Jump to content

Admission

When you have fulfilled all the requirements and ABOG has determined that you are eligible to take the Certifying Exam, you'll receive:

  • An email in July notifying you of the month (October, November, or December) in which you'll take the exam
  • Six weeks prior to the week you are scheduled, you'll receive a second email notifying you of the day, time, and place to report for your examination. It's your responsibility to ensure that your personal email address and physical mailing address are current and correct on your ABOG portal.

ABOG does not have a hotel room block. The hotel where registration will be held, as well as other local hotels in the area, are listed in the Candidate Manual. Please stay at a hotel or other accommodations that best suit your needs.

Candidates cannot request an exam week unless they have an extenuating circumstance. For example, military deployment or an estimated due date/postpartum period close to one of the scheduled exam weeks. Documentation is required to review the request and can be uploaded directly to your portal. Please notify ABOG after submitting your application, fee, and verification of hospital privilege form(s) to receive the task to request an exam week on your ABOG portal. Requests and documentation must be uploaded to your ABOG portal no later than May 7, 2022. ABOG reserves the right to deny exam week requests. Please call the Board office at 214.871.7520 or email exams@abog.org if you have any questions. 


  • October 9 - 12, 2023
  • October 23 - 26, 2023
  • November 8 - 9, 2023
  • December 4 - 7, 2023

Certifying Exam Instructions


You'll receive correspondence through your ABOG portal regarding the time and place at the hotel for registration. If you're late for registration, you'll not be allowed to take the exam.


After registration at the hotel, you'll be taken to the ABOG Testing Center where an orientation will be provided. After the orientation, you'll be escorted to the testing floor. You'll be assigned an examination room and will remain there for the three hours of the examination.



Examiners


You will be informed of the names of the six examiners - two in obstetrics, two in gynecology, and two in office practice and women's health - who will conduct your examination. If you believe there is a conflict with one or more examiner, an alternate examiner will be provided.


Each pair of examiners will independently award a grade for their portion of the examination, but the final grade will be decided by members of the ABOG Board of Directors after reviewing all of the information from the examination.



Examination Format


The Certifying Examination is three hours in length, equally divided in the areas of obstetrics, gynecology, and office practice and women's health. Communication, ethics, and patient safety questions may be included in each of the three major areas.


Each hour will be divided into two sections of approximately 30 minutes in length. One section will be devoted to questions derived from your case list, and the other section will consist of structured and/or simulated cases written by ABOG. The structured cases are used to elicit your responses to specific clinical situations.


The examination will be conducted in English.


A list of the topics that may be covered in the examination can be found here.


At the end of the exam, you'll return to the hotel registration area.



Electronic Devices


You must not take any electronic device into the examination room. This includes any devices that can access the internet and any device with a recording feature. This includes wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch, and similar devices. An insulin pump is the exception to this rule.

If you require accommodations for a disability, you must notify the ABOG office no later than 180 days before the date of your certifying exam. Email the Exams Department at exams@abog.org.


If you're breastfeeding, you must notify the ABOG office at least 90 days in advance of your test date so that a lactation room may be assigned if you would like to express milk before the exam begins. You may bring your personal breast pump to the ABOG Testing Center. Learn more.

If you're disapproved for the Certifying Exam, you may re-apply by submitting a new application, paying the appropriate fees, and meeting the requirements applicable at the time of the re-application.

If, at the completion of the Certifying Exam, you believe the test hasn't been conducted in a fair and unprejudiced manner, a second exam may be requested. The request must be made within 1 hour of the completion of the Certifying Exam. To make this request, call the Board Exam office at 214.871.7520. If the request is granted:

  • The results of the appealed exam, regardless whether pass or fail, will be discarded.
  • You must re-apply for the Certifying Examination the next year (i.e., cannot delay beyond the next year) and meet all of the requirements applicable at that time.
  • If you meet the requirements, a second exam will be scheduled at the next regularly scheduled annual Certifying Examinations at no additional charge.
  • You must prepare a new case list for the repeat exam, and the case list for the repeat exam cannot include a patient listed on the first examination case list.
  • The repeat exam 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.
  • Neither the questions nor your answers on the first exam will be known to or taken into account by the second group of examiners.
  • The decision of the examiners conducting the second examination will be used by the Board to determine the results of your Certifying Examination.


Appeals based on the composition of the Certifying Examination team shall not be considered if you were informed before the Certifying Exam of the identity of each member of the team and did not object to the participation of any member in time for an acceptable substitute to be provided.


Appeals based on the content of the examination, the sufficiency or accuracy of the answers given, or the final grade will not be considered.