The clerkship exam is 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam is composed of questions from the Association of Directors of Medical Educators in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) question bank.
On the day prior to the exam there will be a video OSCE. You will watch a 30-minute video of a patient interview and you will then have 120 minutes to do a write up on the computer.
The Clerkship Coordinator is in charge of administrating and proctoring the exam. Maintaining the integrity of the exam and the testing conditions are of the utmost importance. Student cooperation with the Clerkship Coordinator is essential. Any reported irregularities will be treated seriously.
Exam PreparationWhat is the question format?
Exam questions are written in the USMLE format which is a descriptive vignette and a question followed by 5 single answer choices. Starting in the 2011-12 academic year the question bank was audited. Many questions were identified as needing to be revised or rewritten so the questions would be aligned with the USMLE format. As of 2013-14 academic year, this audit is mostly complete with only a handful of questions left to be addressed.
What do the questions ask?
Here are the areas the questions target along with a couple of the more commonly used lead-ins for each type of question:
1. Applying Scientific Concepts
Which of the following is the most likely explanation for this patient's condition?
2. History & Physical Examination
Which of the following factors in the patient's history most increased this patient's risk for developing his/her condition?
Specific additional history should be obtained regarding which of the following?
3. Laboratory & Diagnostic Studies
Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in evaluation?
Which of the following follow up studies is most appropriate to order?
4. Diagnosis
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
5. Prognosis
Which of the following factors in the patient's history most strongly indicates a good/poor prognosis?
Which of the following is the most likely clinical course for this patient?
The patient should be counseled regarding which of the following?
6. Clinical Interventions
Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?
Which of the following is the priority in management?
7. Pharmacotherapy
Which of the following is the most appropriate pharmacotherapy at this time?
The most likely cause of this patient's condition is a drug-drug interaction with which of the following?
Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in pharmacotherapy?
Which of the following is the most likely complication of the addition of this medication?
Which of the following medications is contraindicated in this patient?
8. Communication
Which of the following is the most appropriate response?
Are the questions written from the lecture objectives?
The goals & objectives for the lectures were extensively revised during the 2011-13 academic years with the intent to make them more user friendly for organizing test preparation. A related intent was for the test questions to more clearly emanate from the various written goals and objectives. While there is always room for further improvement, the goals and objectives are greatly improved and do appear to be more user friendly for medical students.
Please note: In an attempt to simplify the pharmacology lecture goals & objectives, they were placed in the goals & objectives of the various major block lectures: Anxiety disorders, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Schizophrenia, Substance disorders.
How are the test questions distributed?
Here are the areas the questions target along with a couple of the more commonly used lead-ins for each type of question:
|
Lead in question |
% questions in test question bank |
|
Prognosis |
24% |
|
Pharmacotherapy |
21% |
|
Diagnosis |
19% |
|
Clinical Interventions |
14% |
|
History & Physical Examination |
11% |
|
Applying Scientific Concepts |
7% |
|
Laboratory & Diagnostic Studies |
4% |
|
Communication |
1% |
What is the distribution of the questions on the test from the various lectures?
|
Lecture Topic |
% questions in test question bank |
|
Substance |
16% |
|
Schizophrenia related pharmacology treatment |
11% |
|
Depression |
10% |
|
Schizophrenia |
10% |
|
Bipolar Disorder related pharmacology treatment |
9% |
|
Anxiety Disorders |
8% |
|
Depression related pharmacology treatment |
8% |
|
Neuropsychiatry |
6% |
| Risk Assessment | 6% |
| Somatoform Disorder | 5% |
| Bipolar Disorder | 4% |
| Eating Disorder | 4% |
| Personality Disorders | 4% |
| Anxiety Disorder related pharmacology treatment | 3% |
| Substance related pharmacology treatment | 3% |
Last Updated May, 2014