What the ABIM Board Exam result says about you…and what it doesn’t

ABIM Exam Results: Internal Medicine Board Certification

As those that took the Internal Medicine ABIM board exam this past August know, the results were released early this week. For many of you, it was a momentous occasion, the culmination of many, many years of hard work! We heard from many of you who used Knowmedge to prepare for the exam – we were humbled by your comments! We love that you found the audio, video and print / PDF features so valuable in your studying. Our commitment to future exam takers is to continue developing high-yield content so you can be best prepared for the ABIM exam.

We’ve placed some of the comments on our testimonial page. A couple of our favorite ones:

This exam is not easy and for those of you who passed, many congratulations from all of us here at Knowmedge!

For those that weren’t as fortunate – here is the truth. This does not mean you are not a qualified doctor. It does not mean you don’t have the knowledge to do what you do. It does not mean your patients don’t value what you do for them.

Not passing the ABIM exam means one thing and one thing only – that you didn’t correctly answer enough questions on the exam to pass. Some of the best doctors we know didn’t pass this exam the first time. Some took it too lightly – we had a couple colleagues even mention they were going to “wing it.” Others just didn’t start preparing until it was too late. Some used the wrong sources or, more likely, not enough sources. As anxiety can set in during preparation, there is also the risk of trying to go through too many sources. Some people only use a question bank and others buy books they can’t get through. Truthfully, for most, it was just difficult to balance personal life, practice and find time to study. We get that.

We know how challenging this is – we’ve been through it. It’s the reason we built an Internal Medicine question bank focused specifically for those who are audio-visual learners. It has been shown that listening to audio and watching video helps you retain information far longer than simply reading text.

The ABIM exam is not intended to be tricky – yes, they ask some really odd questions – but overall they are trying to make sure you learn aspects of medicine that are far reaching. This is not a specialty exam, you have to have general knowledge of all subject areas. Both theABIM board certification pass rates and maintenance of certification pass rates have been declining over the past five years. The reasons behind this have been debated and counter-debated.

If you didn’t pass this time around, don’t kick yourself for what you could and should have done. Your career is long and you can retake the exam. As you prepare again, look over ourpost on ways to study for and pass the Internal Medicine boards and remember the mantra… study early and study often! Give yourself the best chance to succeed. If you haven’t seen it yet, the Knowmedge team members have put together a couple of articles on how to study for the ABIM board exam and high-yield topics to know for the exam.

Don’t be discouraged. Be motivated, create a game plan specific for yourself. This time next year, you will be a board-certified physician.

Keep in mind, we’re here to help in any way we can. No, we don’t know what questions will be on the exam but we understand the high-yield topics that you must cover in order to prepare for the ABIM exam. We have reviewed the Internal Medicine ABIM board exam blueprint inside and out and built our question bank based on those specific areas. We’re here to help – just ask us!