In response to diplomate feedback, the deadlines were adjusted to give diplomates additional time to complete their CC application and related tasks. This change also reflects the desire to shift the late deadline to mid-September to avoid the major Labor Day holiday and ensure appropriate staff coverage and available assistance as needed for diplomates relative to the September deadline.
Diplomates are strongly encouraged to apply by the first application deadline of August 15, 2026. A late fee to accommodate additional processing activities will be assessed on applications submitted after August 15. All application-related tasks, including payments and documentation, are required by the first August 15 deadline to avoid the late fee.
No extensions will be granted after the final September 15 deadline.
Check the Missed Deadlines webpage for details regarding additional requirements if application or tasks completion deadlines are not met.
There is no change to the final CC requirements completion date, which remains November 15.
The 2026 CC program deadlines are as follows:
- First Application Deadline: August 15
- Final Application Deadline (with late fee): September 15
- Completion Deadline: November 15
Initially introduced in 2025, the August application deadline allows sufficient time in the latter part of the year to process all Continuing Certification applications and ensure that credentialing issues can be resolved before December 31, 2025. Resolving all credentialing issues before year-end ensures that diplomates retain certification and avoid a full-year delay in regaining certification and credentialing privileges.
Starting in 2026, diplomates will have only one attempt per article question. This adjustment replaces the previous format, which allowed two attempts, and reflects enhancements in question design and performance trends among diplomates.
Since 2025, article questions have followed a standardized format consisting of three answer choices—one correct answer and two distractors (incorrect options). This format has proven psychometrically reliable and efficient for assessing knowledge, which eliminates the need for multiple attempts.
Two answer attempts were also confusing because while the second attempt was applied toward the annual article score, only the first attempt was applied and counted toward the 86% 5-year cycle score required to qualify for the Performance Pathway and bypass the Year 6 exam. Additionally, the vast majority of diplomates perform successfully on their first attempt.
The Health Equity and Patient Safety (HEPS) requirement was removed to give diplomates greater flexibility in completing Part II. Instead of being a separate category, HEPS-related content is now integrated directly into the articles. Your colleagues, as part of the Continuing Certification Development Committee (CCDC), chose these articles with guidance from the ABOG staff. This approach ensures that important HEPS content remains part of continuing education while streamlining the overall process.
The Office category has been removed as a standalone section in CC Part II and is now incorporated into the Obstetrics (OB) and Gynecology (GYN) categories. This change reflects the evolving nature of OB-GYN, with increasing continuity and overlap between inpatient and outpatient care across various care settings and better aligns with how diplomates practice today.
The Amplified Continuing Education (ACE) Pilot is an innovative enhancement to ABOG's Continuing Certification (CC) process, launching in January 2026. Its intent is to identify and close knowledge gaps for diplomates through zero-pressure (unscored) knowledge gap questions personalized to a diplomate's practice. Performance on the ACE questions will not affect or contribute to the 80% minimum score required to maintain certification or the 86% Performance Pathway threshold. Learn more about how ACE works and what it means for diplomates here.