The ABEM Board Exam: A Comprehensive Guide

The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) board exam is a pivotal milestone for emergency medicine physicians. It is instrumental in validating the skills, knowledge, and expertise of professionals in emergency medicine. Here, we will explore the intricacies of the ABEM exam, offering insights, tips, and strategies to optimize your preparation and performance.

ABEM Exam Dates

Exam Features

The ABEM Qualifying Exam contains approximately 305 single-best-answer, standard multiple-choice questions that follow the ABEM Blueprint. Each question is in paragraph form with an answer set containing one correct answer and three or four incorrect answers.

The exam is divided into two sections each lasting 3 hours and 10 minutes, separated by a one-hour, scheduled break. The entire exam appointment takes approximately 8 hours to complete with 6 hours and 20 minutes of total testing time.

Each section of the examination consists of both pictorial and non-pictorial multiple-choice questions. Pictorial questions refer to stimulus images such as photos of X-rays, ECGs, rhythm strips, pictures, etc. These images will be presented in a separate tab along with the relevant test question on the computer screen. You will need to interpret ultrasound images for pictorial questions on the Qualifying Exam. Two reference documents are available to you during the exam: a list of common abbreviations used in the exam, and a list of normal laboratory values.

Content Specifications

ABEM follows the EM blueprint for the Qualifying Exam. While questions can originate from any content area within the model, some areas are routinely selected. The lists below describe the relative weight given to different elements of the EM Model in constructing the examinations:

Medical Knowledge, Patient Care, and Procedural Skills

1.0 Signs, Symptoms and Presentations: 10%

2.0 Abdominal & Gastrointestinal Disorders: 7%

3.0 Cardiovascular Disorders: 10%

4.0 Cutaneous Disorders: 3%

5.0 Endocrine, Metabolic & Nutritional Disorders: 5%

6.0 Environmental Disorders: 2%

7.0 Head, Ear, Eye, Nose & Throat Disorders: 4%

8.0 Hematologic Disorders: 3%

9.0 Immune System Disorders: 2%

10.0 Systemic Infectious Disorders: 7%

11.0 Musculoskeletal Disorders (Non-traumatic): 3%

12.0 Nervous System Disorders: 6%

13.0 Obstetrics and Gynecology: 3%

14.0 Psychobehavioral Disorders: 2%

15.0 Renal and Urogenital Disorders: 3%

16.0 Thoracic-Respiratory Disorders: 7%

17.0 Toxicologic Disorders: 4%

18.0 Traumatic Disorders: 9%

19.0 Procedures & Skills: 8%

20.0 Other Components: 2%

Acuity Frames: Target (± 5%)

Critical: 30%

Emergent: 40%

Lower Acuity: 21%

None: 9%

Physician Tasks

For this dimension, the Board has assigned the following specific percentage weights to the Modifying Factor of age:

Pediatrics: 8% minimum

Geriatrics: 6% minimum

Strategizing Your Preparation

Comprehensive Study Material

Choose study resources that are aligned with the ABEM Blueprint, ensuring that you cover every topic in depth. Resources like Med-Challenger Emergency Medicine offer tailored preparation with a vast question bank of constantly updated content.

Mock Exams and Simulations

Simulated exams, such as Med-Challenger's Board Exam Simulator, part of the Emergency Medicine Boards Prep Course, are instrumental in gauging your preparation level. They offer insights into your strong areas and those requiring improvement, enabling a focused preparation strategy.

Time Management

The ABEM exam evaluates candidates under timed conditions. Practice with timed mock exams to enhance your time management skills, ensuring that you can navigate through the questions effectively and efficiently during the actual exam.

See also: How I Prepared for and Passed the ABEM Qualifying Exam 

Navigating the Exam Day

Stay Calm

It’s natural to feel anxious. However, staying calm and composed is crucial to think clearly and make informed decisions during the exam. Knowing what to expect by checking out Take & Pass the Exam can also help put your mind at ease.

Pace Yourself

The exam is structured to evaluate a broad spectrum of your skills and knowledge. Pacing yourself is crucial to ensure that every section of the exam is attempted with equal focus and concentration.

Review Your Work

If time permits, review your answers. Sometimes, a second look can offer new perspectives and insights.

See also: What Emergency Medicine Physicians Say About Med-Challenger 

Post Exam

Notification of Examination Results

ABEM sends physicians the results of their examination in writing within 90 days of the date of the exam. Results are also posted on the physician's ABEM Portal. ABEM cannot release your scores over the phone or email. Maintaining up-to-date contact information through your ABEM Initial Certification Page will ensure you receive the results as soon as possible.

Passing Criterion and Scoring

The Qualifying Exam is criterion referenced. A criterion-referenced exam uses a predetermined passing score, which is adopted by the Board as reflecting its performance standards (EM Model and KSAs). All candidates meeting the standard will pass the exam.

Best practice in testing suggests that a passing score for an examination should be reviewed about every five to seven years.

For security purposes the Qualifying Examination is administered using multiple versions. Any given candidate is unlikely to receive the same version of the examination as another candidate. To ensure a fair examination result for all candidates a statistical process called equating is applied following the examination. This ensure that the Board’s passing score remains the same for all candidates. The score resulting from equating is not a percent correct, rather, it is a scaled score that ranges from 0 to 100 and does not include field test items. In addition to the field-testing process, each question receives a thorough review before it is used in scoring the examination. Questions that do not meet ABEM quality standards are not used in determining candidates’ final scores. The entire scoring process is fully and independently replicated. The passing score for the Qualifying Exam was last examined in 2019 and was determined to be a score of 77 out of 100.

Pass Rates