Performance of candidates on the geriatric medicine items of the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination.

The performance of candidates on the geriatric medicine items on the American Board of Internal Medicine's 1980, 1981, and 1982 Certifying Examinations was analyzed. For the 1981 and 1982 examinations, candidates who trained in residency programs having a special emphasis on geriatric medicine performed significantly better on the geriatric item than did candidates who attended other residency programs, regardless of overall medical knowledge. This finding suggests the efficacy of training in geriatric medicine as measured by a written examination.