How to Study for Pediatric Boards in 2025

Sign Up for Free Qbank Access

The General Pediatrics Board Certifying Examination is a notoriously difficult exam—in fact, from 2021-2023, the average nationwide pass rate for first-time test-takers was between 80-82%. This is lower than other specialty board examination pass rates, so it’s important to take your pediatric board review seriously!

To make sure you pass on the first try, here are some pediatric board review tips that’ll help you study more effectively and head into the exam with confidence. Let’s get started!

1. Understand the exam structure & content.

Before starting your pediatric board review, it’s a good idea to get familiar with the exam itself. The General Pediatrics Board Certifying Examination has a total of 330-350 questions. It starts with a tutorial, then there are four sections, each lasting approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes (with breaks of up to fifteen minutes in between each section). The total time for the test day, including the tutorial and breaks, is approximately 9 hours.

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) content outline gives you the percentage of exam questions that are devoted to each topic. For example, preventative pediatrics/well-child care in 2024 represented 12% of the exam. The outline can be a useful guide for your pediatric board review, particularly if you identify weaknesses in any content areas.

Source: ABP

2. Get started on your pediatric board review at the beginning of intern year.

While preparation time for the examination varies by individual, the best time to start light review and studying is the beginning of your intern year.

If you’re an intern, I recommend doing each year of the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) PREP questions and reading Pediatrics in Review, the journal published by the AAP. There are sources that claim a subset of questions on the exam appear to have been drawn from the three years of Pediatrics in Review articles published before your test date.

3. Use your phone to study.

I’d recommend utilizing study tools that can be accessed on your phone, so you can incorporate studying during lulls in your day as a resident, or during lunch.

One great option is the Rosh Review mobile app, which allows you to take pediatric practice questions for your ITE and board exam on the go!

4. Your pediatric board review should get more serious in the third year.

If you’re wondering when your pediatric board review should become more intense, I’d recommend starting to buckle down in December/January of your third year of residency. I was able to do Anki flashcards and practice questions on my phone starting at that time.

5. Use these prep questions and pediatrics Qbanks.

A few Qbanks to consider for your pediatric board review are Blueprint/Rosh Review, MedStudy, and PREP. Again, some think content from the past three years of Pediatrics in Review shows up on the examination.

I also highly recommend using Anki flashcards as a tool to study for the exam, either by using a pre-made deck or making your own flash cards in advance. By utilizing principles of active recall and spaced repetition, Anki cards can help you memorize the vast amount of information you need to know for the pediatric boards.

6. Develop a study schedule.

I’d create a study schedule in which you complete a pediatric question bank and the three most recent years of PREP by (at the latest) one month prior to your examination. Try to really understand the material and content, in addition to memorizing the minutia and details. Doing many practice questions is a critical part of preparing for the pediatric boards.

If you’re wondering how to devise your schedule, one approach is to divide the total number of questions that need to be completed by the weeks you have to prepare for the boards. You may want to exclude particularly difficult weeks on rotations in residency as well as any trips, special events, or vacations. Give yourself some breaks as well. Studying consistently for many months is challenging, so having a few weeks in between to rest can help you recharge.

8. Take practice exams.

At least one to two months prior to your test date, I recommend taking the free practice examination by the ABP to gauge your performance.

Even prior to that, to build stamina, I recommend practicing timed sets of 100 questions in real test-taking conditions multiple times, simulating the test-day timing and environment.

8. Identify any areas of weakness and test-taking strategies that work for you.

Work on identifying areas of weakness through practice question sets, and honing in on material that’s particularly challenging for you.

With regards to test-taking strategies, you may want to experiment with different methods for answering questions. I personally prefer to read the question stem and skim the answer choices before reading the question, so you may want to experiment with this method.

9. If you’re struggling with your pediatric board review, reach out for help.

If you’re in a high risk group, for instance at a program with low pass rates, or if you have a history of board exam failures, you may want to consider working with a board certification tutor.

It’s also a good idea to start preparing for the board examination earlier, perhaps a year in advance. The earlier you get into the habit of daily studying as a pediatrics resident, the better.

10. Emphasize wellness during your pediatric board review.

Whether or not you struggle with test anxiety or anxiety before test day, wellness is very important. Eat good, nutritious food. Pack nutritious snacks and water for test day. Minimize sugary foods and beverages. Exercise and/or meditate regularly. Spend time with close friends and family.

Additionally, seek mental health treatment immediately if you’re struggling. Practice good sleep hygiene. In the weeks before your exam, get into a good and consistent routine with regards to sleep, nutrition, exercise, wellbeing, and mental health.

I recommend light review the week before the examination and taking a break from studying the day or two before it. Light exercise the morning of your examination can set a great tone for the day. On test day, I recommend taking the breaks between sections to refresh and recharge.

Final Thoughts

Use these 10 pediatric board review tips, and you’ll be on your way to passing the exam on the first try. Wishing all of you the best of luck!

Looking for more (free!) pediatric board review content? Check out these other posts on the blog:

By Sonia Pothraj, MD

Sonia Pothraj, MD grew up in West Windsor, New Jersey. She completed her undergraduate degree after three years from Rice University and attended medical school and residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She graduated residency with numerous honors and an award for excellence in teaching. She is currently a board certified general pediatrician and urgent care physician. She has been a tutor for the pediatric board exam through Blueprint since January 2024. She is very passionate about medical education, teaching, and mentorship. She enjoys sharing evidence-based pediatric educational content on her Instagram @soniapothraj.