Take & Pass the Exam
Exam Day Timeline
The virtual Oral Exam is a half-day session held virtually via Zoom. It consists of seven cases: five single-patient scenarios and two structured interview cases.
1. Arrival and check-in
- It is critical that you arrive on time for your exam. All schedules you receive from ABEM will be in Eastern Time. If necessary, make timezone adjustments for your location.
- You are asked to arrive 45 minutes prior to your first case time to allow for check-in. An ABEM staff member will run through a script of reminders and do a scan of your testing area.Â
- There is intentional extra “padding” time before your first case and in between each subsequent case. This time is for check-in and resolving any unexpected technical issues. We understand there will be wait time but it is there to ensure a smooth exam for everyone. Thank you in advance for your patience.
2. Your first four cases
- Examiners can enter your exam breakout room up to three minutes before the case start time. No matter when they arrive, you will receive, at most, 15 minutes for each case.
- Your examiner will inform you when the case has begun and when it has concluded.
- There is no set order of standard cases vs Structured Interview (SI) cases, however, your examiner will inform you if the case is an SI before starting the case.
3. Scheduled break
- There is a 10-minute scheduled break after your fourth case
- You can take the break as soon as your fourth case concludes
- You can get up to stretch, get water, use the restroom, etc. during the break
- You CANNOT use your phone, access reference materials etc.Â
- Your camera and audio must remain on
4. Your last three cases
After the break, you will have three more cases.
5. Dismissal
After your final case, please wait in your breakout room for staff to dismiss you. They will go over a few final reminders and instruct you on how to exit the session.Â
Scoring
Within 90 days of your exam, ABEM will email you to notify you when results are available in your ABEM Portal.Â
How passing scores are determined
Rating Categories
In each case, your examiners will score you on eight performance ratings:
- Data Acquisition:Â Collecting critical patient information.
- Problem Solving:Â Using critical information to manage patients.
- Patient Management:Â Making appropriate treatment decisions.
- Resource Utilization:Â Using the resources at your disposal to care for patients.
- Health Care Provided (Outcome):Â The actual outcome of the patient’s health after receiving your care.
- Interpersonal Relations and Communication Skills:Â Clearly communicating with your patient, family, and medical staff.
- Comprehension of Pathophysiology:Â Understanding the case from a medical science standpoint, rather than memorized routine.
- Clinical Competence (Overall):Â How well you handled the types of conditions or problems presented in the case.
Standard Case Rating
Examiners assign a score from 1 to 8 on each rating scale using the following general guidelines:
- Very Acceptable (7,8):Â The candidate confidently and correctly collected data and gave a diagnosis, managed patients with current and accepted techniques, and showed anticipation of and concern for the psychological, sociological, and economic patient needs.
- Acceptable (5,6):Â There were several minor inefficiencies or errors in the case management. Candidate showed an underlying working knowledge for safe medical practice. The patient had adequate care without significant, unnecessary pain, or life-threatening procedures or medications.
- Unacceptable (3,4):Â One or more critical actions were not taken, or dangerous actions were taken. Health care may have been incomplete, unorganized, or generally unsatisfactory. The candidate demonstrated partially inadequate knowledge of the pathophysiology of the problem.
- Very Unacceptable (1,2):Â Candidate was unable to proceed beyond routine data acquisition and management because he or she lacked knowledge of the presented pathology. Gross negligence or gross mismanagement was observed, and the candidate was without self-awareness of their own inadequacies.
Structured Interview Rating
Structured interviews are scored as 25 points spread across eight stages of a typical patient interaction. Cases may focus more or less heavily in one of the eight areas.Â
1. History
2. Physical Exam
3. Differential Diagnosis
4. Testing
5. Treatment
6. Final Diagnosis
7. Disposition
8. Transitions of Care
Examiners will score a candidate’s answers to questions related to each stage.
