How can you effectively prepare the ABR Core Exam?

Preparing for the Core Exam is unquestionably a major challenge. Not only can the sheer amount of material to be learned seem daunting, but the large amount of available resources can also be a burden.

During the ARRS annual meeting, Chen et al [1] presented research that showed that residents who passed their ABR Core exam tended to make greater use of test prep resources and perceived the value of those resources more than the students who failed the exam. Which means that it is crucial to select the material that suits you.

"Findings may suggest that a better understanding is needed from residency programs on best materials used for exam preparation" the authors concluded.

What is the ABR Core Exam?

After 36 months of residency training, the Core Exam is an image-rich and computer-based exam. It includes 18 categories of sub-specialty and modality. Residents are required to pass overall and obtain a passing result in each classification. ABR tests are created by radiologists from a wide range of training settings and illustrate the scope of knowledge that a candidate is expected to know by the time of an exam. While study guides are offered on the ABR website, every radiology resident must determine what kind of tools to use for the Core Exam.

How to select your prep resources?

Choose and stick with a fair amount of material. There is no resource that is the only solution to passing this exam. There are a few options which are very effective, however no one resource is flawless. You know yourself: choose what feels like a good fit for you (textbooks, qbanks vs case books, lectures vs. videos in-person board review, etc.) and do that. In any case, you will need to have several resources as ONLY one resource is NOT enough to pass the ABR Core Exam.

What are the different resources available?

According to A3CR2, the top 3 board review materials are [2]:

• Qevlar
• RadPrimer
• Core review books (Crack the Core)

Obviously, residents should focus on one “comprehensive” review book while supplementing with question banks that work best for them. Let’s detail those resources:

Qbanks

• RadPrimer is an educational platform with modules featuring case studies, reference images, and diagnosis solutions. Residents really appreciate its comprehensiveness, however, can be overwhelming, especially in crunch time when efficient learning is critical.
• Qevlar’s RadCore bundle is a high yield question bank spanning across core competencies in all imaging specialties and modalities. It is the first and highest rated cross platform app (Windows & Mac desktop computers, iOS & Android smartphones and tablets) for self directed Radiology board exam prep. Its content is constantly refreshed to reflect the trends seen in the ABR core exam. This material is uniquely shaped annually by the users through unique feedback channels.  There is a special additional focus on the ABR’s non-interpretive skills, physics and RISE sections. Finally, QEVLAR is efficient with over 2,000 board-style, image-rich questions, with high yield and efficient answers and take home points. This is what you must know going into the exam!
• Other question banks exist but have not been studied or published to be effective, including: BoardVitals, Rockthecore, Facethecore.

Review Books

• Core radiology is a comprehensive, up-to-date resource for learning, reference and board review. It Combines over 1200 clinical images, 300 color illustrations and concise, bulleted text. Perhaps can be considered the FirstAid of the ABR Core Exam. The downside: it is pricey.
• Crack the Core is useful for both the imaging diagnosis and physics portions of the exam. In our opinion, the best review book as it is incredibly effective at pointing out exactly what you need to know without the fluff!

Case Books

A Core Review series is one of the most popular resources. These are question books. Each book incorporates physics and non-interpretive skills into their sets, just like the real Core exam. In particular, the questions are tougher and more comprehensive than on the actual Core Exam, but they are intended to teach you and have very good, detailed explanations. From these questions, you'll learn a lot.

Richard Thomas, M.D. gives us his opinion on Qevlar’s usefulness and tells why he chose Qevlar:

“QEVLAR is very easy to use on the cell phone and allows me to download the questions. That is really the best part. I used another QBanks (board vitals) but it does not have a cell phone app like Qevlar does. Important topics were well covered. I felt several of the questions were too specific (specific percentages and things like that) which are not likely to asked verbatim in the boards.”

With the fail rate of the 2019 ABR core exam at 16% (approx 1 in 6 residents failed!), you need the highest-yield resource to pass! A program director for a top tier, large residency program in the United States which boasts a 100% exam pass rate through the spring of 2020, has stated:

“QEVLAR and the RadCore bundle has been critical to our unparalleled core exam pass rate. Based on their post-exam feedback, our residents have appreciated the institutional funds that are used towards purchasing QEVLAR as they all agree its the highest yield question bank. When QEVLAR is coupled with Crack the Core, our residents have a 100% pass rate on their first attempt!”

Choose your resources is the first part of the job. Then you will have to practice, practice and practice again by taking questions, reading all the explanations, re-testing you knowledge and seeing where the gaps are.

Break a leg!!