Quarterly Questions is a pilot program being tested by the American Board of Ophthalmology as an alternative method for assessing the knowledge of practicing ophthalmologists. The program uses a longitudinal assessment model where a pass/fail decision is made on diplomate performance over time. If the pilot is successful, the new program may replace the DOCK Examination.
Quarterly Questions focuses on fundamental knowledge needed in the everyday practice of ophthalmology (40 questions); and 2.) the application of knowledge from five self-selected journal articles from a list of 15 options (10 questions). The 40 fundamental knowledge questions, based on the things ophthalmologists see and do every day, should not require preparation in advance. However, a content outline for these questions is available. The journal portion will require reading five articles from a list of 15 options. The article list is available here, with the 10 article-based questions to be delivered in Q4 (October).
In summary, Quarterly Questions will ask participants to:
Answer a total of 50 questions over the course of 2017. New questions will be delivered each quarter.
Answer each question, without the use of outside resources, within 1 minute. Questions can be answered one at a time, in small batches, or all in one sitting, provided all questions are answered by December 31.
Indicate their level of confidence in each answer and rate the degree of relevance each question has to their practice. This information helps to improve the program, but does not impact scoring.
Review instant feedback on question-by-question performance. Performance feedback will contain the rationale and references for each question along with suggested learning resources relevant to the content.
Participate in short, quarterly surveys designed to improve the pilot program and platform experience.
Registration is not necessary. To access the pilot, log into your Status Page or visit questions.abop.org. For assistance logging in, please contact QuarterlyQuestions@abop.org.