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Eligibility Requirements

Beginning in the calendar year 2020, all physicians who have completed an ABOG- or ACGME-accredited fellowship in one of the five subspecialties must achieve ABOG subspecialty certification within eight years of completion of their training.

If certification is not achieved within eight years, you're no longer eligible to apply for either the Qualifying or Certifying Subspecialty Exams unless an additional six months of supervised practice is completed.
This means that if you completed subspecialty training in the calendar year 2012 or earlier, you must be subspecialty certified by 2020.
If you fail to achieve subspecialty certification within eight years of completion of an accredited subspecialty fellowship program and successfully complete six months of supervised practice, you must achieve subspecialty certification within four years of the completion of the supervised practice.

For complete details, read the policy about Regaining Eligibility.

Each of the following is a requirement for a candidate to sit for the Subspecialty Qualifying Examination. The candidate must meet all of the requirements in effect during the year for which admission to the Qualifying Examination is requested.

Unrestricted Medical License (if applicable) It is not necessary to have a medical license to sit for the Qualifying Examination. However, if a medical license is held, it must be unrestricted without conditions. An unrestricted medical license will be required to apply for the Certifying Examination. 
Specialty Qualifying Examination A candidate may not apply for the Subspecialty Qualifying Examination unless they have passed the Specialty Qualifying Examination for Certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 
Length of Training The candidate must have been registered with ABOG and will have completed training in an ACGME-accredited fellowship program in their subspecialty no later than September 30 of the same year the Qualifying Examination is taken.
1. Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Gynecologic Oncology, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery candidates must have completed a minimum of 32 of 36 months of training at the time of application.
2. Complex Family Planning candidates must have completed a minimum of 20 of 24 months of training at the time of application. 
3. If a candidate’s situation changes and they have not successfully completed their fellowship by September 30, they will not be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year. Any candidate who takes the Qualifying Exam without successfully completing fellowship by September 30 of the year of the examination will have their results voided, and they will not receive a refund. 
Completion and Presentation of Thesis The candidate must have completed and presented a thesis to their Thesis Defense Committee by June 15 in their last year of fellowship training. If the candidate does not submit the thesis and Thesis Defense Form on their ABOG portal by June 15, they will not be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year.
Allocation of Time and Curriculum In order to take the Qualifying Examination, the candidate must have completed the required experiences during fellowship and meet the curriculum requirements for their subspecialty. See the required experiences lists and curriculum for each subspecialty in the Appendix of the Bulletin.
Leaves of Absence Leaves of absence and vacation may be granted at the discretion of the Program Director consistent with local institutional policy and applicable laws. The number of days that equals a “week” is a local issue that is determined by the institution and Program Director, not ABOG. For more information on leave, please review the ABOG website on Fellowship Leave Policy.
1. If the leave limit is exceeded, the fellowship must be extended for at least the duration of time that the individual was absent in excess of 16 weeks in a two-year fellowship or 20 weeks in a three-year fellowship. Such extensions of training must have an educational plan outlined for the continued training with specific educational and clinical experience goals and objectives to be achieved. This educational plan must include a description of what training was missed, how the missed training is being attained, and a block diagram that covers the entire length of training. This plan must be submitted to ABOG for approval here.
Moral and Ethical Behavior The candidate must have demonstrated good moral and ethical behavior in the practice of medicine and in interactions with peers, other medical personnel, and patients. A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.
Falsification of Information Falsification of any information or failure to disclose any adverse action will result in a deferral of a candidate’s eligibility to sit for the Qualifying Examination for a period of at least three years. If the candidate is allowed to sit for the examination at the end of the deferral period, the candidate must meet all requirements in effect at that time. Candidates must meet all the requirements in the Bulletin for the year they are applying for the test.
Thesis Defense The candidate must have completed and presented their thesis to their Program Director by the final date of their fellowship. If their fellowship is extended, the candidate will have until the extended final date of their fellowship to complete and present their thesis. A candidate whose fellowship is extended beyond September 30 of the year of the Qualifying Examination is not eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year. Candidates must meet all of the requirements in the Bulletin for the year they are applying for the exam.

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If certification is not achieved within eight years, you're no longer eligible to apply for either the Qualifying or Certifying Subspecialty Exams unless an additional six months of supervised practice is completed.
This means that if you completed subspecialty training in the calendar year 2012 or earlier, you must be subspecialty certified by 2020.
If you fail to achieve subspecialty certification within eight years of completion of an accredited subspecialty fellowship program and successfully complete six months of supervised practice, you must achieve subspecialty certification within four years of the completion of the supervised practice.

For complete details, read the policy about Regaining Eligibility.

Unrestricted Medical License (if applicable) It is not necessary to have a medical license to sit for the Qualifying Examination. However, if a medical license is held, it must be unrestricted without conditions. An unrestricted medical license will be required to apply for the Certifying Examination. 
Specialty Qualifying Examination A candidate may not apply for the Subspecialty Qualifying Examination unless they have passed the Specialty Qualifying Examination for Certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 
Length of Training The candidate must have been registered with ABOG and will have completed training in an ACGME-accredited fellowship program in their subspecialty no later than September 30 of the same year the Qualifying Examination is taken.
1. Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Gynecologic Oncology, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery candidates must have completed a minimum of 32 of 36 months of training at the time of application.
2. Complex Family Planning candidates must have completed a minimum of 20 of 24 months of training at the time of application. 
3. If a candidate’s situation changes and they have not successfully completed their fellowship by September 30, they will not be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year. Any candidate who takes the Qualifying Exam without successfully completing fellowship by September 30 of the year of the examination will have their results voided, and they will not receive a refund. 
Completion and Presentation of Thesis The candidate must have completed and presented a thesis to their Thesis Defense Committee by June 15 in their last year of fellowship training. If the candidate does not submit the thesis and Thesis Defense Form on their ABOG portal by June 15, they will not be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year.
Allocation of Time and Curriculum In order to take the Qualifying Examination, the candidate must have completed the required experiences during fellowship and meet the curriculum requirements for their subspecialty. See the required experiences lists and curriculum for each subspecialty in the Appendix of the Bulletin.
Leaves of Absence Leaves of absence and vacation may be granted at the discretion of the Program Director consistent with local institutional policy and applicable laws. The number of days that equals a “week” is a local issue that is determined by the institution and Program Director, not ABOG. For more information on leave, please review the ABOG website on Fellowship Leave Policy.
1. If the leave limit is exceeded, the fellowship must be extended for at least the duration of time that the individual was absent in excess of 16 weeks in a two-year fellowship or 20 weeks in a three-year fellowship. Such extensions of training must have an educational plan outlined for the continued training with specific educational and clinical experience goals and objectives to be achieved. This educational plan must include a description of what training was missed, how the missed training is being attained, and a block diagram that covers the entire length of training. This plan must be submitted to ABOG for approval here.
Moral and Ethical Behavior The candidate must have demonstrated good moral and ethical behavior in the practice of medicine and in interactions with peers, other medical personnel, and patients. A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.
Falsification of Information Falsification of any information or failure to disclose any adverse action will result in a deferral of a candidate’s eligibility to sit for the Qualifying Examination for a period of at least three years. If the candidate is allowed to sit for the examination at the end of the deferral period, the candidate must meet all requirements in effect at that time. Candidates must meet all the requirements in the Bulletin for the year they are applying for the test.
Thesis Defense The candidate must have completed and presented their thesis to their Program Director by the final date of their fellowship. If their fellowship is extended, the candidate will have until the extended final date of their fellowship to complete and present their thesis. A candidate whose fellowship is extended beyond September 30 of the year of the Qualifying Examination is not eligible to take the Qualifying Examination in that year. Candidates must meet all of the requirements in the Bulletin for the year they are applying for the exam.