Enhancing oncology board exam readiness through a longitudinal review curriculum.

Abstract

9031 Background: Due to the rapid pace of medical advancements in cancer care in recent years, passing the medical oncology board exam is a challenging task, with an average failure rate of 8% for first-time test takers since 2020 (American Board of Internal Medicine – ABIM). A needs assessment performed within our large academic Hematology/Oncology (H/O) fellowship program revealed that only a modest majority of fellows felt adequately prepared for medical oncology and malignant hematology board exam topics (53% and 63%, respectively). To improve fellow satisfaction, confidence, and exam performance, we developed a longitudinal board review curriculum that ran parallel to standard didactics. Methods: From August 2024 to May 2025, H/O fellows at The Ohio State University participated in a structured, longitudinal board review series covering medical oncology and malignant hematology topic areas. Faculty led monthly Zoom sessions focused on rapid content review and interactive question practice aligned with high-yield concepts per the ABIM Oncology exam blueprint. Questions from existing board review materials were utilized in session creation. Fellows completed pre- and post-surveys assessing satisfaction with the curriculum and confidence across 20 oncology topic domains using a 5-point Likert scale. Attendance and In-Training Exam (ITE) scores were collected. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, and effect size testing. Results: Survey response rates (n = 29) were 72% (pre) and 86% (post). Agreement that the curriculum adequately prepared fellows for medical oncology and malignant hematology content on the board exam increased from 53% to 79% and 63% to 92%, respectively. Fellow confidence improved in all 20 topic domains, with an average increase of 0.57 on a 5-point Likert scale. Paired analysis of individual ITE scores could be performed in 19 fellows and demonstrated a mean gain of +58 points from 2024 to 2025. Larger improvements were observed among those who attended ≥50% of the 2024-2025 board review sessions (Cohen’s d ≈ 0.85). A moderate positive correlation was also identified between pre-ITE session attendance and the magnitude of the score increase for an individual fellow (r = 0.47). Notably, the correlation between attendance and change in ITE score held true for both second and third-year fellows. Conclusions: The implementation of a longitudinal, structured oncology board review series for H/O fellows at our institution improved trainee satisfaction with their preparation and confidence regarding all testable topic areas. Furthermore, improvements in ITE scores pre- and post-intervention were more robust in fellows with higher session attendance, regardless of fellowship year. This intervention strategy offers a model for other fellowship programs, H/O or otherwise, seeking ways to improve board exam readiness for their fellow-level learners.