Be aware that “testing-errors”, by design, are known as “psychological stressor questions.” These include multiple-choice questions that have all correct “distracters”, or those with no correct answers; among several other varieties and types.
Now, although these “stressor” questions are then “curved-out” of final individually tabulated scores, the amount of time-wasted on them may “distract” the test-taker from answering other “easier” questions, correctly.
Thus, scores are lowered needlessly because of this emotional/visceral “maddening” response of how dare they?
Be careful out there!
Gene Schmuckler; PhD, MBA, MEd
[Chief Psychometric Testing Officer]
ABPS Examination Statistics – PART I
From: Robert Bijak, DPM
It is not my intention to be on the negative side of podiatry, but you can’t hide the truth. I recently read some disturbing statistics listed in the ABPS Newsletter.
Of 521 candidates taking the Part 1 Certification exam in foot surgery, only 61% passed. Of 314 candidates who took the Part 1 Certification in reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgery, only 57% passed. Some specialty!
Unlike orthopods, podiatrists divide the foot, and a large number fail the rear foot part, and many fail the forefoot part.
We call ourselves podiatric physicians, foot specialists. We say that the MD doesn’t know anything about the foot, and yet we have so many failures in our own exams. And, this is to say nothing about those who don’t even qualify to take the exams.
I’m sorry; I get no pleasure exposing my own profession’s weakness. The ABPS budget shows nearly 5 million dollars in revenue last year, and we have all these failures. Maybe we should throw more money at the problem. Ladies and gentlemen, please take school administrators, specialty boards, and residencies to task. If we are the specialists, why are so many of us failing in our own specialty, the foot, let alone the ankle or leg!
Remember I’m just the messenger. I am not responsible for this reality. Incompetence and apathy are.
Robert Bijak, DPM
Clarence Center, NY
[rbijak@aol.com]
Test-taking is a learned skill. It is not possible to pass the exam without knowing the material, but it is very possible to fail despite knowing the material well.
If so many do fail exams, is their education to blame (the schools), or are the exams unfairly written? It has to be one or the other. There is no getting around this. I have always felt that some tests are purposely written to fail at least 50%.
Why?
Is this to elevate the status of those who are good at taking exams? Why do some boards want to be more about exclusion than inclusion? Why aren’t the big shots at ABPS screaming bloody murder at the level of students they are graduating, if the education process is to blame? Could it be that ABPS knows it’s the design of the exam and not the educational process?
This issue has haunted us for all the years that I have been in practice, and is the single reason for the divisions in our profession. And it is these divisions that have kept us totally distracted from the real issues that are important for our survival as professionals and practitioners.
The recent comment that orthopedic surgeons are “board certified” in specialty areas (e.g.-hip, knee, foot and ankle) is not correct. The AAOS is working on CAQ’s (certificates of added qualifications) with which an individual can declare subspecialty expertise.
Drawing any specific conclusions from the high failure rate of the ABPS examination is, at best, difficult. Perhaps what may be helpful is a listing of the percentage of pass/fail from each school and residency, thereby assisting future students and residents in their selection process if interested in surgical board status.
In a recent malpractice case, I refuted the plaintiff’s expert’s (a foot and ankle orthopod) assertion that the orthopedic boards were “more rigorous” than that of podiatry by pointing out that the first attempt passage rate of the orthopedic boards in greater than 90%, compared to our boards.
Is our board examination too difficult? It depends on what you want the board to represent to the general public and medical profession. We have leaders in our profession in, for example, diabetes, whom I suspect could never pass a rigorous testing on clubfoot correction or trauma. We have trauma leaders in our profession who probably couldn’t tell athlete’s foot from cutaneous lymphoma. We have excellent forefoot surgeons who never do external fixation.
I’m not sure how you package all this in one examination. Perhaps, we should look into certificates of added qualification which are standardized by the ABPS and accepted by the APMA. After years of diabetes-related work, let such individuals sit for a diabetic foot CAQ, etc.
By flunking practitioners, they generate…drum roll please…$$$
And give the impression that the exam is hard and challenging to MD/DOs. Yes, the feckless podiatric leaders need to be taken to task as Dr. Bijak eloquently states.
About Psychological Stress Questions
A FARC Inc, Op Ed
Be aware that “testing-errors”, by design, are known as “psychological stressor questions.” These include multiple-choice questions that have all correct “distracters”, or those with no correct answers; among several other varieties and types.
Now, although these “stressor” questions are then “curved-out” of final individually tabulated scores, the amount of time-wasted on them may “distract” the test-taker from answering other “easier” questions, correctly.
Thus, scores are lowered needlessly because of this emotional/visceral “maddening” response of how dare they?
Be careful out there!
Gene Schmuckler; PhD, MBA, MEd
[Chief Psychometric Testing Officer]
I used your Podiatry Board Preparation software program to study for the 2008 ABPS re-certification examination, and passed!
The program was very helpful in guiding my study even while on a ski trip out West. I highly recommend it!
Dan Waldman; DPM, FACFAS
[Asheville, NC]
ABPS Examination Statistics – PART I
From: Robert Bijak, DPM
It is not my intention to be on the negative side of podiatry, but you can’t hide the truth. I recently read some disturbing statistics listed in the ABPS Newsletter.
Of 521 candidates taking the Part 1 Certification exam in foot surgery, only 61% passed. Of 314 candidates who took the Part 1 Certification in reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgery, only 57% passed. Some specialty!
Unlike orthopods, podiatrists divide the foot, and a large number fail the rear foot part, and many fail the forefoot part.
We call ourselves podiatric physicians, foot specialists. We say that the MD doesn’t know anything about the foot, and yet we have so many failures in our own exams. And, this is to say nothing about those who don’t even qualify to take the exams.
I’m sorry; I get no pleasure exposing my own profession’s weakness. The ABPS budget shows nearly 5 million dollars in revenue last year, and we have all these failures. Maybe we should throw more money at the problem. Ladies and gentlemen, please take school administrators, specialty boards, and residencies to task. If we are the specialists, why are so many of us failing in our own specialty, the foot, let alone the ankle or leg!
Remember I’m just the messenger. I am not responsible for this reality. Incompetence and apathy are.
Robert Bijak, DPM
Clarence Center, NY
[rbijak@aol.com]
RESPONSES / COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL) – PART 2
FROM: PM NEWS – February 11, 2010
RE: ABPS Examination Statistics (Robert Bijak, DPM)
From: Multiple Respondents
Test-taking is a learned skill. It is not possible to pass the exam without knowing the material, but it is very possible to fail despite knowing the material well.
Dwight L. Bates, DPM
Dallas, TX
dlbates04@yahoo.com
///////////////////////////////////////////////
If so many do fail exams, is their education to blame (the schools), or are the exams unfairly written? It has to be one or the other. There is no getting around this. I have always felt that some tests are purposely written to fail at least 50%.
Why?
Is this to elevate the status of those who are good at taking exams? Why do some boards want to be more about exclusion than inclusion? Why aren’t the big shots at ABPS screaming bloody murder at the level of students they are graduating, if the education process is to blame? Could it be that ABPS knows it’s the design of the exam and not the educational process?
This issue has haunted us for all the years that I have been in practice, and is the single reason for the divisions in our profession. And it is these divisions that have kept us totally distracted from the real issues that are important for our survival as professionals and practitioners.
Robert Steinberg, DPM
Schaumburg, IL
doc@FootSportsDoc.com
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The recent comment that orthopedic surgeons are “board certified” in specialty areas (e.g.-hip, knee, foot and ankle) is not correct. The AAOS is working on CAQ’s (certificates of added qualifications) with which an individual can declare subspecialty expertise.
Drawing any specific conclusions from the high failure rate of the ABPS examination is, at best, difficult. Perhaps what may be helpful is a listing of the percentage of pass/fail from each school and residency, thereby assisting future students and residents in their selection process if interested in surgical board status.
In a recent malpractice case, I refuted the plaintiff’s expert’s (a foot and ankle orthopod) assertion that the orthopedic boards were “more rigorous” than that of podiatry by pointing out that the first attempt passage rate of the orthopedic boards in greater than 90%, compared to our boards.
Is our board examination too difficult? It depends on what you want the board to represent to the general public and medical profession. We have leaders in our profession in, for example, diabetes, whom I suspect could never pass a rigorous testing on clubfoot correction or trauma. We have trauma leaders in our profession who probably couldn’t tell athlete’s foot from cutaneous lymphoma. We have excellent forefoot surgeons who never do external fixation.
I’m not sure how you package all this in one examination. Perhaps, we should look into certificates of added qualification which are standardized by the ABPS and accepted by the APMA. After years of diabetes-related work, let such individuals sit for a diabetic foot CAQ, etc.
Allen Mark Jacobs DPM
St. Louis, MO
allenthepod@sbcglobal.net
By flunking practitioners, they generate…drum roll please…$$$
And give the impression that the exam is hard and challenging to MD/DOs. Yes, the feckless podiatric leaders need to be taken to task as Dr. Bijak eloquently states.
Dr. Tom