towards the boards, there is a lot of medical facts and information. Remembering this medical information may prove to be difficult and group study and discussions are strongly encouraged. Medstudy MCQs complement the Medstudy core curriculum and should be used in the months prior to the ABIM board exam. Several Medstudy MCQ questions are similar to ABIM board questions. If you do a thorough study of the Core curriculum and the MCQs, you probably don’t have to take an expensive live Internal medicine board review course. (Residency learning = 3.5 stars)

Medstudy Internal medicine board review Videos (board review rating = 4.5 stars): if you are thinking of taking a live Internal medicine board review course, this is the perfect material to purchase. Going to a live Internal medicine board review course is very expensive. The fee is usually more than $ 1000 and the board review course is given over five to seven days. You have to shell out additional expenses for airfare and hotel rooms, not to mention the food. Also, you have to be away from your family in some “medical boot camp”. While many residents like live Internal medicine board review courses, the human attention span is limited to a couple of hours. So an eight-hour day for seven consecutive days doesn’t help. Instead buy the Internal medicine board review videos in the early part of your second year residency (PGY 2) and you can watch them several times at your convenience. It is usually the same lectures from a live Internal medicine board review course, videotaped for your convenience. Since you are buying the board review videotapes well before the ABIM boards, you may think that the data may become old. ABIM Internal medicine board exam questions usually are based on well-established medical information. So don’t expect any new research articles to turn up in the ABIM exam questions. It usually takes one or two years for new data to get included into the ABIM board exam question bank. (Residency learning = 4 stars)  

Mayo Internal Medicine Board review book (board review = 4 stars): From the world famous mayo clinic, this textbook contains important and relevant information for the good practice of Internal medicine. It deals with a lot of academic medical information that may be too theoretical for the ABIM Internal medicine board exams. Mayo Internal medicine board review is aimed more towards the clinical practice of Internal medicine. Most residency programs recommend it for residency training. If you plan on reading it for the ABIM board exams, the third year of your medical residency (PGY-3) is an ideal time. The key points are summarized after each paragraph, throughout the book. This makes it easy for a fast review of medical facts. This is an excellent book to learn practical Internal medicine during your residency years and for the daily management of patients (Residency learning rating= 5 stars).

Mayo clinic Internal medicine board review videos (board review = 4 stars): This is usually a video recording of the mayo clinic Internal medicine board review live lectures and offers one of the best reviews of academic Internal medicine. The board review videos feature some of the top physicians in the field of Internal medicine. The Mayo clinic board review book (above) is the companion text for this video series. If your Residency program can afford this video series, it is an invaluable tool for learning Internal medicine during your Residency years. (Residency learning = 5 stars) 

Inservice exam feedback material (board review rating = 3.5 stars): After you complete your Internal medicine inservice exam, you will be given a feedback booklet along with your in-service results. The feedback booklet contains exam question teaching principles and testing objectives. These are key objectives that every resident should know and is therefore very important material for the ABIM Internal medicine board exams. Review these key testing objectives for each question and read a little more on the topics covered by these questions. Consider this to be a focused and concentrated preparation of important areas of Internal medicine for the ABIM exams.

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine – OHCM (board review = 2.5 stars): Originally published in England, this is considered to be the “medical bible” for medical students, residents, and Physicians. You will find this in the coat pockets of most house staff physicians in England (UK). The American edition of this book was released a couple of years ago and has become very popular with residents. OHCM gives one-page summaries of all relevant clinical diseases. Each page is packed with vital medical information that is a “must know” for all residents. Because of the compact size of the book and the crisp, well-organized layout, this is an excellent book to carry in your coat pockets for easy reference during ward rounds and medical staffing. Don’t be fooled by the small size of the book. Size does matter, but sometimes its good to be small. An excellent hand book for quick reference, it is a “must buy” for all residents and medical students. (Residency learning = 4 stars)

Medical images and pictures: Review pictures and images from your favorite dermatology picture book. The medical images book by Forbes and Jackson is also an excellent book to own for ABIM Internal medicine board review. ABIM exam questions with medical pictures are usually easy to solve and can increase your overall score. Medical pictures given in Harrison’s Internal medicine book also provide an important resource for the ABIM board exams. It is important not to overlook medical images and pictures when you prepare for the ABIM board exams.  

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