Utility of intermittent online quizzes as an early warning for residents at risk of failing the pediatric board certification examination

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, quizzes have been applied as a tool for summative assessment, though literature suggests their use as a formative assessment can improve motivation and content retention. With this premise, we implemented a series of intermittent, online quizzes known as the Board Examination Simulation Exercise (BESE). We sought to demonstrate an association between BESE participation and scores and performance on the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Certifying Examination (CE). METHODS: Residents were assigned online quizzes on a single topic at 2 week intervals that consisted of 20 multiple choice questions written by the study authors. This analysis includes graduates of 3 Pediatric and Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency programs. RESULTS: Data were available for 329 residents. The overall BESE score weakly correlated with ABP CE score (n = 287; r = 0.39, p < 0.0001). ABP CE pass rates increased from 2009 to 2016 at all programs combined (p = 0.0001). A composite BESE score ≤ 11 had sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 80% for predicting ABP CE failure on the first attempt. There was no difference in ABP CE failure rates or scores by number of completed quizzes. CONCLUSION: Intermittent online quizzes implemented at three pediatric residency programs were associated with overall increasing ABP CE pass rates. BESE increased program emphasis on board preparation. Residents with lower BESE scores more often failed ABP CE. Though additional data are needed, BESE is a promising tool for pediatric resident learning and board preparation. It may also aid in earlier identification of residents at higher risk of failing the ABP CE and facilitate targeted interventions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-018-1366-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.