How to Win: On the American Board of Surgery Certifying Exam

The editor of this book, and the authors, must be ashamed to see how many typos and (usually) nonsubstative errors (>1/page!) made it to printing. I know from the process of having my own (children's) book published that such goof-ups can embarrassingly slip through, but this book sets a record. HOWEVER, as I am preparing to take the exam for the first time, I have found that the anxiety of the pending exam distracted me from these typos and errors, and I actually found the book to be extraordinarily helpful, especially the 69 dialogue-based case scenarios. These are generally quite well crafted and give a good example of an ideal answer for each of those 69 topics. The brief topic reviews are not too wordy or too slim. And kudos to the authors for providing in the table of contents the frequency of topics on previous exams over the past decade - nice touch. Not quite a must-have, but almost. It is new, and will likely become a favorite among those preparing for the ABS certifying exam.

Just took my Boards and passed. I used this book and supplemented it with Cameron's, as well as a surgical atlas, to prepare for the exam. I spent a month studying. This book was quite helpful in organizing my studying. I appreciated the fact that the author looked at hundreds of exam questions, and listed how often the topics appeared over the last 10 years in front of each chapter. This helps you focus on the important topics.There are people who tell you to read Cameron's or some surgical textbook in it's entirety. With a busy practice or fellowship, you don't have time for that. The examiner's aren't trying to pimp you- you already passed the written exam. And they don't ask esoterica. They want to know how you manage common surgical problems in your practice. Contrary to prior reviews, you're not asked to "think outside of the box"- you have 7 minutes per question, so just answer how you would do it in your practice. And yes, "the complex complications in surgical patients" stated in the prior the review is in the book- plus they're not really that complex; just things you should know how to manage after 5 years of surgical training.One annoying thing about the book is the spelling errors. Crohns disease is not spelled "Chrons". Additionally, the sample responses to the scenarios in the book are too verbose. You're not there to lecture these big dogs. Just answer the questions they ask you. But overall, a highly recommended book. I spent $30. My buddies spent over a grand for their review courses.

A must read book for General Surgery Oral Board prep. Maybe the intro is the most valuable part of the book with it's words of comforting advice and psychological prep, but every page is worth looking at. Was one of maybe 3-4 main resources I used to pass.

Me: Recently passed the orals. I used this book and Neff's Passing the General Surgery Oral Board Exam. I also took the Osler course. I read Cameron's 9th edition during residency and had a broad based experience.The Good: The only book that attempts to simulate the oral 'tennis match' between you and the examiners. The author covers most of the topics seen on the boards, including a few scenarios you may not see during residency but appear on the exam. There's also descriptions of common procedure in the back- they're pretty good, but not perfect.The Bad: As others note, a distracting number of typos. The author suggests some questionable treatments and diagnostics. He doesn't go in depth for some scenarios- you'll have to use your imagination to turn a scenario into a 7 minute question.Overall: The author does a decent job considering the breadth of knowledge required for the orals. For a book to be complete, it would need to be gigantic. This book, though, only serves as a starting point. If you *only* used this book, you'd be borderline. Instead, take the scenarios and broaden them. You need to know a few ACLS protocols, not just one, and if a bullet enters the chest / abdomen, be prepared for a variety of injuries, not just the ones the book offers. This book would help you as a starting point for practice orals with colleagues, though you should extend the scenarios and introduce complications.Recommendation: Considering what's at stake, I'd get the book. The author could, however, make an excellent book by fixing the typos, updating some management, and answering some 'common curveballs' as Neff calls them. If you extend the scenarios in 'How to Win', introducing common complications or alternate diagnoses (left lower quadrant pain becomes volvulus, then perforated cancer, etc), you could make your own solid study guide. For the background knowledge, I suggest UpToDate, eMedicine, NCCN guidelines (free and accurate), and begrudgingly Cameron's (the 10th edition was terrible compared to 9th). Neff's book is annoying because it covers some weaknesses in How to Win ('cuveballs' introduced into scenarios), but then doesn't expound on them. I would NOT pick up an old copy of Safe Answers. The 2011 version should be re-titled Old, Deadly Answers. I don't know if the 2013 edition fixes those errors, but the cancer management was particularly terrible for 2011.I would also take the Osler course just to get in a proper frame of mind, see some curveballs thrown (and how to handle them), and immerse yourself in the oral's format. Be prepared, though, to have questions on some of the material presented. I wouldn't consider the course to be necessary.

Great overall review. Definitely some outdated stuff but overall a good broad review.

Great for ABS oral exams. Really recommend it for every candidate. Very helpful, a must before going for orals.

This book came recommended by several of my surgical colleagues as an aid to studying for the boards. I read the previous reviews that bashed the book for its technical merit. I will wholeheartedly agree that the book should have been edited, but I can look past missed commas, misspelled words and grammatical errors. This book teaches what no other does: the flow and style that is necessary to make the knowledge you already possess sound more confident and proficient. There were exact scenarios in this book that I was given in New Orleans a few weeks ago. Purchase this book for what it is; a tool to win not the next literary award winner.

Must for a general surgery resident to get the overall framework of the board. Although some of the information needs to be updated.