Factors affecting performance on the American Board of Surgery in-trainingexamination

Background: Surgical programs use the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) in several ways, including for promotion and retentio n decisions. The purpose of this study nias to identify the combination of factors that explain residents' successful performance on the ABSITE. Methods: Fifty-one surgical residents completed questionnaires, and informa tion was gathered about their previous ABSITE performance, anxiety, probati onary status, amount of study, amount of sleep before examination, confiden ce, and attendance at conference. Results: An analysis of the data for those: with experience taking the exam ination (n = 34) indicated that the combination of conference attendence (2 6.3%), previous performance (16.5%), probationary status (10.4%), amount of sleep (9.8%), and amount of study (8%) were significant in explaining a to tal of 71% of the variance in ABSITE scores. Amount of study (+0.32, P = 0. 011), confidence (+0.36, P = 0.005), and conference attendance (+0.51, P = 0.001) were significantly correlated with ABSITE performance. Conclusions: Several factors contribute to residents' successful ABSITE per formance. These findings may lead to improved examination performance and a pplication of knowledge, both during residency and throughout their career. (C) 2001 Excerpta Medica, Inc. All rights reserved.