Effect of a resident-created study guide on examination scores

To evaluate the effect of a resident-created study guide on Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) In-Training and American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) written examination scores.

In 1995, a group of residents at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center began creating an annual study guide based on the CREOG Test Item Summary Booklet. Individual, program, and national scores for 3 years before the intervention were compared with scores for 3 years after the intervention. A four-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention accounting for sex, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (AOA) status, and calendar year. A random effects model was also used to adjust for confounders. Categoric variables were compared using Mantel-Haenszel chi(2). Program failure rates for the ABOG written examination before and after the intervention were compared with relative risks.

After introduction of the study guide, the annual difference between our program and the national percent correct increased significantly (2.1% versus 4.8%, P <.001), after adjustment for AOA status and calendar year. The improvement was distributed among resident levels 2-4 (all P <.02) and for non-AOA residents (P < or = .001). The relative risk of failure of the written ABOG examination before the study guide was 3.5 (95% confidence interval 0.77, 15.9).

These findings demonstrate an important cooperative use of the Test Item Summary Booklet as an educational resource.