Is the "live patient" interview on the boards necessary?

Study of American Board of Psychiatry certification examinations over a 2-year period revealed differences between audiovisual and "live patient" interview grades. Of 2,236 psychiatrists examined in psychiatry, 1,367 (61%) received concordant scores on their audiovisual and "live patient" examination hours and 1,165 (52%) received identical grades. Agreement about pass/fail decisions was even higher (80%). Where scores were not identical, two out of three candidates scored higher on the audiovisual section, prompting the conclusion that the two examination formats may test somewhat different skills or carry a different weight in the judgment of most examiners. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that these differences must continue to be tested for.