The ABIM exam approached. I had reservations for a room in the hotel it was going to be held in - a Florida city. I was in a room the evening before the test. I had not opened my books for a week prior to the exam but now I was getting nervous about the exam. Everybody but me felt that I would pass.

I was in the hotel room with all my notes sprawled out on the queen sized bed and the "Do not disturb" sign hanging on the door knob outside.

Hours were passing by too quickly. I decided to go and see the exam room. It was a big hall. Flat room with a stage type elevation at the far end. I felt good that I was not going to be with a small group suffering away the next day.

Sure enough there were hundreds of us there the next day. I did not have my Entry card but had carried two photo IDs to the exam hall. They let me in. Some candidates did not have the 2 photo IDs and they verified identity using their credit cards.

The exam began after the usual instructions from a proctor who belonged to the local university. Some ladies were monitoring our activity. They were pleasant and also came from the local university. I am not allowed to tell you what the questions asked were but they were generally very reasonable (Not as tough as the wretched quizzes we have at superscore - but testing on the same facts). Most candidates had arrived on time but I did see some walk in as late as 30 minutes late. The exam was 4 hours long. Most people finished their exam before the 3 hour mark. Some even as early as 2 hours. Time was generally not a problem.

Lunch packs were available at a reasonable cost in this luxury hotel. I took my sandwich and went to my room in the hotel. Took a nap for an hour and was back for the test's afternoon session.

The next day was no different and people were generally on time. the exam was over and I felt a big burden lift off my shoulders. Now the wait for 2 months till the result comes. This was the most stressful part. I was afraid of all the mistakes I had made. What if I do not pass? Gradually I began convincing myself that it is not the end of the world if a human being is not certified by the ABIM. I felt that at the most, the HMOs will not accept me - SO WHAT.

One afternoon I get my wife's call in my clinic. "You have some mail from ABIM" she says. "What is it?" I asked. I had come out of the patient's room to talk to her. The three exam rooms in my clinic were full - patients in each one. "I have not opened it" she answered. Damn - I am now anxious and ask her to open the pack. She describes it to be a big packet. I start hoping that it does not contain the examination form to be filled out again. "It is your result" she tells me. "Did I pass?" I ask in desperation. "Wait a minute, let me read it" she says. "YES YOU PASSED" she screamed with joy. Now I see my focus change. "What did I score?" I found myself asking. Well!!! ..........and so on.

If you have had the experience, please write to me so that I can put up your experience too and let candidates understand that experiencing this test may be different for each person but others have gone through the same thing. experience@superscore.com .