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5 MOC Nuggets about the MOCA Peds platform for 2024

Posted by Stuart Silverstein MD author of laughing way to passing a pediatric boards on Sep 27th 2024

5 MOC Nuggets about MOCA Peds 

Where do I answer the MOCA Peds Questions?

So, you’re telling me you can take the exam anywhere, huh? Yep, anywhere. Your living room, your office, your kid’s soccer game—you name it. In fact, theoretically, you could even be answering questions on your phone while you’re in the bathroom. But hey, let’s not get too comfortable with that idea; nobody needs those kind of visuals.

And listen, the American Board of Pediatrics even has this nifty app for MOCA Peds questions. It’s like they’re saying, ‘Hey, why not tackle some board questions while waiting for your latte?’ But here’s the kicker, and it’s a big one: You’re on the Metro North, headed into the city, feeling confident, answering questions… then BAM! Tunnel. No signal, no connection, and guess what? That question is now as wrong as that third cup of coffee you just drank. You’ve got five minutes to lock in your answer once you start, and the train doesn’t care if you’re stuck between stations. So yeah, maybe stick to somewhere a little more… reliable, like a nice, boring desk with dependable Wi-Fi.


In addition without a second screen to use for " open book" or  "open resource" purposes you are at a disadvantage toggling back and forth on your portable device. 

Computer with 2 monitors 

Alright, let’s talk about the best place to answer these questions, and trust me, it’s not on the go or anywhere glamorous. No, the best spot is right in front of your computer, with a rock-solid internet connection and two screens staring back at you like a couple of judgmental eyes. One screen for the exam and the other for your open-source lifelines—tabs loaded up with everything you need, just a click away. No distractions, no funny business. You’re not answering these questions in a coffee shop where the Wi-Fi’s one espresso away from giving up. And definitely not on your phone where a rogue text message from Aunt Marge asking if you’re still single could throw you off your game. No, this is serious business. You need a setup that screams, “I’m here to pass, not mess around.” So, get comfortable, lock the door, and make sure the only thing on your second screen is something that can actually help you out, not a YouTube rabbit hole of funny cat videos. Because the only thing worse than failing is failing because you were too busy watching a cat try to play the piano.

When do I answer  MOCA Peds Questions?

Whenever you want, but don' t wait until the last minute literally. If you wait to the last minute, you might experience a bottleneck due to other physicians (do you know how we are?) who  also whether the last minute. If you start early you will have advantage of moca head start 

During the exam, you’ll get approximately 17 questions per quarter based on the 45 learning objectives for that year. You can answer them at any time over the quarter, but don’t forget to finish! Any questions not answered by the end of the quarter will be marked incorrect. Once you start a moca peds question, you have five minutes to answer it, and you cannot come back to the question once you submit your answer. 

After submitting, you will be given the moca test answer and you will know whether you chose the correct answer.   Plus, you get the rationale behind the correct answer and references to support it. Most important part of this is realizing I want to start a question. You’ve got a five minute time bomb ticking. Therefore, do not start in between patients. Start only when you have time to answer the question.

 

What Is The MOCA-Peds Passing Score?

Once you submit your answers, your performance will be graded by the ABP using a standardized score scale ranging from one to 300 with 180 as the threshold for a passing score. Nobody really knows the methodology it’s sort of like nobody knows how sausages made.

The sausage (the exclamation for this process by the American Board of pediatrics)is that this  is meant to ensure that no one taking the exam has an advantage or disadvantage by receiving too many easy or difficult questions.

You’ll also be able to drop your four lowest scores over the course of the five-year MOC cycle, so if you have an off quarter, it’s not the end of the world! You can make up for it with your next set of questions.

At the end of each calendar you , you will know what your current raw score is and you can compare that to the percentage of questions you answered correctly. This will give you an idea of the percentage of moca questions you should be answering correctly 

What Resources can't I use 

The flexibility of the MOCA Peds exam eliminates the need of a testing center! You can take the exam at home, in your workplace, or on-the-go.

Since you will be taking the exam on your own, it is essential that before you get started with the exam, you make sure you have stable internet connection. The ABP will not reset your questions if you lose your internet connection, so make sure you are set beforehand.

 
Well, you can use any resource you cannot I talk to your friends especially ones who have taken the exam for the quarter before. That would be a violation of the honor code.

Can I study for MOCA Peds!

Yes you can but not too much. Studying in this case is being familiar with the topics in the list and review questions you answered incorrectly in previous quarters You also encounter repeat questions from before especially ones you got wrong. So therefore, this will be a good way to study for sure.

We will be releasing a version of our question bank with a 5 minute timer for each question which will train you in the process of answering a question in the 5 minute interval. 

Keep the resource tabs open

Do you want to have the tabs open to any resources are using and ready to search. If they’re not open that will waste  5 minutes can pass very quickly