To succeed in ABOS Part II, you have to understand how the choose your cases and how to prepare for the presentation. This sheet is modified directly from the ABOS website and is a great tool to help you prepare for the ABOS Part II. This sheet is intended for newly graduated residents and doctors taking the oral recertification.
Click below to download the ABOS "Cheat Sheet"
Each color coded section on the sheet represents a scoring section, and in that section, you can get a score of 0, 1, 2, or 3. They have a very well studied way they "grade on the curve*", adjusting the scores of each evaluator, but the take home message is you need to get an average of 2 to pass. Another way to look at that is to look at that is "avoid 0's and 1's". They are the lead anchor that will sink you. If you avoid 0's and 1's, the math essentially eliminates a score less than zero*.
The most frequent way to get a zero is to not have what they want or how they want it. Their only option is to put down a "not available" zero. The example would be not having an image or cut that they deem essential. Or a followup note that could not be obtained because they moved out of state. Some of these things are out of your control and some are not. Unfortunately, their hand is forced. You get a zero and you need two 3's to offset it and bring that average up to 2.0.
Each score is called an "observation". Passing is highly correlated to the raw number of observations you receive. The probable reason is the following. If you have a poorly executed section, you face the "double dip" phenomenon of a) the raw number of a bad score and b) spending time on a bad score, losing opportunities to offset that bad score with "good observations" scoring 2 and 3. If you come upon a bad opportunity, concede the failure and move on. Take the bad medicine and get good scores elsewhere
How to use the worksheet:
Each color coded area corresponds to a potential "observation." Fill out the appropriate information in that section and you should be sufficiently complete to get a 2. Practice your presentation, hitting the appropriate points quickly and sufficiently, but not lingering on them. Once the score on that observation is determined, move on. Over emphasize conservative management, as the test instructors are keyed in on the non operative management. This may be one setting where "over selling" a lit bit comes in handy. On everything else, get to the point and move on. You will notice that understanding current literature has relatively little impact on the score. This is an important observation. Having the X-rays and H&P complete is far more important.
The test instructors volunteer their time and are trying to make our profession safe and trustworthy. Don't forget that point.
* explained-- The ABOS uses and advanced psychometric profile that looks at the evaluator and sees if they are excessively easy graders or excessively harsh. The will adjust the scores appropriately in either direction to account for their scoring habits. So for example, if you get a 2 from a really harsh evaluator, that may actually count as a 2.1 or 2.15 with the scoring adaption. Similarly, a 2 from an easy grader may actually be credited as 1.9, as that easy grader rarely gives out 2's. It's a fairly minimal adjustment. And for this discussion let's just assume all 2's are created equally.
Click below to download the ABOS "Cheat Sheet"
Each color coded section on the sheet represents a scoring section, and in that section, you can get a score of 0, 1, 2, or 3. They have a very well studied way they "grade on the curve*", adjusting the scores of each evaluator, but the take home message is you need to get an average of 2 to pass. Another way to look at that is to look at that is "avoid 0's and 1's". They are the lead anchor that will sink you. If you avoid 0's and 1's, the math essentially eliminates a score less than zero*.
The most frequent way to get a zero is to not have what they want or how they want it. Their only option is to put down a "not available" zero. The example would be not having an image or cut that they deem essential. Or a followup note that could not be obtained because they moved out of state. Some of these things are out of your control and some are not. Unfortunately, their hand is forced. You get a zero and you need two 3's to offset it and bring that average up to 2.0.
Each score is called an "observation". Passing is highly correlated to the raw number of observations you receive. The probable reason is the following. If you have a poorly executed section, you face the "double dip" phenomenon of a) the raw number of a bad score and b) spending time on a bad score, losing opportunities to offset that bad score with "good observations" scoring 2 and 3. If you come upon a bad opportunity, concede the failure and move on. Take the bad medicine and get good scores elsewhere
How to use the worksheet:
Each color coded area corresponds to a potential "observation." Fill out the appropriate information in that section and you should be sufficiently complete to get a 2. Practice your presentation, hitting the appropriate points quickly and sufficiently, but not lingering on them. Once the score on that observation is determined, move on. Over emphasize conservative management, as the test instructors are keyed in on the non operative management. This may be one setting where "over selling" a lit bit comes in handy. On everything else, get to the point and move on. You will notice that understanding current literature has relatively little impact on the score. This is an important observation. Having the X-rays and H&P complete is far more important.
The test instructors volunteer their time and are trying to make our profession safe and trustworthy. Don't forget that point.
* explained-- The ABOS uses and advanced psychometric profile that looks at the evaluator and sees if they are excessively easy graders or excessively harsh. The will adjust the scores appropriately in either direction to account for their scoring habits. So for example, if you get a 2 from a really harsh evaluator, that may actually count as a 2.1 or 2.15 with the scoring adaption. Similarly, a 2 from an easy grader may actually be credited as 1.9, as that easy grader rarely gives out 2's. It's a fairly minimal adjustment. And for this discussion let's just assume all 2's are created equally.
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