The public mock oral: a useful tool for examinees and the audience in preparation for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the value of an educational program instituted in our general surgery residency training in preparation for the American Board of Surgery (ABS) Certifying Examination (CE).

Design: From 2006 to 2009, a series of public mock oral examinations were administered by the program director to PGY residents 4 through 6 on a variety of surgery topics in front of all residents, faculty, and medical students. Anonymous surveys (5-point Likert scale) were collected from both the examinees and the audience to determine the perceived utility of the mock oral. Performance on the ABS CE for residents who partook in the program was compared with the five previous years.

Setting: The study was undertaken at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, a level I trauma center in Los Angeles County.

Results: Overall 201 surveys were collected, 170 from the audience and 31 from examinees. The surveys demonstrated a high and equal level of satisfaction for both examinees (4.8) and the audience (4.6, p = 0.12). First-time pass rates on the ABS CE increased from 88% (38/43) before the public mock oral to 100% (19/19) after the mock oral (p = 0.3).

Conclusions: The mock oral examination, which is conducted in a conference format in front of an audience of faculty and trainees, is a valuable educational tool as it helps both the examinee and the audience in preparation for the ABS CE. In addition, it has an educational value for those who are not preparing for the CE as it is perceived to expand surgical knowledge.