Exam Eligibility, Administration, and Scoring Appeals

Details the appeals process for exam eligibility, administration issues, and score verification, including timelines, requirements, and non-appealable items.

This policy applies to all examinations, including the Qualifying Exam (QE), Certification Exam (CE), Focused Practice Designation (FPD) Exams, the CC Part III Exam, and Re-Entry Exam. This policy covers appeals regarding:

Eligibility Decisions: denial or conditional approval to sit for an examination.
Exam Administration Concerns: requests for testing modifications or accommodations based on ADA-recognized disabilities or other candidate concerns with exam structure or format
Exam Administration Irregularities: events during exam delivery that may have materially affected performance (e.g., technical disruptions).
Score Verification (Rescore/Audit): confirmation that scoring and reporting were performed correctly.

The eligibility of a Diplomate to appeal an action by ABOG based on a primary or secondary professionalism requirement can be found in the Professional Standing, Professionalism, and Professional Conduct Policy and the Certification and Eligibility Appeals Policy.

Appealable Issues, Deadlines, and Fees

1. Eligibility Appeals

A candidate may appeal a determination of eligibility to sit for an examination if they believe:

required documentation was misinterpreted,
ABOG applied published criteria incorrectly, or
an administrative error affected the decision.

Eligibility appeals must be in writing and received within five (5) business days of the date of the eligibility decision notice. Late submissions will not be considered.

2. Requests for Test Modifications or Accommodations

As set forth in the applicable Bulletin and the Accommodations policy, candidates in need of special testing circumstances, whether for a documented disability or otherwise, must notify ABOG in writing of their request at the time of application but no later than the close of the application period. This deadline is necessary in order to allow the Board to review the request (as well as any required documentation regarding a documented disability, if necessary), request additional information, and process any appeal.

If you make a timely request of ABOG and ABOG denies your request, you may appeal in writing within five (5) business days of the date of ABOG’s denial. Late submissions will not be considered. If you fail to make a request of ABOG by the deadline given above, sit for an exam, and fail to achieve a passing grade, you may not appeal the results.

3. Exam Administration Appeals

A candidate may appeal based on any exam administration issues that create an irregularity (a documented disruption or deviation from standard exam procedures that may have materially affected a candidate’s ability to test) such as:

verified technical failures,
verified testing center disruptions,
faulty exam delivery (e.g., timing, check-in problems), or
approved accommodations not provided.

Exam administration appeals for all ABOG exams administered at Pearson Vue (Qualifying Exam, the CC Part III Exam, the Re-Entry Exam, and FPD Exams) must be received within five (5) business days of the exam date. Appeals for the ABOG Certifying Exam must be received within 6 hours of completion of the Certifying Exam. Late submissions will not be considered.

4. Score Verification (Rescore/Audit) Requests

A score verification (rescore/audit) is a verification that the testing candidate’s responses were captured and scored accurately and that the score was reported correctly; it is not re-grading of content. A candidate may request a score verification to confirm:

correct capture of responses,
correct scoring and scaling per established procedures,
correct score reporting on the candidate’s record.

Score verification requests must be received within five (5) business days of the date of the score release. Late submissions will not be considered.

5. Non-Appealable Issues

The Board will not consider appeals that challenge:

Examination content, including the “correctness” of questions or answer options.
The passing standard/cut score or any request to adjust the pass/fail threshold.
A request to review specific test items or receive item-level performance details beyond standard score reporting.
General claims that an exam was “unfair,” “too difficult,” or that a candidate “deserves to pass.”

In addition, candidates will not be provided with copies of exam questions, answer keys, or secure exam content. The Board will not change the passing standard, disclose secure exam content, or provide item-level review.

6. Appeals Process

a. Submission Process

i. Appeals must be submitted via email to initalcert@abog.org with supporting documentation (e.g., medical documentation, correspondence, testing center report, etc.) and specifics of appeal.

ii. The appeal must include physician name, ABOG ID number, and contact information.

iii. Appeals must be filed within published deadlines; late submissions will not be considered.

iv. Appeals decisions are communicated via email and are final.

v. Candidates may be represented by an attorney at their own expense.

b. Review Process

i. ABOG reviews eligible appeals, including documentation and any available test delivery records to make a determination. ABOG may request additional information from the candidate or vendor in the course of considering the appeal.

1. ABOG will issue a written decision within thirty (30) business days after the receipt of all requested information.

c. Possible Outcomes

i. Depending on the appeal type and findings, ABOG may:

1. Uphold the original determination or score.

2. Correct an administrative error and adjust eligibility status.

3. Provide a no-fee retest opportunity when an exam irregularity is verified and deemed material.

4. Conduct a score verification and correct any reporting errors.

5. Provide other equitable relief consistent with Board policies.

ii. For an appeal made for the Certifying Exam administration if the request is granted:

1. No final grade will be assigned for the appealed exam, and all grades will be discarded;

2. The candidate must reapply for the Certifying Exam within the eligibility period and meet all of the requirements applicable at that time;

3. If the candidate meets the requirements, a second examination will be scheduled at the next regularly scheduled annual Certifying Exam at no additional charge;

4. The candidate must prepare a new case list for the repeat examination and the case list for the repeat examination may not include any patient listed on the first examination case list;

5. The repeat examination will be conducted by a different team of examiners, who will not be informed that the examination is being conducted as a result of an appeal;

6. Neither the questions nor the candidate’s answers on the first examination will be known to or considered by the second group of examiners; and

7. The decision of the examiners conducting the second examination will be used by the Board to determine the results of the candidate’s Certifying Exam.

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Updated March 2026

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