Factors associated with successful passage of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine general examination

Background Board certification relies on passing the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) general examination. Pass rates might depend on properties of residency training programs (RTP). Hypothesis We hypothesized that <4 weeks of dedicated study time, lack of board preparation lectures, status as a re-taker, and private practice RTP would result in lower pass rates of the ACVIM general examination. Subjects Two hundred forty-eight ACVIM general examinees. Methods Cross-sectional study. Examinees were surveyed using a Qualtrics survey over a 3-year period. Factors included: study weeks, on-call duty, board preparation lectures, academic or private practice program, and status as a re-taker. Results First-attempt examinees were more likely to pass (P < .0001, OR 5.12, 95% CI [2.53, 10.52]). For first-attempt examinees, on-call duty during study weeks resulted in a lower pass rate (P = .002, OR 0.31, 95% CI [0.16, 0.67]). General didactic and specific board-preparation lectures resulted in higher pass rates (P = .003, OR 3.08, 95% CI [1.44, 6.61]; P = .02, OR 3.04, 95% CI [1.20, 7.68]). Diplomate-led board-preparation lectures resulted in higher pass rates than resident-led (P = .007, OR 10.67, 95% CI [1.75, 64.91]). Using a mixed effect logistic model, predicted pass rates were highest with both lack of on-call duty and presence of didactic lectures (predicted pass rate 95%, 95% CI [0.87, 0.98]). Conclusions and Clinical Importance To optimize pass rates, RTP should provide study time without on-call duty. Provision of didactic lectures and specific board-preparation lectures by diplomates assist in candidate preparation.