Inservice Exam Predicts Written Board Passage

Abstract

Objective: Determine if there is any association between the Resident Otolaryngology Training Examination (OTE) score and the pass rate on the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABOto) Written Qualifying Examination.

Method: Data from the 2005 to 2009 OTE and the 2007 to 2010 ABOto Written Examination were available for comparison. Odds ratio, chi-squared test of independence, and logistic regression were used to determine the relationship between OTE score and passage of the written ABOto examination.

Results: The proportion of Board examination failures for those whose OTE score was in the bottom 10th percentile is 25%. Proportion of Board examination failures for those whose OTE score was above the 10th percentile is 7.29% (P = < .0001). Odds ratio analysis revealed that every 10 point increase in percentile corresponds to an estimated 50% increase in odds of passing the examination on the first attempt (OR = 1.54, SE = 0.08; CI = 1.39, 1.71). Logistic modeling showed no significant association for year of exam or cohort of residents.

Conclusion: There is a significant association between a lower score on the OTE and increased failure rate on the first attempt at the ABOto Written Qualifying Examination.