ABIM Issues Warning Regarding Scam “Certification Boards” Plus How to Score Well on the Real Board Exam

I am a Board-certified Internist and proud of it. Although I scored at the 96-98th percentile during my in-service exams during residency, the actual 2-day paper examination (at the time) was not easy.

Beware the Scam Boards

A few days ago, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) issued a warning regarding scam “Certification Boards” after receiving reports from its diplomates regarding solicitations from groups offering “certification” in Geriatric Medicine, Cardiology and Hospital Medicine, etc.

There is no board in Hospital Medicine, at least not yet.

The phony “medical boards” listed below have been reported to ABIM as fraudulent:

* The United States Medical Specialists Federation (USMSF)
* American Board of Diabetes (ABD)
* American Academy of Cardiology (AAC)
* American Board of Geriatrics (ABG)
* American Board of Geriatric Medicine (ABGM)
* American Board of Hospital Physicians (ABOHP)
* American College of Specialists in Geriatrics (ACSG)
* American College of Christian Physicians (ACOCP)
* American College of Ethical Physicians (ACOEP)
* American College of Family Medicine (ACFM)
* American College of Geriatrics Specialists (ACGS)

Probably the most ridiculously named fake board on the list is the American College of Ethical Physicians (ACOEP). All physicians are supposed to be ethical not just the members of the (scam) board.

Still number 2 hit on Google for "ABIM results" after all those years

On a completely unrelated note, this blog is still the number 2 search result on Google for "ABIM results" 3 years after a small announcement made in 2005. If you search for reliable information, you know where to find it (place a "smile" emoticon here).


"ABIM Results" on Google: this blog has been the number 2 search result since 2005, directly below the official ABIM web page.

How to Score Well on the Board Exams

In 2004, I listed a few tips on How to Score Well on the Boards and some of them are still valid:

Practice makes perfect
Read a concise book
Practice with a lot of MCQ.
The formula "first line, last line, answers" works for many test takers
Pace yourself
Calculate 2 things: the percent of correct answers and the seconds you spend on each question
For those who like mnemonics, the best free resource is Medical Mnemonics.com

References:
Warning regarding scam “Certification Boards.” ABIM news.
"ABIM Results" on Google - Guess Who's Number Two in the Search Results?
How to Score Well on the Boards?
MKSAP 14 Has an Online Version
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.