November 2019 Tip of the Month

Dallas Mock Orals - book now!

Dr. Megan Carreno is available to help you with any last-minute polishing before you take your November ABOG oral exam.  Email Kelly Friesen today at kelly@americasboardreview.com.

For ABOG 2019 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. Megan Carreno will be in Dallas from Saturday, November 3^rd to Wednesday, November 6^th. 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.

DECEMBER Exam Candidates

You MUST come to our November 19-24 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. Kilvington, will be in Dallas December 1st through 4^th. 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.

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 or February Exam Candidates

The exam is in two-three 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:

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 19-24 Board Review Course is perfect for you neglected January or February 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. Can't attend our live course?  The next best thing is our Home Study Package.  We give you the content - 44 hrs of course recordings and 3 mock orals - to practice your articulation and since half of your exam is structured cases, we have a package for that too! 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.

Test Taking Technique:   
This is an ORAL exam, so get used to talking out loud. The following topics are a must know: vaginal breech delivery, management of shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage, the course of the ureter, and dictate a vaginal hysterectomy. Practice answering the questions to these “Know Cold” topics out loud and even better, in the mirror or with a trusted colleague.

Subspecialty Fellows Sitting for their 2019 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 19-24 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.  Too late to attend our Review Course?  Consider one of our many Home Study packages - designed with content & practice.
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.

Study Strategy:
Our Structured Cases are perfect to challenge you on your off-specialty subjects. Not only can you review the case, but we have an answer sheet with the grading. Heck, memorize them if you have to and then you can gleefully throw them out the window after the exam.

For ABOG 2020 ORAL Exam Candidates

You cannot apply for the 2020 oral exam until February 1, 2020. 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 2020 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.

Case List Construction Tip:
Don’t fret about the details of how to enter the data. You’ll change your mind at least a half dozen times before it’s all said and done. Take a stab at entering the data on the case list forms; then just use your common sense.
Don’t worry about collecting patients for your office list yet. That will come later. For now, focus on the OB and GYN lists.

For ABOG & AOBOG 2020 WRITTEN Exam Candidates

The board exam is in 6 & 7 months respectively.  For you ABOG folk, the $1500 application and examination fee is due last month. A late fee of $345 kicks in until November 17^th, followed by a really swift kick of an $825 late fee until December 17^th. No applications are accepted after December 17^th. For those of you taking your AOBOG exam, the $1175 examination fee is due by February 19^th.
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 20-24 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.

               GYN                      39-43%

               REI                        7-11%

               FPMRS                  6-10%

               Oncology                4-8%

               OB                         34-38%

For AOBOG 2020 Oral Exam Candidates

For those preparing for their April 24-25 oral exam, if you really want to get a head start, come to our November 20-24 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 18^th, 2020.  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 2020 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 15^th.   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 1^st or 2^nd 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 15^th, 2019. 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 20-24 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 2019 articles. No rest for the weary!

Test-Taking Tip:
You must pass the exam by December 15, 2019. 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.
The written exam is on the computer. Many of you have never taken an exam on the computer, and it’s not the same as a beloved written book. Your old friend, the pencil, is obsolete. Do not wait until the day of the exam to discover this.  Go to www.pearsonvue.com/abog ahead of time for a tutorial to familiarize yourself with how to take an exam on the computer.

AOBOG Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC) 

Has the OCC exam retired? AOBOG website hasn't posted any 2020 exam dates. If you need a refresher or looking for a course with Category I AMA CME credit hours we provide both in just five days. Our November 20-24 Board Review Course provides 44 credit hours and 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 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 15^th of the year your certificate expires. 

For 2020 Royal College Exam Candidates

Start the Holiday season off right by making sure you have registered for the April 28-29, 2020, Royal College Exam.  The January 13^th 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 20-24 is perfect timing to begin your exam prep!