Following completion of an accredited interventional radiology residency and/or fellowship, candidates must complete a final hurdle before receiving IR/DR certification from the American Board of Radiology: the IR/DR Certifying Examination. While there are well-established preparatory materials for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Core Exam taken during diagnostic radiology residency, resources on how to effectively prepare for the ABR IR/DR Certifying Exam are much more challenging to find.
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As the last standardized test hurdle for newly minted IRs, the pass/fail IR/DR Certifying Exam has the potential to raise stress levels as candidates try to balance preparing for the exam with their responsibilities as a new attending. In addition, the transition to a virtual exam because of the COVID-19 pandemic adds even more uncertainty to the situation. Time is a valuable resource at that career stage, which begs the question: what is the most effective way to prepare for the IR/DR Certifying Exam?
In 2019, the SIR Early Career Section (ECS) created an initiative to assist graduating IR fellows/residents with the new IR/DR Certifying Exam. With the changeover from the traditional Certificate of Added Qualification in Interventional Radiology in 2016 to the new IR/DR Certifying Exam in 2017, there was a general lack of understanding of what to expect amongst the test takers. The SIR ECS worked to educate the community on how the anxiety-provoking challenge of a board exam can be diminished through proper preparation.
The SIR ECS surveyed 83 recent IR/DR Certifying Exams takers for information regarding various study guides, online quiz banks, recommended study times and testing locations. Complete survey data may be accessed at bit.ly/IRtesting. The survey revealed that the most used study guide was Saad WE et al, Vascular and Interventional Imaging: Case Review Series with 84% of respondents giving high marks by their reviewers (Fig. 1). The most used quiz bank was radprimer.com, with 68% of respondents giving high marks by their reviewers (Fig. 2).
Preparing for IR board exams is stressful at any time, but COVID-19 has added another wrinkle. However, with proper preparation and practice acclimating to the virtual exam platform, much of that anxiety can be laid to rest.
Exam preparation tips
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- Ensure eligibility by keeping contact information in your myABR profile current. The ABR will contact you directly indicating when your specific exam application is ready.
- Review online ABR updates: theabr.org/announcements/remote-exam-information or twitter.com/ABR_Radiology.
- Reserve a time and location for your respective exam. Rescheduled exam dates can be found on the ABR website at bit.ly/IR-exam-dates. All exams have been rescheduled for 2021, and some have limited registrations.
- When available, familiarize yourself with the remote exam platform. In advance of your exam, test your devices by logging in, ensuring computer compatibility (webcam, microphone and operating system minimums [Windows 10 or MacOS X 10.11 or higher]) and internet connection. Find an exam room with ambient lighting and privacy that is free from interruptions or noise, and understand that intrusive proctoring will occur.
- Despite preparation, anticipate some minor glitches during your remote exam session. The ABR understands that this will invariably occur and is building redundancy into the system to reduce candidate anxiety.
