April 2018 Tip of the Month

Written Questions Online - New!

Taking your ABOG, AOBOG, MOC or OCC exam?  Our best selling Written Exam Manuals are now available online and by subscription.  Do you only need them for your June exam?  No problem!  We have a 1-3 month subscription available.

ABOG Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Candidates

You’re working on your taxes, right? That means the first quarter is over. Are you finished with your first quarter articles? Didn’t you make a New Year’s resolution that you weren’t going to procrastinate this year? Promise yourself to get those finished before the second quarter list comes out.
For those of you in MOC Year 6, you must pass a written exam by December 15^th, 2018. If you’ve never cut corners before, then our five day Board Review Courses, April 19-23, September 13-17 and November 15-19, are perfect for you. This is not the same type of review course as in the past. Just as you’ve evolved and practice evidence-based medicine, our course is designed for the adult learner, is exam-focused and all lectures follow the national ACOG guidelines. Heck, you’ll walk away with loads of everyday practice tips, too.
If you’re feeling a bit rusty or you had to repeat your primary written exam, sign up for their Test Taking Skills Workshop now offered online.
Oh, and just in case you think you’re coasting after you pass your written exam, think again. You still have to read the 2018 articles. No rest for the weary!

 Generalist Selective Exam A & B (50 questions)

1. Obstetrics and Gynecology and Office Practice & Women’s Health
2. Obstetrics only
3. Gynecology only (tends to have more Surgical GYN focus)
4. Office Practice and Women’s Health only (primary care, office GYN & family planning focus)

Subspecialists: Selective Exam A (50 questions)

1. Gynecologic Oncology
2. Maternal Fetal Medicine
3. Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
4. Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (starting 2019)

MODE OF PRACTICE	SELECTIVE A	SELECTIVE B
Generalist – OB&GYN	Option 1, 2, 3, or 4	Option 1, 2, 3, or 4
Generalist – GYN Only	Option 3	Option 3 or 4
Generalist – Family Planning	Option 4	Option 4
Generalist – Laborist	Option 2	Option 2
Administrator	Option 3 or 4	Option 3 or 4
MFM	MFM	Option 2
GYN Oncologist	Gynecologic Oncology	Option 3
REI	REI	Option 3 or 4
FPM	Option 3	Option 3

 Still not certain what’s the best strategy? Contact us for a free one-on-one consultation with Dr. Das, so you can choose the strategy that’s right for you. This will give you peace of mind and confidence as you prepare for and take your exam.

 For ABOG & AOBOG 2018 WRITTEN Exam Candidates

The AOBOG exam is THIS month and the ABOG exam is in just TWO months – YIKES! For those of you finishing your residency, the end of year stuff - projects and deadlines will really kick in next month. So this is probably your last month for hard core studying. Don’t let it slip away.
For the ABOG exam, it is your responsibility to schedule a seat with the Pearson- VUE testing center. Seats are released after March 25^th, but may not be scheduled after June 3^rd. Seats are limited and assigned on a “first come, first served” basis.
We strongly advise taking a BOARD review course. A weekend workshop or evening webinar simply cannot provide enough content. No matter how many questions you go through, you simply can’t answer them well if you lack the foundation. It’s like trying to build a brick wall with only the bricks but not the mortar.
We recognize that there is precious little time for you to wade through the volumes of material. That’s why our April 11-15 Board Review Course provides an exam focused review in accordance with the latest ACOG clinical guidelines.  You will be taught not only content but also how to take a written test. At the course, you will practice those skills daily in a simulated exam environment.  When your real test day arrives, it will feel like just another practice day! You will walk into the exam with confidence
You must be candid as to what you can/cannot accomplish on your study plan. Have you finished the MUST KNOW topics? Our Test Topics Manual is a great resource, as it lists high yield topics and suggested test questions. We recommend you shift to those topics that we don’t have time to cover at the course. These include statistics, ethics, genetics, safety and practice and liability management.
Don’t forget YOU MUST PRACTICE WITH WRITTEN questions at the end of EACH study topic. We have a number of products designed to perfectly complement your content review. Our Written Question Manuals provide over 1000+ questions. Since the test is computerized, ideally you should practice with tests of the same format. ABC, in collaboration with Jolley Test Prep Services, offers Computerized Diagnostic Tests.
For those who have traditionally struggled with written exams, failed the written board exam, or did not score at least 200 on your CREOG in-service exam, you cannot continue with modus operandi. It didn’t work before, so why set yourself up for the same outcome? We have found that knowledge is rarely the problem. You couldn’t have made it this far if that were the case. It’s typically a processing problem. Our Written Test Taking Skills Workshop is now available as an online course.  Dr. Krishna Das and Martin & Jane Jolley have joined forces to give you their expertise.  The Jolleys give you the theory and will help you identify possible error patterns in your processing of questions. They have a brilliantly simple and effective PROCESS with proven success.  Dr. Das will provide the strategy and guidance right up until your written exam.  

1. Coccygeus
2. Iliococcygeus
3. Puborectalis
4. Pubococcygeus

For ABOG 2018 ORAL Exam Candidates

Where do you start in your exam preparation?  Our Ultimate Package pretty has it all who have no idea what they need to prepare for their oral exam.  It provides everything, from content in our 5-day review course, case list construction and defense, mock orals and a Case List Review with one of our faculty. The Case List Workshop is included in the review course and will help you artfully and strategically compose a sure-fire PASS product. The Oral Exam Workshop, conducted the day prior to the September or November review courses, provides strategies specific to the ABOG oral exam.  The application, copy of your current medical license and application fee of $840 was due on March 15^th, 2017. If you overlooked this menial, but necessary, administrative task, you can still turn it in, but of course, now you’ll have to pay a late fee of $345.  If you wait beyond April 15^th, 2017 there is an even steeper late fee of $825. No applications are accepted after April 29^th, 2017. Surely you already have your case list software, but if you do not, stop everything and order it now from the ABOG website.
Only TWO MONTHS left to complete your collection of cases. At this point, you must be up-to-date with all of your past entries. The clock is ticking. You must now enter cases no less than EVERY WEEK.
Ideally, right after you dictate your operative or delivery notes, complete the hard copy of the case list form. Once a week, enter these cases online. At this point, you should have half of your office patients selected. Plan to complete all 40 categories by the end of May. Remember - you can include only one or two patients per category.
You should now have three binders – one for each of the three sections: OB, GYN and Office. For each GYN patient, compile their case list sheet, H&P, operative notes, pathology reports and discharge summaries.  For all OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal forms, delivery notes, discharge summaries and postpartum notes. For the Office patients, file the case list sheet, appropriate copies of the office visit(s) and supporting labs, imaging studies, etc.
A well-constructed case list makes all the difference in its defense. This is especially important since you are in the debut class who must enter their cases online. Although the entry of cases has changed, the strategy has not. Come to our Case List Construction Workshop April 10th in Charlotte. We’ll show you how to raise your case list to a level head and shoulders above the other candidates. For those who are OCD, order your copy of Pass Your Oral Ob/Gyn Board Exam, 5^th edition, written by Dr. Das. This book provides a complete step-by-step guide.
The ideal time to take your review course is in the spring, as you will be all consumed with constructing your case list from June to August. You won’t find out the month of your exam until July, so you have to assume it could be as early as November. If that’s the case, you only have two months to study. YIKES! We recommend our April 10-15 Board Review Course for an exam focused review. There is precious little time to wade through the volumes of material to figure out what to prioritize. Our faculty members have extensive speaking experience and their lectures are based on ACOG clinical guidelines – duh! the answer guide for the test. They are especially knowledgeable regarding the oral exam, and every lecture concludes with our signature oral exam defense tips. Ideally, complement the content covered at the review course with a workshop devoted to the strategic construction of your case list.

 

For AOBOG 2018 ORAL Exam Candidates

Applications for the October 19-20, 2018 exam, along with the $3275 exam fee, are due by July 9th, 2018. However, don’t procrastinate. Since AOBOG implemented an exam cap (it was 54 in April), the cap can, and has been, reached within a couple of months.
For those preparing for their April 27-28 exam, time is short. Our Osteopathic Oral Exam Webinar is the only webinar in the country that is designed by an osteopathic physician. Dr. Diane Evans DO, FACOOG goes through AOBOG core topics. Since its debut in 2011, 99% of webinar participants have passed their exam! It just ended, but don’t worry, the archives are the next best thing. Each session is strategically grouped into OB, then GYN, then Oncology/Urogynecology.
If you’re trying to launch your prep for your fall exam, you should attend either our April 11-15 or September 19-23 BOARD Review Course, for an exam focused review. In 2015, AOBOG expanded beyond the traditional ten core topics. Now you’re accountable for a wider range of topics. Did you know our syllabus is highlighted with EACH CORE TOPIC? We also spend an evening dissecting EACH core topic and trying to predict every possible question.
Regardless, you MUST do some mock oral exams. Face-to face is best, and these are offered at each of the review courses. However, keep that momentum going by scheduling a Telephone Mock Oral exam with one of our seasoned ABC faculty. You can also challenge yourself with our set of 85, 45 or 20 Structured Cases, which are based on just the core topics.  Newly designed and handpicked cases just for AOBOG candidates.

Chief Residents Planning a Subspecialty Fellowship

Subspecialty fellows are permitted to select 20 patients from their Chief resident year for their off specialty case list. In other words, GYN Oncologists, REI and Urogynecologists will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. Start collecting those cases NOW, while you still have easy access to patient records. To be on the safe side, we recommend you collect at least 30, so you can strategically select the final 20 later. For those patients, keep a file of the following: for the GYN patients, collect the H&Ps, operative notes, pathology reports and discharge summaries. For the OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal forms, delivery notes, discharge summaries and postpartum notes. Don’t worry at all about the office patients, as you may compile these cases only during your fellowship
A word of caution – right now you are at your peak for general OB/GYN knowledge. Believe it or not, two years from now, your knowledge base will regress to that of an intern. Yes, it’s true, if you don’t use it, you lose it. So those really cool, esoteric, bizarre, once-in-a-career cases now will be a nightmare to defend later. Your greatest allies are your junior residents. If they can’t easily defend that case, cease and desist and “go fish” for another case.

 

Subspecialty Fellows Planning for their 2018 ABOG General Oral Board Exam

You can now sit for your general oral boards anytime during your fellowship; however, you can only take them once while a fellow.
If you neglected to collect cases in your off specialty from your chief year, you must get back to your residency institution to gather those cases AND enter them into your software. GYN Oncologists, REI and FPMs will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. If you currently have to take call for these off services, you can use those cases.
If you are retrospectively collecting cases, go with your comfort zone. Dang - how could you have forgotten so much in such a short time? Unfortunately, it’s true, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Go with the bread-and-butter cases. Remember, this is your general boards. We recommend you chose those cases that reflect high-yield topics. Our Test Topics Manual and the #1 guide, Pass Your Oral Ob/Gyn Board Exam, written by Dr. Das, will both provide excellent step-by-step guidance.

AOBOG Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) Written Exam

This exam is usually a walk in the park for generalists practicing both obstetrics & gynecology. The breakdown of the OCC exam is as follows:         

               General Obstetrics                               25%

               Maternal-Fetal Medicine                      10%

               Gynecology (office and surgery)          40%

               Reproductive Endocrinology                10%

               Gynecologic Oncology                         10%

               Miscellaneous                                        5%

For those preparing for 2018 OCC exam, take the bull by the horn and come to one of our review courses. 

Royal Canadian College 2018 Exam Candidates

This year’s written examination is May 1st and 2nd at your local Centre.

The oral examination is May 29th. Therefore, do not wait until after the written examination to start practicing for the oral exam !!!

Helpful Hints for Single Answer Questions (SAQs):

• Make sure your handwriting is legible.
• Pay attention to the number of questions and the time allotted for the examination. Manage your time wisely. The examination is long and time is short. You can choose to skip over questions and go back later.
• Choose answers that are concise and direct (do not write an essay!).
• Don’t write more than asked for (if they ask for 3, write 3 answers!)

Helpful Hints for Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

• If you don’t know, take a guess… no penalty.
• Manage your time wisely, you have about 1minute per question.
• If you change your answer, erase the answer COMPLETELY, as the sheet is read by an optical scanner…
• Frequently go back to ensure that the question number and the circle you are filling in are the same. You don’t want to be off by one question, all your answers will be wrong…

 

Subspecialists taking their 2018 ORAL Exam 

A great way to pull it all together, or salvage what’s left if you procrastinated, is to take advantage of our Do or Die in Dallas service. We’re bringing our best, so you can be at your best. Course director, Drs. Stephanie Martin – MFM will be in Dallas from April 8-10.  Dr. Amos Adelowo, FPMRS Course Director is available for telephone mock orals on your case list or thesis reviews on the defense side.  They can warm you up for your big day with last-minute polishing (or cramming for some) through private sessions on whatever you need … mock orals, structured cases, etc.