Pearls for taking your written and oral board examinations
By Michael G. Haas, MD
First off I would like to note that official test information regarding the written and oral ophthalmology board examinations can be found at the American Board of Ophthalmology website http://www.abop.org/. This is a good reference for definitive answers, and offers a computer simulation module which is important to be familiar with for the written exam. As such, the thoughts contained here are mine alone and are not intended to reflect any official position that the American Board of Ophthalmology may have.
The written examination is basically the same format as OKAPS, but on a computer. Make sure you are thoroughly comfortable with the computer module on the ABO website. Otherwise, studying is near identical to OKAPS preparation. There are eight subject areas, each of equal importance in the overall grading. I found Last Minute Optics to be a wonder in raising my score in the optics, and it is all high-yield material. It is a quick-read with step by step solutions to working optics problems. There are many other good sources of questions and answers for board review. Helpful books include the Provision series (produced by the American Academy of Ophthalmology – new edition in 2007), Review Questions in Ophthalmology (Chern/Wright), and The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Review Manual for Ophthalmology (Lamkin). General review books can also be helpful, including Review of Ophthalmology (Friedman/Kaiser/Trattler) and Ophthalmology Review Manual (Chern/Zegans). A great neuro review can be found in Neuro-Ophthalmology Review Manual (Kline/Bajandas). There are many others not listed above as well. Furthermore, for the written boards there are several week-long review courses across the country. Many residents attend these yearly during their training, and others never get the chance. It may be something to look into for those wanting an in-depth, high-yield review a few weeks prior to taking the written test.
Next stop… orals.
When you pass the written exam, congratulations! It is now time to switch gears. Studying for the oral examination is different than for the written. The written exam tests your in-depth knowledge (details), whereas the oral exam tests the big picture so to speak. A sound differential diagnosis and ability to show your thought process will be crucial to success in the oral boards. The goal is to see how you would work up a patient who shows up in your office.
Review books such as the latest Spalton Atlas and Clinical Ophthalmology by Kanski are excellent for the big-picture type of review. If you read each, and then finish Last Minute Optics and Neuro-Opthalmology Review Manual, that should be enough to get your passing mark. Last minute Optics is helpful for the orals in terms of presenting optical concepts in a straightforward manner – number crunching will not be on the orals, but concepts will be.
The key in oral examinations is your organization. You should have a clear differential diagnosis before you speak. Think back to your internship and residency, when you presented patients to Attendings in the SOAP format (Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan). You want a similar approach for your answers during this exam. For the oral exam you will be shown pictures and be given a brief patient history. You only have 25-30 minutes per section, and you want to get through as many diagnoses as possible. Think of it as having a checklist. Once you hit enough buzzwords (explaining what you see and showing your thought process), you will move on to the next case. You will need to get through a certain number of diagnoses to pass the test.
Miscellaneous thoughts…
Arrive early.
My luggage was delayed when I took my oral exam for 24 hours. Stuff happens. Expect that it will take you one or two sessions during the oral exam to be comfortable with the exam format. Finally, do not miss a diagnosis that can be fatal or if missed will lead to severe, permanent visual loss. That is a sure-fire way to fail the oral exam. Good luck, you’ve spent years working to get here, and your Board Certification is just around the corner. For each exam, consider staying at a hotel the night before to help you focus, relax and treat yourself well (eg., massage, spa, dinner, movie, etc.).
First off I would like to note that official test information regarding the written and oral ophthalmology board examinations can be found at the American Board of Ophthalmology website http://www.abop.org/. This is a good reference for definitive answers, and offers a computer simulation module which is important to be familiar with for the written exam. As such, the thoughts contained here are mine alone and are not intended to reflect any official position that the American Board of Ophthalmology may have.
The written examination is basically the same format as OKAPS, but on a computer. Make sure you are thoroughly comfortable with the computer module on the ABO website. Otherwise, studying is near identical to OKAPS preparation. There are eight subject areas, each of equal importance in the overall grading. I found Last Minute Optics to be a wonder in raising my score in the optics, and it is all high-yield material. It is a quick-read with step by step solutions to working optics problems. There are many other good sources of questions and answers for board review. Helpful books include the Provision series (produced by the American Academy of Ophthalmology – new edition in 2007), Review Questions in Ophthalmology (Chern/Wright), and The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Review Manual for Ophthalmology (Lamkin). General review books can also be helpful, including Review of Ophthalmology (Friedman/Kaiser/Trattler) and Ophthalmology Review Manual (Chern/Zegans). A great neuro review can be found in Neuro-Ophthalmology Review Manual (Kline/Bajandas). There are many others not listed above as well. Furthermore, for the written boards there are several week-long review courses across the country. Many residents attend these yearly during their training, and others never get the chance. It may be something to look into for those wanting an in-depth, high-yield review a few weeks prior to taking the written test.
Next stop… orals.
When you pass the written exam, congratulations! It is now time to switch gears. Studying for the oral examination is different than for the written. The written exam tests your in-depth knowledge (details), whereas the oral exam tests the big picture so to speak. A sound differential diagnosis and ability to show your thought process will be crucial to success in the oral boards. The goal is to see how you would work up a patient who shows up in your office.
Review books such as the latest Spalton Atlas and Clinical Ophthalmology by Kanski are excellent for the big-picture type of review. If you read each, and then finish Last Minute Optics and Neuro-Opthalmology Review Manual, that should be enough to get your passing mark. Last minute Optics is helpful for the orals in terms of presenting optical concepts in a straightforward manner – number crunching will not be on the orals, but concepts will be.
The key in oral examinations is your organization. You should have a clear differential diagnosis before you speak. Think back to your internship and residency, when you presented patients to Attendings in the SOAP format (Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan). You want a similar approach for your answers during this exam. For the oral exam you will be shown pictures and be given a brief patient history. You only have 25-30 minutes per section, and you want to get through as many diagnoses as possible. Think of it as having a checklist. Once you hit enough buzzwords (explaining what you see and showing your thought process), you will move on to the next case. You will need to get through a certain number of diagnoses to pass the test.
Miscellaneous thoughts…
Arrive early.
My luggage was delayed when I took my oral exam for 24 hours. Stuff happens. Expect that it will take you one or two sessions during the oral exam to be comfortable with the exam format. Finally, do not miss a diagnosis that can be fatal or if missed will lead to severe, permanent visual loss. That is a sure-fire way to fail the oral exam. Good luck, you’ve spent years working to get here, and your Board Certification is just around the corner. For each exam, consider staying at a hotel the night before to help you focus, relax and treat yourself well (eg., massage, spa, dinner, movie, etc.).
posted by MedRounds Publications at 8:15 PM
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