Ultimate Guide to Board Exam Study Resources for Peds-Psych Residency

Understanding the Unique Board Landscape in Pediatrics-Psychiatry

Pediatrics-Psychiatry-Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (often abbreviated as peds psych residency or Triple Board) is one of the most intellectually demanding and exam-heavy combined programs in medicine. By the end of training, you’re typically eligible for:

• American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) certification
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), General Psychiatry
• ABPN, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP)

Each board exam tests a slightly different knowledge base, but your study plan must interlock so you’re not constantly reinventing the wheel. The good news: there is significant overlap, and a smart, longitudinal strategy makes the process manageable.

This guide walks through:

• What each exam focuses on
• Core board exam resources to prioritize
• How to integrate Anki USMLE-style spaced repetition
• How to use Qbanks efficiently, with concrete UWorld tips
• Sample study plans for busy residents in a Triple Board program

Throughout, the emphasis is on high-yield, sustainable studying that supports both board success and clinical excellence.

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Section 1: Know Your Exams – Content, Timing, and Emphasis

Before choosing resources, you need a clear map of what you’re preparing for.

1.1 Pediatrics Board (ABP General Pediatrics)

Typical content domains:

• General pediatrics (bread-and-butter outpatient)
• Neonatology and NICU topics
• PICU and emergency pediatrics
• Infectious disease, immunology, rheumatology
• Cardiology, pulmonology, GI/hepatology, nephrology
• Hematology/oncology, genetics, endocrinology, adolescent medicine
• Ethics, systems-based practice, QI, patient safety

For Triple Board residents, peds boards can feel furthest away by the time you sit for them, especially if you’re immersed in psychiatry later in residency. Your study plan should therefore preserve pediatric knowledge longitudinally rather than cramming at the end.

1.2 Psychiatry Board (ABPN General Psychiatry)

Key domains:

• Neurobiology, neuroanatomy, and neuropharmacology
• Psychiatric diagnosis across the lifespan (with heavy adult focus)
• Psychopharmacology (mechanisms, indications, side effects, interactions)
• Psychotherapies (principles of CBT, psychodynamic, DBT, family therapy)
• Neurology for psychiatrists (movement disorders, seizures, neurocognitive)
• Emergency psychiatry, consultation-liaison, substance use disorders
• Ethics, legal issues, systems-based practice

For Triple Board residents, adult psychiatry may feel less intuitive if your passion is child psychiatry; you’ll need targeted adult content review.

1.3 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Board

Emphasis areas:

• Normal child and adolescent development
• Neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD, ADHD, learning disorders, ID)
• Disruptive behavior, mood, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders in youth
• Pediatric psychopharmacology (dosing, black box warnings, monitoring)
• Family systems, school-based interventions, community psychiatry
• Collaborative care with pediatrics and schools
• Psychotherapies for children and adolescents (CBT, play, family, parent training)

This is where Triple Board residents often shine, since the training inherently integrates pediatric and psychiatric development.

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Section 2: Core Board Exam Resources for Triple Board Residents

There is no single “perfect” resource. The best strategy is a lean core set of primary resources you use deeply, rather than a huge list you only skim.

2.1 Core Pediatrics Board Exam Resources

1. MedStudy Pediatrics or Pediatrics Board Review (PBR)

• MedStudy offers books, videos, and Qbank focused on ABP blueprint topics.
• PBR is more “high-yield cheat sheet” style with a strong focus on testable facts.
• Pick one as your main peds content text.

2. Pediatrics Board-Style Qbank
Most peds residents use one or more of:

• MedStudy Q&A
• BoardVitals Pediatrics
• TrueLearn Pediatrics
• PREP (AAP question sets; less “test-style,” more educational but still valuable)

How to use these effectively:

• Do questions in tutor mode early to learn content, then timed blocks closer to the exam.
• Flag questions not only when you get them wrong, but also when the concept feels “shaky.”
• Build Anki cards from concepts that appear repeatedly in incorrect questions (more on this later).

3. Outline Books / Rapid Review

• “Laughing Your Way to Passing the Pediatric Boards” – more narrative, helpful if you like stories and mnemonics.
• “First Aid for the Pediatric Boards” – structured outline format, nice for quick review months before the exam.

Choose based on your learning style; don’t use all of them cover-to-cover.

2.2 Core Psychiatry Board Exam Resources

1. Psychiatry Board Review Books

• Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Psychiatry Board Review

  • Comprehensive, detailed explanations tied to board-style questions.
  • Heavy, but excellent for content depth.

• Psychiatry Test Preparation and Review Manual (Saddock)

  • Large question bank with explanations across all psychiatry domains.

Many residents choose one primary question-based review book (MGH or Saddock) and do it thoroughly.

2. Online Psychiatry Qbanks

• Beat the Boards (online course with questions, videos, and outlines)
• BoardVitals Psychiatry
• TrueLearn Psychiatry

Strategic use:

• Focus on adult psychiatry domains you see less often in Triple Board (e.g., geriatrics, neurocognitive disorders, forensic psychiatry).
• Use block-level performance reports to identify weak topics and drive your reading.

3. Concise Content References

• “First Aid for the Psychiatry Boards” (if available/updated) or similar concise outline.
• “Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs” for quick medication comparisons.

Keep these nearby during rotations to integrate board review into daily clinical work: when you start a patient on clozapine, quickly review clozapine boards-style facts.

2.3 Core Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Board Resources

1. AACAP Review Materials

• AACAP’s review course videos and question sets are high-yield and reflect current practice guidelines.
• If your program offers institutional access, prioritize this.

2. Child Psychiatry Review Books

• “Strauss and Sadock’s Study Guide and Self-Examination Review in Psychiatry” – relevant child-focused portions.
• “Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for the Specialty Board Review” (when available/updated).

3. CAP Qbanks

There are fewer CAP-specific Qbanks, but options include:

• BoardVitals CAP (if available for your exam year)
• AACAP question sets and self-assessment tools
• Institution-specific practice exams or question sets

2.4 Integrating Resources Across All Three Exams

For a peds psych residency, you want overlap wherever possible:

• Development & Behavior:

  • Read once from a pediatric perspective (e.g., ADHD management in the primary care clinic).
  • Revisit from CAP perspective (e.g., ADHD with comorbid ODD in a family therapy context).
  • Create shared Anki cards so one deck supports both boards.

• Pharmacology:

  • Use the same psychopharm reference (e.g., Stahl’s Essentials, Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs) for both general psychiatry and CAP.
  • When you learn about SSRIs in adults, add cards that include pediatric dosing and black box warnings.

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Section 3: Spaced Repetition with Anki – From USMLE to Boards

Many Triple Board residents have already used Anki USMLE decks (e.g., Zanki, AnKing). The same principles work beautifully for boards; the content just shifts from step-style minutiae to clinically relevant, test-ready facts.

3.1 Why Anki Still Works in Residency

• You can’t re-read full textbooks every year—but you can review 100–200 flashcards a day.
• Board exams test recall of key facts, which is exactly what spaced repetition strengthens.
• Anki lets you preserve knowledge from early years (e.g., PGY-1 NICU blocks) into your board year.

3.2 Building and Organizing Your Decks

Approach for Triple Board:

1. Single integrated deck with tags

   • One master deck (e.g., “Triple Board Core”)
   • Tags like: peds, psych, cap, pharm, ethics, neuro, development
   • This allows mixed review while also permitting targeted sessions.

2. Minimalist card style

   • 1–2 key facts per card.
   • Cloze deletions (fill-in-the-blank) work well:
     • “First-line SSRI for pediatric OCD is {{c1::fluoxetine}}.”
   • Avoid pasting entire textbook paragraphs; future-you will hate these.

3. Source-driven creation

   • Every time you miss a Qbank question, ask: “What is the one fact that would have made me get this right?”
   • Make a card for that fact, not the whole vignette.

3.3 Daily Anki Routines for Busy Residents

Sample routine for a PGY-3 Triple Board resident:

• Pre-round (10–15 min)
  • 30–40 review cards while sipping coffee.
• Midday micro-sessions (5–10 min x 2)
  • Between patients or while waiting for family meetings to start.
• Evening (10–20 min)
  • Finish remaining due cards; add 5–10 new ones from that day’s Qbank work or clinic patients.

Total: 100–150 cards/day, which is sustainable and powerful over 1–2 years.

Key habit:
Never let your “due” count balloon into the thousands. If it does, suspend low-yield decks or reset. Protect the habit, even if it means being ruthlessly selective.

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Section 4: Question Banks and UWorld-Style Strategies

You may not use UWorld specifically for these board exams (since its flagship products focus on USMLE), but the same UWorld tips and methodology apply to any Qbank.

4.1 Qbank Philosophy: Learn, Don’t Just Test

For each exam (peds, psych, CAP):

1. Early phase (12–18 months before exam):

   • Do questions in tutor mode.
   • Read full explanations, including why wrong answers are wrong.
   • Make Anki cards from repeated concepts or from missed questions.

2. Middle phase (6–12 months):

   • Switch some blocks to timed, exam-length sessions (e.g., 40–50 questions).
   • Focus on stamina, pattern recognition, and time management.
   • Track categories where your percentage consistently lags.

3. Late phase (2–4 months):

   • Emphasize full-length practice exams if available (MedStudy, ABP practice, ABPN practice tests, AACAP practice sets).
   • Target weak topics with short, high-yield reading bursts and focused Anki cards.

4.2 High-Yield UWorld-Style Tips Adapted to Triple Board

1. Treat each Qbank as a teaching resource, not just a score generator.

• If an explanation introduces a concept you didn’t know, that is gold—even if it wasn’t in the question stem.
• For example, a question about pediatric SLE might teach you that “chronic transfusions in sickle cell can cause iron overload leading to endocrinopathies.” Make an Anki card.

2. Focus on patterns, not trivia.

• Pediatrics boards want you to recognize common patterns: bronchiolitis vs. asthma, viral vs. bacterial pneumonia, Kawasaki vs. MIS-C.
• Psychiatry boards want patterns like: bipolar vs. borderline, delirium vs. psychosis, adverse effects clusters for different psych meds.
• CAP boards look for developmental patterns: normal vs. pathologic behavior by age, ADHD vs. typical high activity, grief vs. depression.

3. Review every question you got wrong—or guessed.

• Tag these questions in the Qbank.
• Create 1–3 flashcards per block from your highest-yield errors.
• Re-do those missed questions 4–6 weeks later to confirm retention.

4. Simulate the exam environment.

• Periodically do 4–6 hours of questions in one day (with short breaks), especially within 1–2 months of your exam.
• Use the same tools you’ll have on test day (whiteboard, no phone, limited snacks, timed breaks).

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Section 5: Practical Study Plans for Triple Board Residents

Your exact mix will depend on when you take each exam and your program’s structure, but the frameworks below can be adapted.

5.1 Longitudinal Strategy (PGY-1 to PGY-5)

PGY-1 to early PGY-2 (heavier pediatrics exposure)

• Core goal: build robust pediatric foundation and begin psych basics.
• Focus:
  • Choose a primary peds resource (MedStudy book + Qbank or PBR + Qbank).
  • Aim for 5–10 Qbank questions/day on non-call days; more on lighter rotations.
  • Start a small Anki deck for pediatric bread-and-butter topics: bronchiolitis, asthma, otitis media, growth curves, vaccines.
  • For psychiatry, read a short chapter weekly from a general psych text and make a few Anki cards.

Mid PGY-2 to PGY-3 (mixed peds and adult psych)

• Core goal: integrate adult psychiatry while maintaining peds knowledge.
• Focus:
  • Add a psychiatry Qbank/book (MGH or Saddock) with regular weekly question blocks.
  • Continue 5–10 peds questions/day to keep content fresh.
  • Expand Anki deck with tags for psych and adult.
  • On adult inpatient psych, use real patients to trigger mini-reviews (e.g., reading 5 pages on lithium after admitting a bipolar patient).

PGY-4 to PGY-5 (CAP, electives, boards approaching)

• Core goal: solidify CAP knowledge and align studying with exam dates.
• Focus:
  • Enroll in CAP-specific review (AACAP course, question sets).
  • Increase timed practice tests as board dates approach.
  • Set dedicated board blocks in your schedule (e.g., 1–2 afternoons/week) if your program allows.

5.2 Sample 6-Month Intensive Plan Before the Pediatrics Board

Months 6–4 before exam:

• MedStudy or PBR core reading:
  • 3–5 hours/week, spaced over evenings or a weekend morning.
• Pediatrics Qbank:
  • 20–30 questions/day, 5 days/week in tutor mode.
• Anki:
  • 100–150 cards/day (mix of old and new, heavy on peds tags).

Months 4–2 before exam:

• Revisit weaker subspecialties:
  • E.g., rheumatology, endocrine, heme-onc.
• Qbank:
  • 30–40 questions/day, some timed blocks.
• Full-length practice exam:
  • One full exam at 3–4 months and again at 2 months before test day.
• Adjust based on performance heavily: if nephrology <60%, prioritize that in reading and cards.

Final 2 months:

• Focus on:
  • Missed question review.
  • Condensed resources (e.g., First Aid-style or PBR summaries).
• At least one more full-length timed exam 2–3 weeks before test day.
• Lighten new Anki creation; emphasize review of existing deck.

5.3 Adapting This for Psychiatry and CAP

The same 6-month structure applies, but:

• Psychiatry:

  • Heavier emphasis on psychopharmacology and diagnostic differential patterns.
  • Timed Qbank blocks should include a full mix (mood, psychosis, substance, neuro, etc.).

• CAP:

  • More emphasis on developmental milestones, family systems, school collaboration, and pediatric psychopharm.
  • Use AACAP guidelines and practice parameters as “core texts.” Build cards from them.

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Section 6: High-Yield Tips and Common Pitfalls

6.1 Tips That Pay Off

1. Align study with rotations.

   • On NICU months, focus Qbank and reading on neonatology.
   • During adult psych blocks, focus on mood and psychosis Qbanks.
   • On CAP rotations, align with developmental and school-based topics.

2. Use your co-residents.

   • Form small study groups (2–3 residents) to discuss challenging vignettes weekly.
   • Teach each other: explaining Kawasaki, or the difference between DMDD and ODD, cements your knowledge.

3. Integrate exam prep into patient care.

   • After clinic, write down 1–2 “board-style” learning points from interesting cases and make Anki cards.

4. Regularly review the board exam blueprint.

   • For ABP, ABPN, and CAP exams, keep the official content outlines handy.
   • Map your Qbank progress to those outlines to ensure coverage.

6.2 Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Over-collecting resources.

   • It’s easy to buy every book and online course. Stick to a primary text + 1–2 Qbanks per exam and use them deeply.

2. Ignoring weaker domains you dislike.

   • Triple Board residents sometimes neglect adult psych, neurology, or peds subspecialties they see less. Boards will not neglect them.
   • Use Qbank performance reports to identify and deliberately work on these areas.

3. Last-minute cramming.

   • Peds, psych, and CAP boards each test a broad range of topics. Cramming may help short-term recall but not the pattern-recognition skill you need for vignettes.
   • Start lighter but earlier, then ramp intensity as the exam approaches.

4. Letting Anki become unmanageable.

   • Hundreds of new cards/week without maintenance planning equals burnout.
   • Be selective about what becomes a card and review daily.

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FAQs: Board Exam Study Resources in Pediatrics-Psychiatry

1. Do I need separate resources for each of the three board exams?

Yes, but with overlap. You’ll likely need:

• A core pediatrics resource + peds Qbank
• A psychiatry review book/Qbank (MGH or Saddock + an online Qbank)
• A child and adolescent psychiatry focus (AACAP materials, CAP-specific questions)

However, you can integrate them with shared Anki decks and by aligning topics (e.g., development, ADHD, pediatric psychopharm) across all three.

2. How should I balance Qbanks versus reading?

Think of reading as context and Qbanks as application:

• Early: 60–70% reading, 30–40% questions in tutor mode.
• Middle: ~50/50 split.
• Late: 70–80% questions and practice exams, 20–30% targeted reading.

Always convert missed questions into 1–3 concise Anki cards so you don’t repeat the same mistakes.

3. Can I reuse my Anki USMLE habits for boards?

Absolutely. The mechanics and philosophy are the same:

• Daily consistent review beats occasional marathons.
• Small, focused cards outperform long, dense ones.
• Creating your own cards (from Qbank errors and clinical cases) improves retention more than downloading giant pre-made decks.

Just ensure the content you’re encoding is board-relevant (ABP/ABPN/CAP) rather than step-style minutiae that no longer serves you.

4. How far in advance should I start serious studying for each exam?

Most Triple Board residents benefit from:

• A light, longitudinal approach beginning at least 18–24 months prior (regular questions + Anki).
• A focused 6–9 month ramp-up before each individual exam, with structured reading and Qbank goals.

Because you’re juggling three certifications, earlier and more integrated preparation is far less stressful than trying to “switch modes” and cram for each exam separately.

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With thoughtful resource selection, disciplined Qbank use, and consistent spaced repetition, passing all three boards in a peds psych residency is entirely achievable—and your patients will benefit from the depth and integration of knowledge you develop along the way.