The 2012 ASCO Medical Oncology In-Training Exam will be offered on Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, February 29, 2012.
Registration has closed.
Invoices will be emailed to the Program Director and Coordinator by Friday, February 3, 2012
Any cancellations made after February 1, 2012 will be charged a $25 processing fee.
Please contact ASCO at
training@asco.org if you have any questions.
General Information
The MedOnc ITE will be offered for two days in February. The two-day window for administration will allow programs to assess the medical knowledge of all their fellows AND cover clinical responsibilities. The 6-hour exam will begin at 9:00 AM local time on each day. Programs can test on both days.
MedOnc ITE FAQs
What are the benefits of an in-training exam?
For program directors, the MedOnc ITE will:
- Measure fund of knowledge objectively in an ACGME compliant manner.
- Help establish consistency in educational standards across training programs.
- Serve as a benchmark and a tool to improve training.
- Identify areas of strength and weakness in their program.
For fellows, the MedOnc ITE will:
- Allow evaluation of progress within their training program and compare results against national outcomes as reported in the score reports.
How was the exam developed?
ASCO works with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to develop and administer the test. A 12-member Test Materials Development Committee (TMDC) was convened and this group reviewed all questions and personally wrote a majority of the test items. Initially over 50 subject matter experts attended a training workshop on writing test items; over 30 physicians submitted items for consideration after the training. The TMDC was invited from that group based on disease site expertise, practice setting and ability to commit to the item writing schedule. All items have undergone rigorous peer review.
How was the exam’s content identified?
The
MedOnc ITE blueprint was created by the ITE Steering Committee, which used the ABIM’s Oncology Board Examination as a starting point. The final blueprint’s nine domain areas and multiple sub-domains are combined with physician task areas (evaluation, diagnosis, management, prognosis) to ensure a comprehensive review of medical oncology knowledge.
What about hematology?
The American Society of Hematology has developed a hematology examination which was scheduled for March 27
th & 28
th, 2012.
How will the exam be administered?
The MedOnc ITE is a web-based examination, which fellows can take at their home institutions albeit in a formal, proctored environment. The exam will consist of 200 items, some of which will feature images.
How long will the exam take to complete?
Based on test administration guidelines, 6 hours are allotted for a 200 question test; this includes breaks and orientation/tutorial.
What is the cost of the exam?
The cost per fellow is $250 and $50 per Program Director. Registration and payment will be handled by the fellowship program. You must be a fellow in an oncology training program to take the MedOnc ITE.
How will the exam be scored? Who will receive the score reports?
The MedOnc ITE is NOT pass/fail in nature. This is a teaching tool and should be approached as such and in theory taken cold – without studying or prepping – as the goal is to get a snapshot of the training program. The actual answers to questions will not be given. Only percentages of questions answered correctly will be given for domain areas. Score reports will be distributed by ASCO to training program directors who will then distribute to fellows.
