Award-Winning CDR Exam - Cardiovascular Disease Recertification Exam Courses & Classes in Geneva, IL

Varsity Tutors provides comprehensive CD exam courses that can help you prepare for your certification exam. The Cardiovascular Disease Certification (CD) is a valuable credential that signifies that you have the knowledge, diagnostic reasoning skills, and clinical judgment expected of a cardiovascular disease specialist. While many of our competitors offer “courses” that contain nothing more than prerecorded lectures and video clips, all of the courses we offer entail live instruction from an expert educator who understands everything there is to know about the CD exam. Keep reading to learn more about the difference that premium CD exam training can make.

What is the CD certification?

CD certification is a credential offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) that indicates you have the skills expected of a cardiovascular medical specialist. First, you must complete graduate-level medical education fellowship training accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or certain Canadian institutions, earn ABIM certification in internal medicine, hold a valid medical license, and demonstrate clinical competence. Once these eligibility requirements are met, you can take the CD exam.

The test itself lasts a day and a half. The first day is a multiple-choice exam split into four two-hour testing sessions. Four topics are emphasized: arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, heart failure and cardiomyopathy, and valvular disease. There are also questions that cover pericardial disease, congenital heart disease, vascular diseases, systemic hypertension and hypotension, pulmonary circulation disorders, and systemic disorders affecting the circulatory system. This can feel like a lot of material to review, so many students invest in a formal CD exam course. It can be extremely helpful to have an expert break it down into smaller chunks for you.

The second day evaluates a test-taker's ability to interpret electrocardiograms and imaging studies such as electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, and coronary angiograms. The first section lasts two hours and covers electrocardiograms exclusively, while the second section includes the latter two topics and lasts two hours and 15 minutes. This portion of the test also utilizes a special format that your instructor can help you understand. You must pass both halves of the test in order to earn your CD certification.

Your initial exam will cost $2,480. If you are successful, you must recertify every 10 years by either taking a Maintenance of Certification exam ($1,200) or completing Maintenance of Certification Knowledge Check-Ups every two years ($240 for each exam). You must also pay annual MOC dues of $165 in order to use your certification.

What is the best way to study for the CD exam?

Many students have a hard time preparing for standardized exams on their own, especially those that update frequently like the CD exam. Working with an expert instructor in a CD exam class can be a great way to get reliable information you can trust, but you need to make sure that your class actually meets your needs. If you enroll in a class that consists of nothing more than recordings, you're still on your own if you don't understand something.

Thankfully, every CD exam class we provide includes the live instruction you are looking for. Unlike a recording, a live teacher can adjust their content outline according to the class's needs. If you and your classmates already understand coronary artery diseases, your instructor can concentrate on vascular diseases or pulmonary circulation disorders to enhance your study efficiency.

Working with a live instructor also means that any questions you have can be answered quickly, before a simple misunderstanding turns into a more significant learning obstacle. Your instructor might be able to point you toward trustworthy resources to help you understand a topic, or even share a funny story that makes an otherwise dry fact easier to recall. If you feel like you could benefit from personalized support, you can arrange private study time with your teacher outside of your CD prep class meeting times.

You can also turn to your classmates for help if you feel stuck. Some of your peers may have more cardiovascular experience than you do, making them a valuable source of information. Similarly, one of your classmates may offer an explanation that resonates with you, making it easier to understand pericardial disease and pulmonary circulation disorders. Every CD exam course is an opportunity to study in a collaborative learning environment, so why not make the most of it?

You need to know your stuff to reach for your educational goals, but it's also important to understand how to apply it within the context of the exam. Since the entire first day consists of multiple-choice questions, your CD prep course can cover test-taking strategies such as how to eliminate incorrect answer choices to raise the efficacy of any guesses you make. You can also review time management techniques if you're concerned about completing the exam within the time allotted to you.

You can even take practice exams under realistic test-taking conditions during your CD exam class to develop a familiarity with the structure and content you can expect on test day. If you haven't taken an electronic examination before, practicing with the test's interface could help alleviate any butterflies floating around your stomach. Likewise, understanding how an exam presents important words like “not” can help you answer each item as intended. Best of all, your instructor can grade your work and identify any concepts you should review again.

Where can I find a CD exam prep course that suits my needs?

We understand that you probably don't have the time to drive to a class on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean that you can't get a comprehensive CD exam refresher. Every class we offer takes place online via our virtual classroom: a mobile-friendly platform that allows you to communicate with your instructor and fellow students as if you were in the same room. You can attend classes in your home, a local library, or anywhere else that makes sense for you. Why wouldn't you want the convenience of studying online with the benefits of attending a class in-person?

Similarly, we offer multiple courses simultaneously to give you a selection of meeting times to choose from. We also provide two and four-week course options to help you find a good fit. If you want to finish your test prep quickly, condensing your study sessions into a two-week period could be right for you. If you're more interested in minimizing the footprint test prep leaves on your everyday life, spreading your sessions over four weeks may make more sense. You get the same caliber of instruction and total number of contact hours either way, so go with whatever makes the most sense for you.

How can I sign up for a CD prep class today?

Clearly, enrolling in a formal CD exam class offers a multitude of advantages over trying to prepare for your Cardiovascular Disease Certification test on your own. If you would like more information on how Varsity Tutors might be able to help you or are ready to sign up today, please contact an amicable educational consultant using the information below to learn more. You'll be glad you did!