Does the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Self-Assessment Examination for Residents Predict the Chances of Passing the Part 1 Board Certification Examination? An Update

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) residents take the Self-Assessment Exam for Residents (SAE-R) offered by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). The SAE-R is used by residency programs to assess resident knowledge and by residents in preparation for the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Certification Examination (ABPMR-CE) Part I. In 2017, Massagli's, "Does the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Self-Assessment Examination for Residents Predict the Chances of Passing the Part I Board Certification Examination?", provided data linking performance on the SAE-R with ABPMR-CE Part I passage rate. The objective of this study was to reinvestigate the predictive value of the SAE-R performance on ABPMR-CE Part I with an increased data set from 2015 to 2024. Probability models were developed that predicted passing for PGY-4 SAE-R test takers, in three criterion-referenced score groups: Failing, Just Passing, and Comfortably Passing. The highest Youden Index indicated SAE-R score of 105 as the optimal cut-point and was associated with a 9.2% (95% CI 0.370, 0.465) chance of failing the ABPMR-CE Part I. The SAE-R remains a useful tool in assessing likelihood of passing ABPMR-CE Part I; however, correlations between SAE-R and ABPMR-CE Part I scores were lower than reported previously.