All of the questions and answers in the various ABOG FAQs are combined in one list below, grouped under these major headings:
There are also separate listings of the questions most relevant to candidates, diplomates, subspecialty fellowshipsand the public and medical organizations.
APPLICATIONS FOR EXAMS, TRACKING AND ADDRESS CHANGES
How do I get an application for an examination?
You must submit a written request for any application for an examination offered by this Board. The request should include your name, address, social security number (social insurance number for Canadians) and a phone number. The request can be faxed to 214 871 1943 or mailed to the Board Office.
Was my application, case list or payment received?
Due to the enormous amount of mail received by the Board office, we cannot confirm receipt of packages immediately following a deadline.
The Board recommends that you submit all applications, case lists or miscellaneous items that must be received by a set deadline, by a courier service that has a tracking procedure.
Please refer to the "Word of Caution" statement.
I have changed my name and/or my address; how do I notify the Board of the change(s)?
Notifications of changes in name or address must be received in writing. Please include your previous name or address and social security number. If you are changing your name, you must also include legal documentation of the change (i.e., marriage certificate or divorce decree).
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STATUS / VERIFICATION OF CERTIFICATION
Can I get a verbal verification of certification of a physician?
No. You must send requests for status verification to the Board Office and ABOG must return the pertinent information in writing.
How do I get a status letter?
Submit a request in writing (via fax to 214 871 1943 or US Postal service, but not both) with the physician's full name and social security number or birth date.
Since patients will have neither the social security number nor birth date, they may submit the physician's full name and address.
What will ABOG tell me in the status letter?
It will include which stage of the certification process the physician has completed, beginning with the status of being registered with the Board through final certification and maintenance of certification, or whether their certification has expired.
The letter also will include any relevant subspecialty information.
ABOG may respond that the physician has NO status with the Board, meaning he has never applied nor been approved for an ABOG examination or the physician's status has expired.
Is there a fee for a status letter?
Everyone is charged the fee EXCEPT patients, the US Armed Forces and County Medical Societies.
What is the fee?
$25 for the letter. Optional services are: 1) rush processing (response sent within 48 hours) is an additional $20; and 2) faxing the response is an additional $15. So, to rush and fax a response to you would cost $60.
What is the NORMAL turn-around time?
Approximately 3 weeks not counting mail time.
Why is there a charge?
There are administrative fees involved in extracting the information and producing the letter.
May I e-mail my request?
Yes, as long as you include your full name, organization's name, address and phone number on the request.
Status letters will NOT be sent back via e-mail. They are always sent through the US Postal Service along with an invoice, if applicable.
May I fax my request?
Yes, to 214 871 1943, but please do NOT also mail the original. This will duplicate the request. When the letter is produced, an invoice will be included for the appropriate fees. Faxing a request only eliminates the mail time one way, it does not speed up the processing time.
Do you verify on line?
No.
Will you ever verify on line?
Possibly, but not in the near future.
Is there any other way to verify a physician's CERTIFICATION without contacting ABOG?
Yes, through the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) at 1-866-275-2267 (for patients or potential patients).
The ABMS can only give you information if a physician is certified or recertified. They cannot give the various completed phases of a physician if he is not yet certified.
Also, the ABMS does not have the names of all certified physicians. Prior to 1995, physicians had the right not to be listed in outside directories. A small percentage of physicians have chosen not to be published.
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ANNUAL BOARD CERTIFICATION (ABC)
When do I begin the ABC process?
If you have a certificate with no time limit, you can start at any time.
If you have a time-limited certificate and start the process more than two years prior to the expiration of your certificate, this is considered voluntary recertification and will add no time to your certificate.
By commencing two years or less prior to your expiration date, will constitute certificate renewal for the year following the expiration date imprinted on your certificate for the first year the ABC examination was taken and then annually, thereafter.
If I start now, do I have to continue every year even though my certificate does not expire until 2011?
No. Prior to 2009, this would be a voluntary process and is strictly up to the individual as to whether they wish to continue it on a yearly basis.
Does this cancel my certificate that is not due to expire for a number of years even when I pass the ABC examination?
No. This is voluntary until two years prior to the expiration of your certificate and does not affect the original date imprinted on your certificate.
I'm grandfathered; does this affect my unlimited (non-expiring) certificate?
No. An unlimited certificate remains unlimited.
Does the ABC certificate replace the 6-year written examination?
No. There are two options. You can take the written recertification examination once every 6 years, or you can take the ABC annually commencing as early as two years before your time-limited certificate is due to expire.
Although it says annual, do I have to do this every year?
No. Prior to the expiration of your time-limited certificate, this does not have to be done yearly. Once you begin recertification, then YES it must be completed annually to maintain your certification.
If I do not achieve a 70% or higher pass rate, what happens? Do I get another chance? Will it be in the same year?
Yes. If you receive notice by November, 2007, of failure on the ABC examination, a second attempt to take the same examination will be allowed. Information will be included in the notice of failure about how you may re-apply. Please note that there is an additional fee associated with re-taking this examination.
Do I have to pass to earn the CME credits?
Yes.
How does an incomplete examination affect my original certificate?
If you do not have a time-limited certificate or if this is being performed in a voluntary fashion, an incomplete examination will not affect your original certificate.
Also, if you take the ABC one or two year(s) prior to the expiration date of a time-limited certificate, your certification will not be affected.
If you take the ABC examination in the year that your certificate expires and this is the only method of certificate renewal you have chosen, you will temporarily not be certified or recertified if you do not properly complete the examination.
If I am applying for hospital privileges and do not pass the ABC examination, will this information be released if the hospital asks?
The short answer is no; however, if you have a time-limited certificate which is expiring and you fail the examination, your certificate will expire. If the hospital inquires, they will be told that your certificate has expired.
Where can I obtain the articles?
The articles can be obtained from your hospital library or a medical college near you. You also can obtain some of the articles from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' publications. There are also companies that can obtain medical articles for a fee. Using the internet and your favorite search engine, try searching with the key words "ABOG articles."
ABOG can not supply these articles because of copyright laws.
May I refer to the articles while answering the questions?
Yes.
When will the final grade be released?
The final grades will be reported in November of each year. If you did not pass and you were given additional time to re-take the examination, the results will be provided to you approximately one month after you repeat the examination (see above).
This information will be furnished to ACOG in January.
Are the CME credits for the year that I take the ABC examination or the next year? When do they become effective?
The CME credits are effective for the year you take the examination. For example, if you take and pass the ABC process in 2006, the CME credits are effective for the year 2006.
If I answer all the questions in all three (3) test books, do I still have to get only 84 questions correct out of the 180 or do I have to get more answers correct?
You will be graded on the first 120 questions that you submit. You must correctly answer 70% or 84 of the first 120 questions you choose. If you choose to answer the next 60 questions and submitted an extra $50.00 you will receive 10 additional CME credits. You still must answer 70% of these additional questions. Thus, you MUST answer all 180 questions, and correctly answer 70% or 126 of the 180.
If my certificate expires in 2009 and I am taking the ABC process in 2007, when will my certificate expire?
Your certificate was dated to expire in the year 2009 and you take the ABCC process in 2007, your new certificate will expire on December 31, 2010.
Are all of the answers to the questions in the assigned articles?
Usually. There are occasional exceptions to this when a higher order of thinking is required to select the correct answer. In other words, you must read the article in order to arrive at a conclusion to a problem-solving question which is not specifically stated in the article. This type of question is not frequent, but at least one such question is almost always included in each of the assignments.
Can all the questions be answered on one answer sheet?
YES.
Who will contact us that our certificate is expiring?
It is the responsibility of the Diplomate to seek information concerning the current requirements for maintenance of certification as an obstetrician/ gynecologist.
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WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS
What type of questions are on the written examination?
Multiple choice questions are utilized. Four or five answers will be available. Although, all of the choices may be somewhat correct, the appropriate answer will be the BEST or MOST accurate.
Who writes the questions?
The written examination questions are provided by board members and examiners and are evaluated by a committee.
What are field test questions?
Every year on the basic written examination a certain number of questions are field tested that are not counted in the final grade. We use this process to develop questions that discriminate and perform well. This system eliminates misleading questions.
Why are the results not released before August 1?
The answers are scored and the soundness of each examination question is evaluated. Once this is done, a cut score for the examination is set based upon sound psychometric principles that have been used by the Board for many years.
What is the cut score for the written examinations?
The Board does not release the cut score or provide reviews of candidate performance on the examinations. The Board administers the examinations as certifying examinations and not as training examinations. Therefore, it does not release evaluations of the examination results.
How many CME credits are earned for passing either ther general written or oral examination?
CME credits are NOT earned for passing the general written nor oral examinations. CME credits may be earned, however, through the recertication process.
SUBSPECIALTY FELLOWSHIPS
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ORAL EXAMINATION
When is the completed application for the general oral examination due?
Applications are due the last working day in February of the year of the examination.
When is the completed application for the subspecialty oral examination due?
Applications are due in May. Please refer to summary of dates, deadlines, fess and late fees in the current bulletin for the exact date for that year.
The general oral examination is being administered over the months of November, December and January; do I get to choose which week I take the examination in?
Since, the oral examinations are scheduled on a random basis, you are not permitted to select a particular week.
Why isn't the Board be more flexible with regard to date changes?
A phenomenal amount of time and effort is expended to match 300 plus examiners with approximately 1500 candidates to preclude conflicts. Changes have a domino effect that influences many candidates and examiners, therefore, in the interest of fairness, changes are rarely accommodated.
Do I have to list all inpatients on my case list?
Yes. All inpatients admitted to the hospital under your name must be included.
My practice is limited. May I still take the oral examination?
Yes, but your case list must have an inpatient list for obstetrics and gynecology and an outpatient practice. (See current bulletin.)
When will I be notified that I am scheduled to take the general oral examination?
Sometime in July, you will be notified that your application has been approved and which week of November, December or January you have been scheduled. The specific day will be disclosed approximately one month prior to the examination.
When will I find out if my application was accepted for the subspecialty oral examination?
You will be notified in September whether your application was accepted or not.
Who determines the week and day of the examination?
A computer match is performed to minimize the possibility of conflicts.
How much do oral board examiners get paid?
The examiners are not paid for their time. Their expenses are reimbursed.
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