ABD Dermatology study plan

ABD Dermatology · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Basic & Core

Map the Basic and Core domain blueprints into a weighted topic checklist tied to the 16.67% allotments
Build a one-page reference of skin barrier structure, epidermal turnover, and cutaneous immunology
Define and contrast the primary and secondary skin lesion vocabulary with original written definitions
Draft a spaced-repetition deck seeded with 40 foundational terms

A weighted topic checklist plus a 40-card foundational deck with written lesion definitions

Week 2

Classify the major inflammatory dermatoses by clinical pattern and typical distribution
Outline first-line and escalation treatment ladders for each major inflammatory category
Write original one-line diagnostic discriminators between commonly confused eruptions
Self-quiz on treatment selection using original vignettes you author

A comparison table of inflammatory dermatoses with discriminators and treatment ladders

Week 3

Correlate basic histologic reaction patterns with their clinical presentations
Describe the reporting structure of a dermatopathology note from biopsy to diagnosis
List the immunofluorescence patterns used to distinguish blistering disorders
Draft original vignettes that require linking a clinical picture to a histologic pattern

A clinical-to-histologic correlation matrix covering at least 10 reaction patterns

Week 4

Differentiate the major blistering disorders by level of split and immunofluorescence findings
Identify pediatric presentations that mimic adult disease and note the differentiating features
Explain how biopsy site selection and timing affect diagnostic yield
Complete a mixed 30-question self-test spanning pathology and pediatric content

A scored 30-question mixed self-test with a written error log

Week 5

Organize pediatric dermatoses by age of onset and characteristic morphology
Outline workup and management principles for the major pediatric eruption categories
Describe the spectrum of neutrophilic dermatoses and their extracutaneous associations
Compare and contrast the major neutrophilic dermatoses by morphology and systemic findings

An age-of-onset pediatric flow outline plus a neutrophilic dermatoses comparison sheet

Week 6

Map the clinical and pathologic findings of the major autoimmune connective tissue diseases
Rehearse pattern recognition for interface, lichenoid, and granulomatous reactions
Revisit the weakest Basic-domain topics flagged in your week 1 checklist
Author 20 original vignettes targeting your two lowest-scoring areas

A connective tissue disease matrix plus 20 self-authored vignettes with answer rationales

Week 7

Integrate diagnostic reasoning across all six domains using timed original question sets
Practice committing to a single best answer and justifying it in writing
Identify and rank your top five residual knowledge gaps
Close at least three of those gaps with targeted focused review

A ranked gap list with documented closure notes for at least three gaps

Week 8

Two scored full-length practice sets with a categorized error log and a one-page rapid-review sheet

Week 2: Complete the inflammatory dermatoses comparison table and score at least 70% on a self-written 20-question quiz drawn from it

Week 4: Score at least 65% on the 30-question mixed pathology/pediatric self-test and log every miss with a cause

Week 6: Finish the connective tissue disease matrix and demonstrate recall of at least 80% of week 1 foundational deck cards

Week 8: Score at least 70% on both full-length practice sets and confirm every error-log item has a documented review