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What are the 2023 Nephrology Board Pass Rates?
The ABIM 2023 Nephrology Pass Rate for the Certification exam is 80%.
The ABIM 2023 Nephrology Pass Rate for the Maintenance of Certification exam is 94%.
Compare to exam takers who prepared with The Pass Machine:
In 2023, The Pass Machine Nephrology Board Review clients achieved a 87% pass rate on the Certification exam!
“The Pass Machine gives special attention to topics and presents them in a way that is very much board focused. Would highly recommend it!” - Sujata Kale, MD, Cheshire, CT
“The best review course I have seen in 30 years. Even better than the ACP or ASN.” - Roderick Comunale, MD, La Jolla, CA
“I definitely would recommend it to my colleagues even if they will not take the test because it helped me clarify so many concepts that I have never understood during my fellowship and during private practice years.” - Enrique Rios, MD, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
More than 1 in 5 Failed the CERT
The Nephrology Initial Certification Exam is is an historically tough board exam! In 2023, 79 out of 397 first-time takers didn’t pass.
Exam Prep Works
American Board of Internal Medicine recognizes “Exam Prep” as the primary step toward certification. Their Study of Studying infographic reminds us of the acute benefits of using board exam prep as a review and assessment tool.
Pass Guaranteed
The #1 Guarantee in Board Prep for Physicians! The Triple Trust Guarantee from American Physician Institute has your back. As you see from our clients’ board results above, investing in a comprehensive review course pays off.
What do I do if I fail the Nephrology board exam?
The first thing you should do is just take it easy, sleep on it. Give yourself a few days, a week or two to come to terms with what has happened. Your next exam is six months to a year away. Dr. Jack has more advice in this video, What Do You Do If You Fail Your Medical Board Exam?
Nephrology Certification Exam Scoring
Overall performance is reported on a standardized score scale ranging from 200 to 800, with a mean of 500. To pass the Nephrology board examination, your standardized score must equal or exceed the standardized passing score. Your performance on the entire exam determines your pass-fail decision.
The passing standard for the Nephrology exam is set by ABIM committee using standard-setting techniques that follow best practices in assessment. Because the passing standard is based on a specified level of mastery of Nephrology content, no predetermined percentage of examinees will pass or fail the exam.
Nephrology Certification Exam Format
The Nephrology Certification Exam (CERT) board exam is composed of up to 240 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions. Most questions describe patient scenarios and ask about the tasks performed by physicians in the course of practice. (Note that around 40 of these are new questions that do not count in your score.)
Example of a single-best-answer multiple-choice question format:
A 28-year-old man presents for a routine checkup with no complaints. His pulse rate is 88 beats per minute and blood pressure level is 130/85 mm Hg. His waist circumference is 44 inches and body mass index is 33. Which of the following findings may be associated with obesity being an independent risk factor to develop chronic kidney disease over the course of the next 5 years?
◯ A. Kidney stones
◯ B. Prostate hypertrophy
◯ C. Albuminuria
◯ D. Hematuria
◯ E. Damage to renal interstitial
Correct Response:
C. Albuminuria
Albuminuria is the correct answer because this case describes a patient with visceral obesity. Obesity is an independent risk factor for developing chronic kidney disease. Increased fat mass leads to mesangial expansion and increased renal metabolic demand that may promote glomerular hyperfiltration and hypertrophy, decreased podocyte density, increased foot processes, and increased filtration fraction, which promote proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. Obesity may also cause alterations in adipocyte derived hormones such as low adiponectin levels and high leptin levels. Leptin causes proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis, promotes renal fibrosis and oxidative stress, and increases the sympathetic nerve tone. Obesity is not an independent risk factor for kidney stones and prostate hypertrophy. Hematuria is incorrect because it can be caused by many factors including urinary tract infections, renal stones, and kidney or bladder cancer. Damage to renal interstitium resulting in interstitial nephritis is incorrect because it is caused by many drugs and toxins.
Source
Peter S, et al. Obesity in CKD: What Should Nephrologists Know? JASN. 2013 Nov; 24(11): 1727-1736.
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