Eiran,

I took the general boards in 2006, and I have to agree with Dr. Goyal-- each of the study guides (Mayo, ACCSAP, Braunwalds, etc) have their particular strengths and weaknesses, and it is important to go to multiple sources to study.  Studying O'Keefe is a must-- it covers all of the less common EKG's I recall seeing on the exam (hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia are two).  I suspect that those who fail were unable to spend the time necessary to study because of advanced fellowship or practice, but time is absolutely vital in order to pass.

Im going to have my fellows view Dr. Goyal's slides get them motivated to study.

Anuj

General cardiology boards is the hardest test I have ever taken. I took both general CV and echo boards in 2007 and contrary to what I had heard from others I thought CV boards was harder. Here are my 2 cents:

1. START EARLY: The breadth of boards makes it very difficult to study for them in a relatively short period of time. As my fellowship director was fond of saying, “The best way to study for boards is to attend fellowship conferences on a regular basis.” I agree with that sentiment – going to lectures, keeping up on literature, being inquisitive about the issues confronted by your patients is the best way to prepare.
2. TAKE LOTS OF PRACTICE QUESTIONS: In the same vein, by the time you really get serious about studying for boards, fellowship will be over or nearly over, and you should know most of the material. Consequently I found the study guides and Mayo lectures rather boring and redundant. Doing questions (1) kept me alert, (2) gave me limbic input to remember the questions I was embarrassed that I missed, (3) really helped me realize in what areas I was weakest, (4) got my brain trained for question mode, and (5) prepared me for specific questions – it’s amazing how many of the practice questions which came up over and over were on the actual test.
3. EKGs: You will hear over and over to read O’Keefe. That’s because it’s the single most important thing to do for the test. I recommend doing it cover to cover at least twice. Fellowship generally does not train us well to read EKGs in a rapid systematic manner. Good advice for the boards also seems to be not to get bogged down in the minutia, but rather focus on the single big diagnosis for the EKG.
4. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF, AND THEN PLAN ACCORDINGLY: Despite what I said about CV boards being the hardest test I have ever taken, it’s still a regular multiple standardized test, with the usual curve of scores. Something like 90% of first time takers pass (although I have known some very smart people who failed). Additionally, your actual score beyond P/F doesn’t matter as far as I can tell (other than the fact that the test is a good motivation for buffing up some of your cardiology knowledge). So if you’re very good at standardized tests and think you’ve gotten a decent training, then it’s not worth ruining your life and your bank account during the 3 months before the test just to get a higher score. We all have a lot to do (research, look for jobs, family) – the sacrifice you make should be proportional to how much sacrifice you honestly think is necessary to adequately prepare you for the test. I did not attend a CV boards prep course, and my wife and bank account were happy about that – I did attend the ASE echo boards prep course because I had limited echo training and really needed it.
5. SIGN UP ASAP: The day you get your email to schedule the test, drop everything and do it. I waited 48 hours and by the time I called the Raleigh center was full – so I had to drive a lot longer to the Winston-Salem to take the thing.
6. Good luck!