Iraqi Board Internal Medicine exam-day guide
Iraqi Board Internal Medicine · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Original, valid photo ID (passport, national/unified card, or whatever the board specifies)
Bring the original, not a photocopy, and make sure the name and spelling match your admission documents exactly. The list of accepted ID types and whether a second form of ID is required differs by centre and sitting year - confirm with the provider before exam day and do not rely on a colleague's experience.
Printed admission card / exam permit (if issued)
Needs review - confirm with the provider whether a printed permit is mandatory, whether a digital copy on a phone is accepted (often it is not, since phones are usually barred from the hall), and what to do if it has not arrived. Print two copies and keep one in your bag and one with a family member.
Recent passport-sized photographs
Needs review - some centres collect photographs at registration for the answer-sheet identity check. Carry four to six spare photos in case they are requested, since producing them later is impractical once you are inside.
Supporting training and credential documents
Needs review - bring originals and one photocopy set of your graduation certificate, internship completion, rotation/training certificates, logbook and any registration card, in case verification is done on the day. Confirm the exact required list with the provider; do not assume documents submitted earlier are on file.
Pens, pencil, eraser and sharpener
Carry at least three blue or black ballpoint pens that you have already test-written with, plus two pencils, an eraser and a sharpener. Avoid gel pens, fountain pens or anything that can smudge on a machine-read answer sheet, and avoid borrowing from other candidates during the paper.
Simple analogue watch
Needs review - a plain non-programmable watch is useful for pacing, but some centres prohibit all wrist devices and rely on a wall clock. Confirm the rule with the provider and be ready to hand it in.
Stethoscope and small examination aids, if clinical stations are included
Needs review - confirm with the provider whether you must bring your own stethoscope, tendon hammer and pen torch, or whether these are supplied at each station. If you bring them, label them clearly and keep them in a plain bag.
Professional clothing, plus a white coat if the provider requires it
Needs review - dress in clean, comfortable professional clothing and enclosed shoes for long standing periods; confirm whether a white coat is expected for the clinical or OSCE component and whether it must be plain without hospital logos.
Water and a light snack
Bring a sealed clear water bottle and a small snack such as dates or a sandwich for the scheduled break, assuming food and drink are permitted in the waiting area but not at the desk. Confirm with the provider what may be taken into the hall.
Venue reconnaissance and a backup transport plan
Write down the exact building, entrance and reporting time, and travel the route once beforehand. Plan a backup means of transport and a contact number for the venue, and add at least 45–60 minutes of buffer for check-in queues and security screening.
Phone switched off and stored as instructed
You will almost certainly not be allowed to keep a phone, smartwatch or any smart device with you in the hall. Plan to hand it to whoever accompanies you or leave it in the designated storage point, and accept that you cannot use it as a clock or calculator.
A one-page personal summary sheet for the waiting period
Prepare a single sheet of frameworks you can skim in the last 20 minutes - for example a systematic ECG reading sequence, an arterial blood gas approach, and the headings you use to present a case. This is not new learning; it is a warm-up so your structure is automatic when the clock starts.
Plan the day
Re-confirm reporting time, venue, entrance and the document list with the provider, and print the admission card. Check the ID you plan to bring is valid and unexpired and that the name matches your documents. If anything is unresolved, call or email now rather than on the morning.
Switch from acquiring knowledge to consolidating it. Review only material you have already covered: your own error log, one-page summaries of major topics, and the frameworks you will use to present cases. Reading a new topic at this stage mainly adds anxiety.
Practise with a colleague: take a focused history, perform a structured cardiovascular, respiratory and abdominal examination, and present findings in 2–3 minutes using a fixed order. Rehearse describing an ECG and a chest radiograph aloud, since verbal fluency and ordering are usually what examiners mark, not silence and hesitation.
Move bedtime towards your normal schedule and stop studying at least 90 minutes before sleep. Aim for two full nights of 7–8 hours before the exam; a single early night immediately before the exam does little if you are already sleep-deprived.
Pack the bag completely: ID, admission card, photographs, documents, pens and pencils, watch, stethoscope if required, water, snack, and a printed note of the venue and contact numbers. Lay out clothing, including the white coat if required, and put the bag by the door.
Confirm your departure time, route and backup transport, and set two alarms plus a backup alarm on another device. If possible, travel to the venue once to confirm the entrance, parking and walking time from the nearest drop-off point.
Limit revision to frameworks and your error log, and finish by early evening. Eat a normal meal, avoid excessive caffeine and alcohol, avoid discussing difficult topics with colleagues, and go to bed at a reasonable hour rather than attempting a final all-night push.
Eat a normal breakfast even if you feel anxious, drink water, and leave early enough to arrive with a comfortable buffer. Do not attempt last-minute cramming in the queue; skim only your one-page summary sheet, then put it away.
Have your ID and admission card in hand before reaching the desk, follow the seating instructions exactly, and check that the name and number on your answer sheet are correct. Locate the washroom and the clock before the paper starts so you are not distracted later.
Read each stem to the end before looking at the options, answer the straightforward items, and flag anything requiring calculation or long reasoning rather than dwelling on it. Keep to a target pace calculated from the number of items and the allotted time, and check periodically that your answer numbering is aligned with the question numbering.
Return to flagged items, use elimination, and commit to an answer for every item. Transfer answers in blocks and verify the block against the question numbers rather than leaving transfer to the final minutes, when errors and panic are most likely.
At each station, introduce yourself, confirm the patient's identity, obtain consent, wash your hands or use gloves, and state aloud what you are doing and what you find. Keep to the station's time signal, summarise findings and your differential at the end, and do not perform any invasive or painful action unless the station explicitly requires it.
Do not re-litigate individual questions with colleagues immediately afterwards, and do not change anything based on rumour. If you believe an item was flawed or a station was compromised, note the details while they are fresh and follow the provider's formal query or appeals procedure rather than raising it informally with invigilators.
Rules to check
Identity and documents: carry the original ID specified by the provider, with names matching your admission documents exactly. If the accepted ID types or the need for a second document are unclear, confirm with the provider in advance; do not assume a photocopy or an expired card will be accepted.
Reporting time and late arrival: arrive before the stated reporting time and allow for check-in and security screening. Whether late arrivals are admitted or refused at a given point is decided by the centre - confirm the cut-off with the provider and treat it as absolute.
Electronic devices: phones, smartwatches, earpieces and any other smart or recording devices are normally prohibited in the hall. Switch them off and store them exactly as instructed, and never use a phone as a clock or calculator during the examination.
Exam conduct: no communication with other candidates once the paper is distributed, no borrowing of stationery or equipment, no written notes other than those permitted, and no attempt to view another candidate's answer sheet. Follow invigilator instructions immediately; if you dispute an instruction, comply first and raise the matter afterwards through the provider.
Breaks and movement: ask how many breaks are permitted and how leaving and re-entering the hall is supervised, since this varies by centre - confirm with the provider. Use the washroom immediately before the paper starts, and expect that time spent outside the hall may not be added to your writing time unless the provider states otherwise.
Answer sheet and scoring: complete the answer sheet exactly as instructed, and confirm with the provider in advance whether the paper is single-best-answer only, whether negative marking applies, and whether the written and clinical components are weighted or must each be passed separately. Do not infer the marking scheme from colleagues.
Clinical stations and patient safety: obtain consent before any examination, preserve the patient's dignity and privacy with adequate exposure only, follow infection-control practice by decontaminating hands or wearing gloves, and never perform an invasive or painful manoeuvre unless the station explicitly asks for it. Stop when the time signal sounds.
Queries and appeals: do not argue with invigilators or examiners during the examination. Record the details of any perceived problem and submit it through the provider's formal query or appeals channel within the stated deadline - confirm that deadline and procedure with the provider beforehand.