Everything You Need to Know About MOCA-Peds and MOCA-PBR
If you're a pediatrician maintaining board certification, you've likely heard of MOCA-Peds and MOCA-PBR. MOCA-Peds, or Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics, is the streamlined approach offered by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) to maintain board certification. MOCA-PBR study guide, on the other hand, is the essential tool that makes the MOCA-Peds experience more manageable, efficient, and stress-free.
” The test taking course and the MOCA-PBR study guide helped tremendously! The review book helped me sort out which of the rarer type illnesses to study, which I have rarely if ever seen in private practice. The test taking strategy course also helped me with time management. GREAT COURSE! THANKS! ”
-Dr. Stewart Dobbins
“I enjoyed reading, studying your MOCA-PBR study guide cover to cover. It reinforces my knowledge base and helps me focus on the important issues for the Boards. ”
-Dr. Parshotam Kumar
In this article, we'll explore the differences between the traditional Maintenance of Certification (MOC) exam and MOCA-Peds and highlight how MOCA-Peds, and MOCA-PBR, can streamline your board recertification journey.
Lastly, Discover how the MOCA-PBR study guide can simplify your MOCA-Peds preparation.
What Is MOCA-Peds?
MOCA-Peds is an alternative to the traditional recertification exam for pediatricians. Historically, pediatricians were required to sit for a four-hour proctored exam every 10 years to maintain their certification.
While this traditional exam had its place, it came with several challenges, including:
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A Stressful Exam Environment
Sitting in a testing center for hours with minimal breaks can be nerve-wracking.
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Extensive Content
The traditional exam covers an endless range of topics, forcing pediatricians to review and memorize thousands of pieces of information, many of which they might not encounter regularly in their practice.
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Time Constraints
On top of the sheer volume of content, test-takers had only 75 seconds per question, heightening the stress levels even more.
MOCA-Peds was introduced as a flexible and less stressful alternative to address many of these concerns. Here's how:
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At-Home Convenience
Instead of sitting in a testing center, MOCA-Peds allows you to take the exam from the comfort of your home or office. This alone removes a significant amount of pressure, as you’re in a familiar environment and can work at your own pace.
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Quarterly Questions
Rather than completing 170 questions in one sitting, the MOCA-Peds option requires you to do only about 20 questions per quarter. You can:
- Complete all 20 questions early in the quarter.
- Skip days and answer several questions at once.
- Answer one question per day.
This means you have more control over when you engage with the material. By spreading the work out over 5 years, and over each quarter, MOCA-Peds makes it easier to fit the requirements around your busy professional and personal schedule.
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Targeted Content
One of the biggest advantages of MOCA-Peds is the streamlined content. The traditional MOC exam requires you to prepare for an endless number of topics, but MOCA-Peds narrows the focus. Each year, the ABP releases a list of approximately 45 to 50 Learning Objectives and Featured Readings which serve as the foundation for the exam questions.
This means that instead of having to study 3,000+ topics, you only need to focus on a small, manageable number of topics.
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Open-Book Exam
MOCA-Peds allows you to use outside resources to help you answer questions. This open-book format means you can consult materials like:
- UpToDate
- Wikipedia
- MOCA-PBR
With five minutes to answer each question, there’s usually enough time to look up information—if you know where to look. But, spending too much time searching for the right answer can be catastrophic. That's where MOCA-PBR comes into play.
What Is MOCA-PBR?
MOCA-PBR is a study guide AND a test companion designed specifically to help pediatricians succeed with MOCA-Peds. It was developed by me, Dr. Ashish Goyal, as a trusted resource for board-certified pediatricians. In fact, it was the first and only study guide created for MOCA-Peds even as far back as the American Board of Pediatrics’ piloting phase.
MOCA-PBR consolidates key information into a single, easy-to-use guide that directly aligns with the Learning Objectives and Featured Readings provided by the ABP. Topic summaries are concise, easy-to-read, and typically no more than 3 pages. In other words, MOCA-PBR is a game-changing solution that allows you to quickly and efficiently access the right information to effectively answer your MOCA-Peds question.
Here's why it’s a game-changer:
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Concise and Targeted Study Material
MOCA-PBR pulls information from a variety of reliable sources and organizes it according to the ABP’s learning objectives. Instead of sifting through multiple resources or visiting numerous websites, you have a single, comprehensive resource that covers exactly what you need to know.
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Quick Reference During MOCA-Peds
With MOCA-PBR, you can quickly search for topics and navigate through the material as you answer MOCA-Peds questions. This means you won’t need to spend precious minutes on Google or UpToDate trying to locate the right information. And if you can’t find the answer in our summary, we offer high-quality reference links to our source articles for those esoteric questions.
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Lifetime Price Lock for Early Adopters
One of the most exciting offers from PBR is the ability to lock in an annual renewal fee for MOCA-PBR forever. By becoming an early adopter, you secure a discounted enrollment fee that won’t increase over time, even as other resources raise their prices by hundreds of dollars.
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Try Before You Buy
MOCA-PBR is also available as a free trial, allowing you to try it out before committing. This gives you the chance to experience the benefits firsthand without any risk. We want raving fans. So, this option is great for you and for Team PBR.
Traditional MOC vs. MOCA-Peds: Key Differences
To better understand why MOCA-Peds is such a valuable alternative to the traditional MOC exam, let’s break down the key differences between the two:
|
Traditional MOC Exam |
MOCA-Peds |
|
Four-hour proctored exam at a test center |
At-home testing experience |
|
170 questions in one sitting |
About 20 questions per quarter |
|
3,000+ topics to study |
45-50 focused topics |
| Closed-book exam, 75 seconds per question |
Open-book exam, 5 minutes per question |
|
Stressful exam environment |
Flexible timeline |
|
Must pass the exam every 5 years |
Ongoing assessments integrated into daily life |
A Summary About MOCA-Peds Assessments
MOCA-Peds is designed to make the recertification process easier and more effective for pediatricians. Here are some of the key benefits:
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Flexibility and Convenience
The traditional MOC exam required a large, uninterrupted block of time, which could be difficult to schedule around a busy practice. MOCA-Peds allows for flexibility. You can answer questions at your convenience—whether it’s one per day, several in a session, or all at once in a quarter.
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Less Stress, More Focus
By spreading the workload across the year, MOCA-Peds significantly reduces the pressure compared to a one-day, high-stakes exam. This also allows you to focus on a smaller set of highly relevant topics, which makes your study time more efficient.
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Practical Application of Knowledge
MOCA-Peds encourages ongoing learning and practical application of pediatric knowledge. The exams aim to align better with the real-world clinical experiences you’re encountering on a regular basis.
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Open-Book Format
With access to resources like MOCA-PBR and UpToDate during the exam, the open-book format mirrors the collaborative, resource-driven nature of modern medical practice. You don’t need to have everything memorized—just know how to find the right information when you need it.
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Reduced Study Burden
Studying for MOCA-Peds is far more manageable than studying for the MOC exam. With only 45 to 50 Learning Objectives and Featured Readings to cover each year, you can focus your energy on learning the testable topics without feeling overwhelmed.
How MOCA-PBR Can Enhance Your MOCA-Peds Experience
MOCA-PBR was designed specifically to aid in the MOCA-Peds experience, providing you with a streamlined, effective way to prepare for each quarterly assessment.
Here’s how it can benefit you:
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Streamlined Study Material
MOCA-PBR condenses the ABP’s Learning Objectives and Featured Readings into concise, easy-to-understand summaries, making studying less overwhelming.
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Efficient Access to Information
With MOCA-PBR, you can quickly search for the information you need while answering MOCA-Peds questions, or click on high-quality reference links, saving you valuable time.
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Cost-Effective
You can sign up for a single year, or you can lock in discounted pricing for MOCA-PBR as an early adopter for years to come.
Conclusion
MOCA-Peds is a great way for pediatricians to maintain their board certification. By offering a flexible, open-book, and focused approach to recertification, MOCA-Peds reduces stress and allows you to integrate learning into your everyday practice.
Pairing MOCA-PBR with your MOCA-Peds assessments provides an even more streamlined, efficient experience. With targeted study materials and quick access to essential information, MOCA-PBR study guide helps you make the most of the MOCA-Peds process, ensuring that you’re well-prepared without the unnecessary stress of traditional recertification exams.
By embracing these new tools, you can maintain your certification in a way that works with your schedule and allows you to stay up-to-date on the most important topics in pediatrics.
