Chapter 1: Guide to the ABFM Examination

INTRODUCTION

For residents, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) certification exam represents the culmination of 3 years of hard work, and for those taking the recertification exam, 7 to 10 years after that. However, the process of certification and recertification does not merely represent yet another in a series of expensive tests. To your patients and their families, it means that you have attained the level of clinical knowledge and competency required to provide up-to-date and high quality clinical care.

In this chapter, we talk more about the ABFM exam and provide you with proven approaches to conquering the exam. For details about the exam, visit www.theabfm.org. The ABFM also provides information about specific strategies for exam preparation, available at www.theabfm.org/cert/exampreparation.aspx.

ABFM—THE BASICS

When Is the Exam Offered?

The exam is offered during 2 months each year, typically in April and in November. Applicants must register for one of the limited dates that are offered in each of those months. Generally, more dates are available in the spring session than in the winter session.

How Do I Register to Take the Exam?

You can register for the ABFM exam online at www.theabfm.org. Individuals who are finishing residency on June 30 are eligible to take the April exam before graduation. Those who complete residency training after June 30 or who do not pass the exam in the spring may be eligible to take the test during the winter.

Those who are certifying for the first time must have a user name and password supplied by their residency program. The registration deadline is typically January, with increasing late fees for each subsequent month. The latest date to register is generally in March. The registration fee in 2017 was $1300.

Prior to registering for the exam, applicants must be up to date on their required Maintenance of Certification (MOC) training. Specifically, they must have completed 50 points of approved CME through the ABFM within the last 3 years. Of these 50 points, at least 15 must be from a Knowledge Self Assessment module on the ABFM Web site and another 15 must be from an ABFM approved Performance Improvement module. This applies to people who are still in residency as well as to those who have graduated. You can check the ABFM Web site to find modules that qualify for MOC points and to confirm that you have accrued enough points to be eligible to apply for the exam.

Check the ABFM Web site for the latest information on registration deadlines, fees, and policies. Note that the deadlines and schedules ...