Dallas Mock Orals - book now!
Dr. Diane Evans is available to help you with any last minute polishing before you take your ABOG oral exam. Call Angela Hare today at 877-222-6249.
For ABOG 2018 ORAL Exam Candidates
NOVEMBER Exam Candidates
It’s showtime! 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 private one-on-one sessions. We’re bringing our best, so you can be at your best. Dr. Diane Evans will be in Dallas from Saturday, November 3 to Wednesday, November 7. She will do whatever it takes to get you feeling confident just before your test. She can give Mock Oral Exams, test you with our signature Structured Cases, defuse those landmines on your Case List, or even give you a crash lecture on a weak topic. Call today to reserve your space.
Let the last question go and focus on the question at hand. Do not let worrying about whether or not you got the last question correct distract you, and thereby compromise you getting a sure pass question correct. Remember, just 70%!
DECEMBER Exam Candidates
You MUST come to our November 13-18 Review Course! ---even if, or perhaps especially if, you’ve taken another review course or exam prep seminar. In just five sweet days, we will deliver a streamlined exam-focused review. Do you know that during the last 4 years at each of our courses we’ve covered 99% of the exam topics? There is absolutely NO WAY you can review a year’s worth of information in such a short time on your own. Furthermore, rest assured that the topics will be so fresh in your mind, it will be like pulling a rabbit out of your hat to recall the answer on your exam just two short weeks later!
Don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Our Oral Exam FAQs itemize those questions most frequently asked for specific topics.
Half of your exam is structured cases. You can simulate the exam with our Structured Cases collection for ABOG Oral Exam. These are invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study or even more effective is to have others quiz you so you can practice out loud.
Did we mention mock oral exams? The number one regret of past candidates is that they wished they had taken more mock oral exams. It’s time to call in the “A” team, as in the ABC faculty. ABC offers Case List Reviews, Mock Oral Exams, and our signature, one-of-a-kind Structured Cases by phone. We can take it up a notch by offering eye-to-eye mock oral exams on Skype, but you’ll need to provide the glaring, white light.
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 private one-on-one sessions. Dr. Krishna Das, yeah - the lady who wrote THE book, Pass Your OB/GYN Oral Exam, will be in Dallas December 2nd through 5th. She’s seen it all and 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.
With you every step …
Test Taking Technique:
Make sure you know ALL the categories on each summary sheet, not simply the ones you have applied. This is especially applicable to the Office case list, where you may have strategically dodged those dreadful primary care categories. EVERY SINGLE category is fair game on the test. Our Oral Exam FAQs can spoon feed you questions similar to those most frequently asked in each category.
JANUARY Exam Candidates
The exam is in two months – crunch time and holidays. You WILL and MUST budget time to spend with your family; remember them? Forewarned is forearmed, so don’t set yourself up for that guilt trip of studying vs. family. You can do both if you’re organized.
Half of your test is defending your case list. Send your case list NOW to your local/regional consultants or colleagues for recommendations in DEFENDING your case list:
|
Case List Component |
Reviewer |
|
OB |
MFM, generalist |
|
GYN |
GYN ONC, Urogyn, generalist |
|
Office |
Generalist, REI, FP, IM |
Make sure you give them a strict deadline, perhaps two weeks; and set a date now to discuss their recommendations. The ABC faculty can also review your case list one-on-one at the fall courses or can provide a Case List Review.
Have you already taken a general review course? Do you have a huge syllabus, but still have no clue what’s on your test? Our November 13-18 Board Review Course is perfect for you neglected January exam takers. Even, or perhaps especially, if you’ve taken another review course, this will be so well worth your while, because for the past four years we’ve covered 99% of exam topics at each course. Our research has consistently shown that your pass rate is higher if you incorporate strategy with content. Therefore, our Oral Exam Workshop, which is devoted to strategy, is now included within the course. This will leave no doubt as to what you need to study for your exam.
Half of your exam is the structured cases. Try our Structured Cases sets, as they are invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study. Even more effective is to have others quiz you so you can practice out loud.
The icing on the cake is our Do or Die in Dallas session. We’re bringing our best so you can be at your best. Dr. Quinn Peeper has decades of experience and will do whatever it takes to get you feeling confident just before your test. He can give you mock oral exams, test you with our signature Structured Cases, defuse those landmines on your case list, or even give you a crash lecture on a weak topic.
Subspecialty Fellows Sitting for their 2018 ABOG General Oral Board Exam
Can you believe that this is your case list? Did you really manage all those patients in your off-specialty? How come you can’t remember them? That’s where they get the expression, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Our review course is IDEAL for fellows, as we tell you just what you need to know; then you can joyfully repress it again after your test. Even if your exam is not until January, there is A LOT to relearn - OK, for some of you, to learn.
We strongly recommend you come to our November 13-18 Board Review Course to gather all the material you will need for 99% of your test. Don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Our Oral Exam FAQs itemize those questions frequently asked for specific topics.
Try our Structured Cases sets, as they are invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study. Even more effective is to have others quiz you so you can practice out loud.
You can always reach out for a Case List Review on all or just your off-specialty sections of your case list for anticipated questions on your cases. Finally, we encourage you to tap into our Do or Die in Dallas, which provides an opportunity for last-minute polishing or cramming.
For ABOG 2019 ORAL Exam Candidates
You cannot apply for the 2019 oral exam until February 1, 2019. However, if you wait this long to enter cases you’re already EIGHT months behind since case list collections started July 1– BIG MISTAKE! New this year… You must now enter your cases through the ABOG portal. So there’s no longer any excuse that you haven’t ordered your software. For all GYN patients, start a habit of collecting H&Ps, operative notes, pathology reports and discharge summaries. For all OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal form, delivery notes, discharge summaries, and postpartum notes.
Rest assured you can start today with our signature Case List Construction course online. The live workshop is also scheduled at our April 2019 review course. For those who are OCD, order your copy of Pass Your Oral Ob/Gyn Board Exam by Dr. Das for a complete step-by-step guide. Start today in creating a good habit of collecting and entering cases.
Don’t worry about collecting patients for your office list yet. That will come later. For now, focus on the OB and GYN lists.
Finally, brace yourself for this one, but you do not need to study yet. No, that’s not a typo. OK, if you just can’t do that, we are bringing back our Oral Exam Webinar. Designed and led by Dr. Diane Evans, she will put you on a regimented study plan to get through core topics from January to March. This is definitely a reality check to see the intensity that will be required later. However, she strategically ends in time to allow you to shift back to your case list, as you will now see it in a new light. Call 1-877-222-6249 to register, as she is limiting the number of participants to assure an ideal student to teacher ratio.
For ABOG & AOBOG 2019 WRITTEN Exam Candidates
The board exam is in 6 & 7 months respectively. For you ABOG folk, the $1500 application and examination fee is due THIS month - by October 18th. A late fee of $345 kicks in until November 17th, followed by a really swift kick of an $825 late fee until December 17th. No applications are accepted after December 17th. For those of you taking your AOBOG exam, the $1175 examination fee is due by February 19th.
ABOG no longer reports your objective score on the exam. So folk have no idea if they sailed through or missed passing by one point. So, unfortunately, now the only correlate is the CREOG in-service-training exam. If you’re a chief resident, you must use this as a gauge to predict board performance, so you must/should prepare for this.
For those wanting to score big on their CREOGs or to explode out of the gate for your written board exam, come to our November 14-18 Board Review Course. This is an excellent opportunity to gather your exam-focused study material and let us put you on a customized study plan for the next six months.
Since ABOG no longer reports your score for the written board exam, unfortunately the only resource to gauge your performance is the CREOG in-service-training exam. Anyone, not just residents, can take the exam and is STRONGLY advised for those who are repeating their board exam. Don’t worry…the results come only to you. However, the one-page application and $120 examination fee is due November 9th. Either e-mail Darya Valantsevich at DValantsevich@acog.org or call her at 202-863-2548 to arrange this and choose your testing center.
GYN 39-43%
REI 7-11%
FPMRS 6-10%
Oncology 4-8%
OB 34-38%
For AOBOG 2019 Oral Exam Candidates
For those preparing for their April oral exam, if you really want to get a head start, come to our November 14-18 Board Review Course. Did you know that our syllabus even highlights EACH core topic? We also have an evening session that puts each core topic under the microscope and painstakingly goes through potential exam topics.
You may have to forego holiday presents, as your $3275 application fee is due January 18th, 2019. Happy New Year indeed! Bah humbug!
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, Family Planning, and FPMRS will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. Therefore, make sure to hold onto that residency log!
Refer to the ABOG Bulletin on how those 20 patients are selected. 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 about the office patients at all, as you may compile this only during your fellowship.
Test Taking Tips:
You’re almost half-way through your academic year. You will never rotate again on certain subspecialties. It’s critical that you track the ones for which you will need to collect cases and strategically choose those during the rotation. Better yet, keep a list of all the cases so you have the luxury to choose which ones you want to keep. Remember - once you leave your residency, it becomes a logistical nightmare to go back and collect cases.
Subspecialty Fellows Planning for their 2019 ABOG General Oral Board Exam
You can now sit for your general oral boards anytime during your fellowship. However, you can only take the general oral boards once during your fellowship. You will need all three case lists - OB, GYN, and Office. GYN Oncologists, REI, Family Planning, and FPMRS will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list.
Test Taking Tips:
You’re almost half-way through your case list collections. I’m not worried at all about your subspecialty cases, but rather about your off-specialty cases. Do you even have them? If you do, then well done! If not, begin figuring out how you’re going to get them. Ideally, see if you can get some cases that you actually manage, as in the present, not past, tense. See if you can take call or staff the residents on your off specialty. If that’s not possible, then start coordinating with your past residency on how to recapture these lists. Hopefully, you kept your case log, but it will still take months to get records. Procrastination on your part does not warrant an emergency on their part, especially since you’re old history
ABOG Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
Part II: Lifelong Learning
ALL 45 articles are due December 15th. I know a rare few of you haven’t even done any. If you’re desperate, you need to pass 80% of 120 questions, so that’s only 30 of the 45 articles; however, you only get 25, rather than 35 Category I CME credits.
Remember also that you must have enrolled in at least one practice module each year. If you have not, that can also be grounds to yank your certification - YIKES!
For those of you in your third year, you should have started the Safety Course. You cannot enter it until you have completed 60 questions from the 1st or 2nd quarter articles. The Safety Course is accessed only online, so if you’re one who likes to print out the articles and questions, you’re out of luck.
Part III: Secure Written Exam
For those of you in MOC Year 6, you must pass a written exam by December 15th, 2018. We have three products to help you prepare for and pass your written exam. For those of you who have always tapped into a review course in preparation for your board certifying exams, you’ll take great comfort in our five day November 14-18 Board Review Course. This is not the same type of review course from 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.
Finally, the Board has acknowledged that an emphasis will be placed on both the Compendium and the articles for your exam. Oh, 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!
You must pass the exam by December 15, 2018. You get a total of five attempts. SIGN UP FOR THE EXAM NOW or at the latest, for the day after our November review course.
AOBOG Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC)
The OCC exam will now be offered twice a year. The exam is being offered and September 24-29 at the Pearson VUE testing centers. You may choose any date, time and location. For those of you who have always tapped into a review course in preparing for your board certifying exams, you’ll take great comfort in our five day November 14-18 Board Review Course. This is not the same type of review course from 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!
Additionally, you must complete 5 Practice Performance Assessments (PPA) in each 6 year OCC cycle. These 5 PPAs must be completed by September 15th of the year your certificate expires.
Tip:
So you thought you were done with the oral exam core topics? Think again. Seriously, if you had to narrow all of OB/GYN to 10 core topics, don’t you think these are going to show up again on your OCC exam? You bet! We’ve expanded our signature Oral Exam Webinar to include written questions for you OCC folk. Our webinar was designed by Diane Evans, DO, a DO for DOs. The webinar is also taught only by DOs, and Drs. Stephanie Persondek and Cynthia Krueger, both DOs, join Dr. Diane Evans to lead the only all DO faculty webinar in the country. Historically we’ve been batting a 99% pass rate on the oral exam since 2011 for webinar participants. We want to shoot for 100% pass rate for the OCC written exam.
For 2019 MFM Oral Exam Candidates
Take a deep breath - you’ve made it past the first big hurdle and got your thesis submitted. Congratulations!
Now it’s time to focus on finishing that case list and formulating a study plan. You should be almost done collecting cases for your list and working on filling in the details about neonatal outcomes and patient information. You are allowed to add new patients for two more months, so having as much of your list done as possible at this point will allow you to focus on collecting only those patients that you actually need to round out the requirements for each category.
Speaking of that study plan… We’ve done all the hard work for you with our MFM Interactive Board Review Course, which is being held November 16-18. Dr. Stephanie Martin has created an innovative and integrated program to address those high yield weaknesses common to all. We cannot repeat a 3-year fellowship in 3 days, but we will help you master the topics that are key to success on the oral exam. Each day we will tackle MFM topics such as critical care, maternal medical complications, genetics and ultrasound utilizing a structured case format similar to your oral board exam, but facilitated by the faculty. We will also cover Case List preparation, board exam tips, designing a study workshop and statistics. The format is carefully designed for the seasoned adult learner preparing for an oral exam and promises to be focused, productive, non-adversarial and fun.
Tip:
Your goal should be to have a rough draft of the list done by early-to-mid December so you can circulate your list to your mentors and peers for editing before it’s too late to find a new patient in case one of yours turns out to be a poor choice.
For 2019 FPMRS Oral Exam Candidates
Now that your thesis has been submitted it is time to focus on your case list. You have time to compile, but it is always a good idea to get your master list of surgical and non-surgical cases pulled. If you have a helpful administrative liaison in the finance department, they can run a report with patient names and the ICD 10 bb codes to give you a great organized start to compiling your list. Additionally, you can use that list of diagnoses to identify cases for your office categories very quickly. We’ve got a great way to start out the New Year. Our FPMRS faculty includes Amos Adelowo, Bernard Taylor, Roger Lefevre, Janelle Evans, Erinn Myers, and Dara Shalom will offer our FPMRS Oral Exam Webinar beginning in January. We guarantee to get through the key topics by the April test dates. When purchasing all three series, you will receive a FREE ½ hour telephone mock oral exam!
Tip:
Our FPMRS Oral Exam Webinar will have some great templates and tips for creating a list that is in line with ABOG standards, so no one has to experience the anxiety-provoking process of amending their list.
For 2019 Royal College Exam Candidates
Start the Holiday season off right by making sure you have registered for the April 30 - May 1, 2019, Royal College Exam. The January 13th deadline will be here before you know it. Depending on your University and Program of training, by the end of January, you can take the CREOG (American) practice examination. Take this seriously as it may help you identify an area of weakness. This examination might (or might not) be paid by your program. If you need to pay, registration is usually due by November. Finally, based upon feedback from our past Canadian registrants, our November 14-18 review course is perfect timing in preparation of their May 2019 Written and OSCE Exam.