November 2020 Tip of the Month

ABOG 2020 ORAL Exam Candidates

ABOG has changed the format of this year’s Certifying (Oral) Exam to be an online computer based written multiple-choice exam. This is great for those of you that do well with written exams. If you have struggled taking a written, then our Test Taking Skills Online Course might be what you need. We will teach you how to develop a logical, systematic and thoughtful method for answering questions in a timely manner.
Just like when you took your written exam all those years ago, you need to practice with questions. ABC has you covered with our Written Questions Online and Q-Banks.
The exam is February 2^nd – 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.
Have you already taken a general review course? Our November 17-22 Board Review Course is perfect for you. We have modified our Tuesday workshop to go over written exam strategies, ensuring that you are prepared for this change in exam format. 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. If you just need high yield content then we recommend you purchase our course recordings that provide 44 hrs of lecture material on OB, REI, FPMRS, Primary Care, Office Gyn and Oncology.  Supplement the recordings with our written questions online (designed by topic) to hone in on those topics you need to shore up.

Test Taking Technique:   
This is now a WRITTEN exam. You need to switch gears and start practicing with as many questions as you can. Our Q Banks are useful when all you want to do is questions.  Each bank contains 50 multiple choice questions in a variety of topics. Purchase all 6 sets and save. 

Subspecialty Fellows Sitting for their 2020 ABOG General Oral Board Exam

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 though your exam is not until February there is A LOT to relearn - OK, for some of you, to learn.
We strongly recommend you attend our November 17-22 Board Review Course to gather all the material you will need for 99% of your test. 
Try our Written Questions Online or Q-Bank sets, as they are invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study.

Study Strategy:
Our Written Questions Online and Q-Bank Sets are perfect to test your knowledge. Did you purchase our Structured cases?  Use them to create written questions out of the clinical scenarios. 

ABOG 2021 ORAL Exam Candidates

You cannot apply for the 2021 oral exam until February 24, 2021. However, if you wait this long to enter cases, you’re already EIGHT months behind since case list collections started July 1– BIG MISTAKE! 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 2021 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.

ABOG & AOBOG 2021 WRITTEN Exam Candidates

The board exam is in 6 & 7 months respectively.  For you ABOG folk, the $1500 application and examination fee was due last month. A late fee of $360 kicks in until November 20^th, followed by a really swift kick of an $840 late fee until December 18^th. No applications are accepted after December 18^th. For those of you taking your AOBOG exam, the $1175 examination fee is due by March 12^th.
ABOG will now provide the candidate with a scaled test score in addition to the result of “pass/fail”. The cut point for passing the written exam will be determined each year after conducting psychometric evaluations of the results. If you’re a chief resident, you must use your CREOG in-service-training exam scores 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 18-22 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.

AOBOG 2021 Oral Exam Candidates

For those preparing for their April 26 - May 1 (they announced May 7-8 but only taking 56 candidates) oral exam, if you really want to get a head start, come to our November 18-22 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. 
Your $3275 application fee is due February 5th, 2021. 

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 are almost half-way through your academic year. You will never rotate again on certain subspecialties. It is 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 2021 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 96 or more correct answers; 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!
Part III: Secure Written Exam
For those of you in MOC Year 6, you must pass a written exam by December 16^th, 2020. 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 18-22 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 2020 articles. No rest for the weary!

Test-Taking Tip:
You must pass the exam by December 16, 2020. 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. 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) 

The recertification exam has been replaced with the (ARC) aka Advanced Real-time Certification.  The good news is that it is an online assessment system giving you the opportunity to fulfill your OCC Component 3 requirements. Each year you are to complete 24 assessments.  Go to the AOBOG website for additional details. 

ABC Tip:
Consider attending our 5-day review course November 18-22.  This is not the same type of review course as in the past.  Just as you evolve and practice evidence-based medicine, our course is designed for the adult learner and all lectures follow the national ACOG guidelines. Even better, you’ll walk away with Category I CME hours and with loads of clinical pearls, too.

Royal College 2021 Exam Candidates

Start the Holiday season off right by making sure you have registered for the April 8-9, 2021, Royal College Exam.  The December 4th deadline to register 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 18-22 Prep Course is perfect timing to begin your exam prep!