VerbalWars

Practice for the ABR’s new DR Oral Exam

Rehearse the
oral boards out loud

An AI examiner shows you the case, listens to your answer, and follows up where you’re thin. Every case is scored on the ABR’s rubric: Observation, Synthesis, Management.

Listening. A four-second pause sends your answer.

Start your first caseWatch a case
Acute stroke

Click here to see what to say for a perfect answer

Axial NECT1 of 1 · CT
100%
Axial NECT
Axial NECT

Ready

Scored the way the ABR scores its new oral exam

In the ABR’s DR Oral Exam, examiners score each case from 68 to 72 against a rubric in three parts. VerbalWars scores every case the same way, against an answer key written before the case opens.

The three parts

  • ObservationWhat do you see?The abnormality, and the pertinent negatives.
  • SynthesisWhat is it?The most likely diagnosis, and the differential.
  • ManagementWhat happens next?The next step, such as more imaging or an urgent call.

What the numbers mean

  1. 68UnsatisfactoryPoor, potentially unsafe. Rare.
  2. 69MarginalWeak. Just below the line.
  3. 70SatisfactoryThe passing standard.
  4. 71GoodA strong performance.
  5. 72OutstandingExceptionally strong.

VerbalWars also scores each part on its own. The case’s overall score is a judgment, not an average of the three.

Modeled on the ABR’s published description of the DR Oral Exam. Not official ABR scores.How scoring works →

The case above, scored

Select a domain to read its checklist.
71GoodPass line 70

Why 71

  • Said every essential, and nothing unsafe.What it did to the score: At least 70, a pass.
  • Gave the mimics and the perfusion mismatch only after the examiner’s follow-up.What it did to the score: 71, not 72. Needing a follow-up lowers the score but keeps it a pass.
  • Called the stroke team and gave the treatment plan without a follow-up.What it did to the score: Management 72, Outstanding.
  • Missed the collateral flow, a bonus point.What it did to the score: No penalty.

What the examiner was listening for · Observation

Said: Hyperdense right MCA, compared with the left“hyperdense right middle cerebral artery compared with the normal left side”
Said: Abrupt right M1 cut-off at the clot“abrupt cut-off of the right M1 segment at the clot”
Not said: Bonus · Robust collateral flow backfilling the distal clotNot said. Bonus item, no penalty.
Said: Tmax over 10 seconds across the right MCA territory“markedly delayed perfusion across the right MCA territory, over ten seconds”
Said: Reduced CBF in the right basal ganglia, cortex preserved“severely reduced in the right basal ganglia but preserved in the overlying cortex”
Said after a follow-up: A 112 mL mismatch: salvageable penumbra“around 110 mL of penumbra”Said after a follow-up
Said: Assess for hemorrhage before reperfusion“I don’t see hemorrhage”

A real case from the bank with its real images, answered by a good candidate. It plays on its own and starts again when it ends. The score is for this case; press What to say to read, under each answer, what an outstanding candidate would have said.