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URPS Certifying Exam

  • Applications will be accepted online at ABOG.org beginning May 22, 2023.
  • The final day applications are accepted is July 21, 2023 (late fees apply). Applications received after this deadline will not be processed.
  • You must pay the application fee by credit card through the ABOG website at the time of application. The application fee is not refundable.
  • Be sure to supply an accurate email address as part of the application process. Please notify ABOG of any change in this address, as the approval (or not) to sit for the Certifying Exam will be sent to you at the email address provided.
  • During the application process, a completed Verification of Hospital Privileges form will be required. This form can be accessed from your ABOG portal and must be signed and emailed or faxed to the ABOG office.
  • Following submission of the online application form, payment of the appropriate fee, and receipt of the Verification of Hospital Privileges form, your application will be considered in accordance with the requirements in effect for that year.
  • If your application is approved, an email will be sent with instructions for submitting the case lists and thesis. The exam fee must be paid at this time. The case list won't be accepted unless the exam fee is paid in full by credit card.
  • If full payment of the examination fee is not received by September 29, 2023, for the 2024 exam, you won't be scheduled, and no fees will be refunded.
  • Once ABOG has all necessary materials and all fees paid, you'll receive an Authorization for Admission form posted on your ABOG portal at least one month prior to the date of the exam. This contact will indicate the date of your exam, the time and place to report, and hotel information.
  • After applying, you should log into your ABOG portal to begin case list collection by clicking on the Case List Entry button under the Certifying Exam box. You should also click on the Thesis Affidavit form to print the acceptable affidavit form.
  • Each year, ABOG notifies the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG) of the names and addresses of the diplomates who have been certified in the course that year.
  • As a condition for acceptance as a candidate for certification as an ABOG Diplomate, you are required at the time of the Certifying Exam to sign an irrevocable waiver authorizing the dissemination of the certification status without limitation or condition.



Please note the additional following points:

  • ABOG also provides de-identified data to fellowship programs and to the ACGME about fellowship program pass rates to be used as a criterion to evaluate the effectiveness of program training.
  • ABOG, SMFM, ACOG, AMA, and ABMS, on request, also make this information available to the public, including, but not limited to, hospitals, agencies of government, insurers, and lay persons.
  • ABOG may use the results of certification examinations for research purposes and may publish the results of the research.

Diplomate Status - Must be an ABOG Diplomate and hold an active certificate in Obstetrics and Gynecology.


Qualifying Exam - Must have passed the Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Qualifying Exam.


Fellowship Training - Have successfully completed 36 months of training in an ACGME-accredited Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery fellowship.


License - Hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine in all states or territories of the United States or Canada in which you hold a medical license.

  • Licenses that have been revoked, suspended, on probation, or are subject to conditions of any type are considered to be restricted.


Privileges - Hold full and unrestricted privileges in URPS in each hospital, surgical center, and/or medical center in which you have privileges.


Moral and Ethical Behavior - Be of good moral and ethical character and have shown appropriate professionalism in all interactions with patients, peers, and other medical personnel.

  • A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.


Investigations - Have not resigned hospital privileges or membership in any medical organization (e.g. ACOG) while under investigation.

  • If you are under investigation or on probation, the application will not be approved.
  • You must re-apply and pay a new application fee once the probation and/or restrictions have been resolved. However, resolution of these matters does not guarantee that your application will be approved.


Independent Practice - Have an independent practice as a subspecialist in URPS in a center or centers providing or having ready access to the essential diagnostic and therapeutic facilities for the practice of URPS, and to retain such practice until the date of the candidate's examination.


Case List - Submit an electronic case list that documents a practice that demonstrates sufficient depth and breadth of practice in the subspecialty of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery to permit the evaluation of your ability to function in the subspecialty. 


Thesis - Submit a thesis that meets the minimal standards of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery.


Disclosures - Have not failed to disclose any adverse action.

  • If a non-disclosed falsification or adverse action is identified by ABOG, it will result in a deferral of your eligibility to sit for the Certifying Exam for a period of at least three years.
  • If you are allowed to sit for the exam at the end of the deferral period, you must meet all requirements in effect at that time.

The content for the Certifying Examination will be based on the blueprint for Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. The major categories and subcategories can be viewed in the bulletin or on this page.

Beginning in the calendar year 2020, all physicians who have completed an ABOG- or ACGME-accredited fellowship in one of the four 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 Exams unless 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, or you will be required to complete six months of supervised practice before regaining eligibility to apply for certification.


If you fail to achieve subspecialty certification within eight years of completion of an accredited subspecialty fellowship program and then 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.

All certificates issued by ABOG after 2008 are time-limited. For example, the certification of a diplomate who successfully passes a subspecialty Certifying Exam in April 2024 will expire on December 31, 2025, unless all the 2025 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assignments have been successfully completed. Applications for the 2025 MOC process will be available online beginning in January 2025.

Conduct


Exam Registration

You will be informed of the time and place of the registration process for the examination when you receive information concerning your assigned examination date. If you are late for registration, you will not be allowed to sit for the examination. Following registration, an orientation to the examination will be provided. After the orientation, you will be taken to the ABOG testing center. At the end of the examination, you will be returned to the registration area.


Exam Format and Examiners

You will be assigned an examination room and will remain in that room for the three hours of the examination. You will be informed of the names of the six examiners who will conduct their examination. If you believe that one or more examiners would be inappropriate to provide you with a fair test, an alternate examiner will be provided.


Each pair of examiners will award a grade in their area, but the final grade will be decided by members of the ABOG Board of Directors after reviewing all of the information from the examination. The examination will be conducted in English.


Prohibited Items

You may not take any electronic devices into the examination. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • cellular phones
  • all devices that can record
  • Apple Watch and similar devices


If you are found to have an electronic device in an examination room, the test will be halted immediately and you will receive no grade for the examination. In addition, all fees will be forfeit.


You will not be allowed to take copies of your case lists into the examination. The examiners will choose cases from the submitted electronic case list and display them on the monitor.


Test Integrity


On the day of the Certifying Exam, each candidate must sign the following terms of agreement. If a candidate refuses to sign the agreement, they will not be allowed to take the Certifying Exam.


  1. I agree and understand that all of the test materials used in ABOG examinations are copyrighted intellectual property of ABOG and will, at all times, remain confidential.
  2. I agree and understand that I may not provide any information before, during, or after the examination concerning the content of the examination including, but not limited to, test items and cases, to anyone, for any reason, including, but not limited to, (i) anyone who is scheduled to take the examination or may be eligible to take the examination, (ii) any formal or informal test preparation group, service, or company, or (iii) any person representing a company or other entity that provides courses, practice tests or other study material for the examination.
  3. I agree and understand that I may not reproduce, transmit, publish, disclose, and/or distribute any examination materials by any means, including memorization, recording, internet, or other methods that would allow any other individual, company, or organization to recreate, in whole or in part, any test questions or material.
  4. I agree and understand that during any ABOG examination, I will not have in my possession any notes, papers, study materials, formulas, pens, pencils, cellular telephones, photographic equipment, recording devices, or other similar contraband. I will not have any type of electronic device that could provide information that could be used to answer questions on the examination. I further agree that if I am discovered to have any such device in my possession during the examination, the test will be halted immediately, and I will not receive a grade for the examination.
  5. I agree and understand that if anyone observes any action of mine that may be interpreted as violating or potentially violating test administration rules, the test will be halted immediately, and I will receive no grade for the examination.
  6. I agree and understand that if I violate any part of this agreement, (i) my test results will be canceled, (ii) I may be subject to further sanctions and/or legal action, and (iii) I will not be allowed to re-apply for the examination for a minimum of three years.
  7. I agree and understand that if ABOG discovers I have violated any terms or conditions of this agreement after I have been awarded Diplomate status, such status will be revoked.
  8. I agree and understand that, if requested by ABOG, I will fully participate in the investigation of any suspected violation of the terms and conditions of this agreement by any candidate.
  9. I attest that since the date of my application and to the day of my examination, I have had no (i) limitation or suspension of hospital privileges, (ii) substance abuse offenses, or (iii) suspension, revocation or restriction placed on my license to practice medicine in any state or country.
  10. I agree and understand ABOG is authorized to make my name and business address available on request to the public including, but not limited to, hospitals, insurers, agencies of government, specialty societies, laypersons, my Program Director(s), and/or the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
  11. I agree and understand that de-identified results of my examination may be used for research purposes by ABOG or other parties requesting the same.
  12. I agree and understand that my results may be released to my Program Director(s) by name.
  13. I agree and understand that, if I am certified as a Diplomate, ABOG is authorized to provide my professional personal identifiable information to other entities for a proper purpose. Some of these professional medical organizations include Obstetrics & Gynecology, The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Medical Association (AMA), American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS), Society for Gynecologic Oncology (SGO), Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), and the Society for Family Planning (SFP).
  14. I agree and understand that I may not appeal the results of the examination based on the format of the examination, the sufficiency or accuracy of the answers to examination questions, the scoring of the examination, or the cut score used to determine the passing grade for the examination.
  15. I agree to indemnify, defend, and hold ABOG harmless against any losses, liabilities, damages, claims, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and court costs) arising out of any claims or suits, whatever their nature and however arising, in whole or in part, which may be brought or made against ABOG in connection with: (i) any claims which are caused, directly or indirectly by any negligent act, omission, illegal or willful misconduct by me; (ii) my misuse of a certification; or (iii) my use or misuse of ABOG’s proprietary and/or confidential information.
  16. Under no circumstances will ABOG be liable for any consequential, special, incidental, exemplary, or indirect damages arising from or relating to this agreement, even if ABOG has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
  17. The failure to enforce or the waiver by ABOG of a default or breach of this agreement shall not be considered a waiver of any subsequent default or breach.
  18. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas. The exclusive jurisdiction of any suit arising out of, relating to, or in any way connected with this agreement shall be in the state or federal courts, as applicable, located in Dallas, Texas.
  19. Provisions that survive termination or expiration of this agreement include those pertaining to limitation of liability, indemnification, nondisclosure, and others that by their nature are intended to survive.


Additional information about test security can be found on the ABOG website under Policies.

View the URPS Certifying Exam Bulletin here.

 

Contact the Exams Department at exams@abog.org or 214.871.1619.