How To Prepare for Family Medicine Boards (8 Tips to Ace ABFM Exams)

Step one: Know what material is going to be covered in the exam.

The one-day Family Medicine Certification Examination is divided into four separate sections of equal length and 100 minutes of pooled break time is available to be used between sections.

It is administered and proctored by staff at Prometric in approximately 350 locations around the United States and 180 international locations.

You do not need to have extensive familiarity with computers, but you should have experience with the use of a computer keyboard and mouse. Computer-based testing functions include the ability to navigate forward and backward through the examination, mark items for further review, highlight/strikeout question content, review answered, unanswered and marked items.

A listing of completed questions, incomplete questions, and marked items may be accessed at any time during the examination for the currently active section. You must review or change items prior to the time expiration for each section. Once you end an exam section, or the exam has timed out, you cannot return to the questions in that section. The computer-based examination contains a clock showing the time remaining in the top center of the exam screen. 

Once you've worked your way through the entirety of your study material several times and familiarized yourself with what areas you are and are not confident in, it's time to focus on the relevant material with which you are least comfortable and familiar.

Consider leaning on an adaptive assessment / prescriptive learning platform, such as Med-Challenger. With adaptive learning, not only are you assured to properly utilize all materials available, your time is spent exactly where it needs to be spent with every use, thereby producing a more effective individual review, with no wasted value, all in less time.

And remember: Always keep the ABFM Exam Blueprint in mind!

Preparing for FM boards will push you to your limits – you will be stressed, burnt out, and oftentimes exhausted. But like they say: It’s a marathon, not a sprint. In the long run, it won’t do you any good to sacrifice your physical and mental well-being.

At least every 3 hours, allow yourself a break to relax and unwind. Stay hydrated throughout the day. Remember to eat and nourish your body with healthy meal options. Exercise will help maintain healthy circulation and oxygenation to your brain. Take some time to meditate. And perhaps most importantly, maintain a healthy sleep schedule, especially the week before your exam.

The ABFM board typically uses multiple-choice questions that have one best answer. These items have a “stem” that presents the background information necessary for answering the question, which usually comes at the end of the stem. Be sure to read the stem carefully. As you proceed, make note of information that seems especially relevant. Read every answer option carefully. First use the process of elimination to filter out what you know is incorrect, and go from there.

Focus on addressing each question individually. Take a deep breath every now and then.

If you are completely stumped by a question or unsure you answered correctly, flag it and come back later. That having been said, also consider that the first thoughtful answer an examinee makes is usually the best answer. Second-guessing yourself is not likely to help your performance unless you fully realize that you've misread or misunderstood the question. This will help you maximize your time.