Predictive factors of first-time failure on the American Board of Colorectal Surgery certifying and qualifying examinations.

OBJECTIVE: To discover if first-attempt failure of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS) board examination is associated with surgical training or personal demographic characteristics.

METHODS: Current colon and rectal surgery program directors in the United States were contacted via email. Deidentified records of trainees from 2011 to 2019 were requested. Analysis was performed to identify associations between individual risk factors and failure on the ABCRS board examination on the first attempt.

RESULTS: Seven programs contributed data, totaling 67 trainees. The overall first-time pass rate was 88% (n = 59). Several variables demonstrated potential for association, including Colon and Rectal Surgery In-Training Examination (CARSITE) percentile (74.5 vs 68.0, P  = 0.09), number of major cases in colorectal residency (245.0 vs 219.2, P  = 0.16), >5 publications during colorectal residency (75.0% vs 25.0%, P  = 0.19), and first-time passage of the American Board of Surgery certifying examination (92.5% vs 7.5%, P  = 0.18).

CONCLUSION: The ABCRS board examination is a high-stakes test, and training program factors may be predictive of failure. Although several factors showed potential for association, none reached statistical significance. Our hope is that by increasing our data set, we will identify statistically significant associations that can potentially benefit future trainees in colon and rectal surgery.