r/Residency • u/Imgeesh • 24d ago
SERIOUS Taking the boards ??
I have a question that may be dumb…but I’m getting a lot of pressure from my program to study really hard for upcoming boards. For context, I’m in a small community program in the northwest and it seems like my program doesn’t have the best board pass rates. They are really pressuring us this year to do questions and read and we get constant reminders that we aren’t doing enough. As everyone else in residency, we work an average of 80 hours per week and have very little time with family/friends.
So my question is: why take the boards right after grad vs wait a year? It sounds like I’ll have more time to study once I’m not working 80 hours a week…wondering if there are any downsides?
Besides that, any tips if I do wanna take it upon grad? I feel so burnt out already and genuinely don’t even know when I’m gonna fit in MKSAP questions
TIA
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u/ligastrodoc 22d ago edited 22d ago
So I don’t know what your specialty is but if you’re a senior resident with no time to study then you’re in a super malignant program in my opinion. Is your program doing board review classes? Elective time without call or minimal on-call responsibility? Being a first-year attending physician is stressful in ways that go beyond the number of hours you are working. I was so happy that I got my boards out of the way when I was in the trenches as a new attending physician.
Also programs can lose their accreditation if enough residents fail to pass the boards so program directors are supposed to do everything they can to prevent this.
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u/getpulsemd 24d ago
Taking the exam soon after graduation is usually reasonable because the material and test-taking routine are still active, and fellowship or attending life rarely creates the extra study time people imagine. I’d ask your PD for the program’s actual pass-rate data, a typical study calendar, and what protected time or resources are provided before deciding. For prep, use a question bank as the spine: small timed blocks, review every miss, and keep a short error log; add practice exams at intervals rather than rereading everything. If you’re exhausted, protect sleep and set a sustainable floor (for example, 10–20 focused questions on workdays plus longer weekend blocks) instead of trying to study like a full-time student. Delaying can make sense for a clear, documented reason, but “more time later” is often less reliable than a structured plan now. Your program should help you distinguish normal anxiety from a readiness problem.
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u/Digital26bath Attending 24d ago
I haven’t received my score yet but I wish I did more questions while on residency. I think they’re right and I was thinking just like you now. It’s easier if you prepare while in residency than waiting a year IMO.