Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1612-1615
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Reasons given for success after initial failure on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Part II Examination
LH Rudy and MJ Kulieke
In an attempt to help understand the Part II oral examinations of the
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the authors undertook a study
to identify the factors that aid candidates in passing the Part II
examination after one or more initial failures. A total of 339 diplomates
rated 13 reasons hypothesized for passing Part II. The major factors that
influenced passing on subsequent attempts were 1) the experience of having
taken the examination previously (81%), 2) different examiners (66%), 3)
decreased anxiety (61%), 4) additional studying (59%). Other factors
suggested by diplomates for passing after initial failures included less
fatigue and fewer personal problems.
