Accommodations
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is committed to providing equitable testing environments for all physicians, including those with disabilities and nursing mothers.
ABIM offers reasonable accommodations to ensure that examination results reflect physicians' knowledge and skills without barriers created by individual circumstances.
Physicians with Disabilities
In compliance with title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ABIM provides accommodations to physicians with documented disabilities. A disability is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities compared to most people in the general population.
Common Testing Accommodations
The following testing accommodations have been requested and, if appropriate, granted by ABIM:
- Additional testing time
- Extra break time
- Large-font exam materials
- Left-handed mouse setup
- Permission to use diabetic supplies
- Permission to have water in a spill-proof bottle and/or a small snack
- Prescribed medication (other than pills)
- Separate testing room
- Trackball mouse
This is not an all-inclusive list of possible testing accommodations. ABIM considers the full range of available accommodations to assist physicians with disabilities.
Physicians who wish to receive extra time, extra breaks or a separate testing room must agree to refrain from discussing exam content with other test takers for the duration of their examination.
When providing certain accommodations, ABIM reserves the right to determine the location of the exam administration on the basis of the feasibility of providing necessary services.
Request a New Accommodation for a Disability
The steps to apply and the documentation requirements in this section are intended to be limited to the minimum amount of information necessary for ABIM to determine whether a candidate is entitled to the requested testing accommodation.
Consistent with the requirements of the ADA, ABIM will consider all documentation submitted and recognizes that no one piece of evidence may be dispositive in making a testing accommodation determination. Therefore, if a physician cannot provide results from a specific test or evaluation instrument, this may not necessarily preclude the physician from receiving their requested accommodation, if the documentation otherwise provided by the physician, in its entirety, is sufficient to demonstrate that they have a qualifying disability and require a testing accommodation. Supporting medical documentation is the physician's responsibility and is prepared and obtained at the physician's expense.
In ABIM's experience, the vast majority of testing accommodation requests supported by the documentation described herein can be reviewed in a timely manner and are granted.
Once granted, a testing accommodation will be offered for any future examination administration. To request the same accommodation, reapply for an ABIM-approved accommodation.
Comfort aids are small, medically necessary items that require approval prior to being permitted into the testing room.
Pearson VUE test centers do not require individuals to seek prior approval from ABIM to bring certain comfort aids into the testing room. View the current list of items allowed on the Pearson VUE website before you arrive for your exam.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section - All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation - Requests for comfort aids that require prior approval should include:
- A completed comfort aid form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Please note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include the following:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- A description of the accommodations recommended by you
- A desciption of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
Comfort aids are small, medically necessary items that require approval prior to being permitted into the testing room.
Pearson VUE test centers do not require individuals to seek prior approval from ABIM to bring certain comfort aids into the testing room. View the current list of items allowed on the Pearson VUE website before you arrive for your exam.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section - All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation - Requests for comfort aids that require prior approval should include:
- A completed comfort aid form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Please note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include the following:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- A description of the accommodations recommended by you
- A desciption of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodation based on a physical, visual or hearing disability should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation requested
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of any past accommodations that you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include the following:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- A description of the accommodations recommended by you
- A description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodation based on a physical, visual or hearing disability should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation requested
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of any past accommodations that you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include the following:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- A description of the accommodations recommended by you
- A description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
Many learning disabilities are not readily observable, and the definition and etiological criteria used for diagnosing such impairments do not necessarily have consensual validation in the medical and psychological communities.
ABIM defines a “learning disability” as a specifically diagnosed learning disorder, based on standard nomenclature and diagnostic criteria, impacting one or more mental abilities such as using language, processing information and learning, that may be manifest in the ability to read, spell, write and perform mathematical operations.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations based on a learning disability should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- Your education history, including the following:
- A statement describing the impact that your condition has had in academic and vocational settings
- The name, location and dates of all schools attended from elementary school to the present
- Copies of all available grade reports, including your GPA from college and any post-graduate programs completed
- Copies of all available test scores on standardized testing from elementary school through the present, such as the SAT or MCAT
- A list and, where applicable, copies of approval letters for accommodations you have received for the stated impairment in the course of taking other tests or examinations in an academic setting, including a description of the accommodation and the documentation submitted with that request
- If the accommodation requested has been sought previously and denied, an explanation of the circumstances involved
- Description of any special education services provided by your school and the grades for which they were provided
- An indication of whether or not you received an individualized education plan (IEP) and the grades for which it was in effect
- If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a professional (psychiatrist or licensed psychologist) who regularly practices neuropsychology. The evaluation should have been performed while you were an adult and preferably within the last five years. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what this this evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabiliation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of your impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which the your report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation should include:
- A diagnostic interview that contains a description of the test taker's current complaints and difficulties. Relevant developmental and psychosocial histories should be addressed, including whether English was the your first language. For cases in which English was not the test taker's first language, the history should address the primary language spoken in the test taker's childhood home, when English was learned and what language(s) were utilized in the course of the test taker's education.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of an individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Assessment of information, processing variables underlying the test taker's learning disability including both verbal and nonverbal assessments of attention, memory and other processing variables relevant to the disability in question.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement appropriate to the test taker's age. The achievement testing should be sufficiently comprehensive to cover skills in the areas of reading skills, including reading, spelling and arithmetic. To this end, comprehensive achievement test such as the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement or the Wechsler Individualized Achievement Test III is necessary. In addition, the achievement testing should include a timed, standardized reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Form G or Form H). The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, however, does not include age norms, and therefore, scores should be provided based on thest test taker's current grade level as well as for first year college norms.
- Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the your current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Many learning disabilities are not readily observable, and the definition and etiological criteria used for diagnosing such impairments do not necessarily have consensual validation in the medical and psychological communities.
ABIM defines a “learning disability” as a specifically diagnosed learning disorder, based on standard nomenclature and diagnostic criteria, impacting one or more mental abilities such as using language, processing information and learning, that may be manifest in the ability to read, spell, write and perform mathematical operations.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations based on a learning disability should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- Your education history, including the following:
- A statement describing the impact that your condition has had in academic and vocational settings
- The name, location and dates of all schools attended from elementary school to the present
- Copies of all available grade reports, including your GPA from college and any post-graduate programs completed
- Copies of all available test scores on standardized testing from elementary school through the present, such as the SAT or MCAT
- A list and, where applicable, copies of approval letters for accommodations you have received for the stated impairment in the course of taking other tests or examinations in an academic setting, including a description of the accommodation and the documentation submitted with that request
- If the accommodation requested has been sought previously and denied, an explanation of the circumstances involved
- Description of any special education services provided by your school and the grades for which they were provided
- An indication of whether or not you received an individualized education plan (IEP) and the grades for which it was in effect
- If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a professional (psychiatrist or licensed psychologist) who regularly practices neuropsychology. The evaluation should have been performed while you were an adult and preferably within the last five years. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what this this evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabiliation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of your impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which the your report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation should include:
- A diagnostic interview that contains a description of the test taker's current complaints and difficulties. Relevant developmental and psychosocial histories should be addressed, including whether English was the your first language. For cases in which English was not the test taker's first language, the history should address the primary language spoken in the test taker's childhood home, when English was learned and what language(s) were utilized in the course of the test taker's education.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of an individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Assessment of information, processing variables underlying the test taker's learning disability including both verbal and nonverbal assessments of attention, memory and other processing variables relevant to the disability in question.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement appropriate to the test taker's age. The achievement testing should be sufficiently comprehensive to cover skills in the areas of reading skills, including reading, spelling and arithmetic. To this end, comprehensive achievement test such as the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement or the Wechsler Individualized Achievement Test III is necessary. In addition, the achievement testing should include a timed, standardized reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Form G or Form H). The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, however, does not include age norms, and therefore, scores should be provided based on thest test taker's current grade level as well as for first year college norms.
- Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the your current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity present since early childhood that interferes significantly with academic, occupational or social functioning.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations based on ADHD should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation requested
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- Your education history including:
- A statement describing the impact ADHD has had in academic and vocational settings
- The name, location and dates of all schools attended from elementary school to the present
- Copies of all available grade reports, including your GPA from college and any post-graduate programs completed, and all available test scores on standardized testing from elementary school through the present, such as the SAT or MCAT
- A list and, where applicable, copies of approval letters for accommodations you have received for the stated impairment in the course of taking other standardized tests or examinations in an academic setting, including a description of the accommodation and the documentation submitted with that request
- If the accommodation requested has been sought previously and denied, an explanation of the circumstances involved
- A description of any special education services provided by your school and the grades for which they were provided
- An indication of whether or not you received an individualized education plan (IEP) and the grades for which it was in effect
- If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a professional (psychiatrist or licensed psychologist) who regularly practices neuropsychology. The evaluation should have been performed while you were an adult and preferably within the last five years. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what this evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by your impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation should include:
- A diagnostic interview including a report of the test taker's current symptoms and complaints, history of when symptoms began, how they have been treated and the effects of treatment. This history should address co-morbid and co-occurring psychological and neuropsychological conditions that might impact differential diagnosis. It should also address the test taker's educational history and linguistic history, including first language spoken. In cases in which English was not the test taker's first language, the predominant language spoken in the test taker's childhood home, when English was first learned, and what language or languages were used in the course of the test taker's education should be addressed.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of an individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Assessments of sustained attention such as the TOVA or Continuous Performance Test and assessments of information processing including but not limited to tests of executive mental functions such as subtests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, and measures of learning and memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition and/or California Verbal Learning Test-II.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement appropriate to the test taker's age. At minimum, achievement testing should include a complete assessment of reading skills. In addition, the achievement testing should include a timed, standardized reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, however, does not include age norms, and therefore, scores should be provided based on the test taker's current grade level as well as for first year college norms.
- Comprehensive, psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning that contains built-in validity measures, including quantitative measures of emotional functioning, such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Where appropriate and indicated based on the history, more comprehensive assessment of personality and emotional functioning such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) are suggested.
- Quantitative symptom rating scales appropriate to the test taker's age. Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity present since early childhood that interferes significantly with academic, occupational or social functioning.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations based on ADHD should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement that includes the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation requested
- Description of any alternative accommodations
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- Your education history including:
- A statement describing the impact ADHD has had in academic and vocational settings
- The name, location and dates of all schools attended from elementary school to the present
- Copies of all available grade reports, including your GPA from college and any post-graduate programs completed, and all available test scores on standardized testing from elementary school through the present, such as the SAT or MCAT
- A list and, where applicable, copies of approval letters for accommodations you have received for the stated impairment in the course of taking other standardized tests or examinations in an academic setting, including a description of the accommodation and the documentation submitted with that request
- If the accommodation requested has been sought previously and denied, an explanation of the circumstances involved
- A description of any special education services provided by your school and the grades for which they were provided
- An indication of whether or not you received an individualized education plan (IEP) and the grades for which it was in effect
- If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological and/or psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a professional (psychiatrist or licensed psychologist) who regularly practices neuropsychology. The evaluation should have been performed while you were an adult and preferably within the last five years. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what this evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by your impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
- A diagnostic interview including a report of the test taker's current symptoms and complaints, history of when symptoms began, how they have been treated and the effects of treatment. This history should address co-morbid and co-occurring psychological and neuropsychological conditions that might impact differential diagnosis. It should also address the test taker's educational history and linguistic history, including first language spoken. In cases in which English was not the test taker's first language, the predominant language spoken in the test taker's childhood home, when English was first learned, and what language or languages were used in the course of the test taker's education should be addressed.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of an individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Assessments of sustained attention such as the TOVA or Continuous Performance Test and assessments of information processing including but not limited to tests of executive mental functions such as subtests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, and measures of learning and memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition and/or California Verbal Learning Test-II.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement appropriate to the test taker's age. At minimum, achievement testing should include a complete assessment of reading skills. In addition, the achievement testing should include a timed, standardized reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, however, does not include age norms, and therefore, scores should be provided based on the test taker's current grade level as well as for first year college norms.
- Comprehensive, psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning that contains built-in validity measures, including quantitative measures of emotional functioning, such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Where appropriate and indicated based on the history, more comprehensive assessment of personality and emotional functioning such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) are suggested.
- Quantitative symptom rating scales appropriate to the test taker's age. Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Acquired neurocognitive impairments are those caused by injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury/concussion, penetrating heard wound, blast injury) or disease process (e.g., stroke, bacterial meningitis).
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations for ABIM examinations based on neurocognitive impairments should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement containing the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations.
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of past accommodations you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the professional report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation conducted by an appropriately qualified professional. The evaluation should include assessments of intelligence, memory and brain-sensitive neuropsychological functional limitations caused by your condition. Testing should be sufficiently recent to describe your current limitations and the limitations that can reasonably be expected to be present at the time you take the exam for which you have applied. If you are still in a process of recovery and have not yet plateaued, then the evaluation should be sufficiently recent to reasonably be assumed to describe your anticipated limitations as of the time of your ABIM examination. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what thecomprehensive neuropsychological evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report shoud include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker’s impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which the evaluator’s report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation should include:
- A diagnostic interview addressing the test taker's premorbid level of functioning both in academic and professional settings, as well as premorbid functioning in the context of standardized evaluations such as the SAT, MCAT and prior board examinations.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of the test taker's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- A complete, integrated neuropsychological battery, such as the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery or a flexible battery that addresses motor skills, sensory functions, perceptual motor functions and cognitive processes such as executive mental functions, attention and concentration, and abstract reasoning skills.
- Memory assessments utilizing an age-normed, standardized instrument assessing both verbal and nonverbal memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV).
- A quantitative assessment of emotional stats, with symptom measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and where appropriate, a psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory.
- Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Acquired neurocognitive impairments are those caused by injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury/concussion, penetrating heard wound, blast injury) or disease process (e.g., stroke, bacterial meningitis).
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations for ABIM examinations based on neurocognitive impairments should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement containing the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations.
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of past accommodations you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the professional report should contain.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation conducted by an appropriately qualified professional. The evaluation should include assessments of intelligence, memory and brain-sensitive neuropsychological functional limitations caused by your condition. Testing should be sufficiently recent to describe your current limitations and the limitations that can reasonably be expected to be present at the time you take the exam for which you have applied. If you are still in a process of recovery and have not yet plateaued, then the evaluation should be sufficiently recent to reasonably be assumed to describe your anticipated limitations as of the time of your ABIM examination. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what thecomprehensive neuropsychological evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report shoud include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker’s impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which the evaluator’s report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation should include:
- A diagnostic interview addressing the test taker's premorbid level of functioning both in academic and professional settings, as well as premorbid functioning in the context of standardized evaluations such as the SAT, MCAT and prior board examinations.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of the test taker's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- A complete, integrated neuropsychological battery, such as the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery or a flexible battery that addresses motor skills, sensory functions, perceptual motor functions and cognitive processes such as executive mental functions, attention and concentration, and abstract reasoning skills.
- Memory assessments utilizing an age-normed, standardized instrument assessing both verbal and nonverbal memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV).
- A quantitative assessment of emotional stats, with symptom measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and where appropriate, a psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory.
- Explicit, cognitive symptom validity measures, including raw scores for the symptom validity test(s) used.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Psychological/psychiatric conditions refer to disturbances in emotions and/or behavior that cause clinically significant distress and interfere with adaptive functioning, including vocational and/or social functioning.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations for ABIM examinations based on a psychological/psychiatric condition should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement containing the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations.
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of past accommodations you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the professional report should contain.
- A comprehensive psychological evaluation conducted by an appropriately qualified professional. The evaluation should include objective psychometric test procedures and have been performed within the past five years. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker’s impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive psychological evaluation should include objective psychometric test procedures and have been performed within the past five years. It should include:
- A history and clinical interview addressing the course of the condition, including fluctuations in severity and periods of remission.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of the individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Attention and memory assessments utilizing an age-normed, standardized instrument assessing both verbal and nonverbal memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV).
- A comprehensive assessment of affected mental capacities including, for example, tests of mental speed and flexibility such as the Trail Making Test and tests of executive function such as evaluation by the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement, including assessment of affected functions such as reading, reading speed, and reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test.
- A comprehensive, psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning that contains built-in validity measures, including quantitative measures of emotional functioning, such as Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). Additional quantitative measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) are also suggested.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Psychological/psychiatric conditions refer to disturbances in emotions and/or behavior that cause clinically significant distress and interfere with adaptive functioning, including vocational and/or social functioning.
For Test Takers
Step 1: Review the accommodations section: All candidates should review the policies in their entirety to ensure that they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation.
Step 2: Gather/complete required documentation: All requests for accommodations for ABIM examinations based on a psychological/psychiatric condition should include the following pieces of documentation:
- A completed accommodations request form (pdf)
- A signed Verification and Release Form (pdf)
- A personal statement containing the following. (You can use the request form above to complete your personal statement.)
- Your name and contact information
- Title of the exam for which you are requesting an accommodation
- Description of the specific accommodation you are requesting
- Description of any alternative accommodations.
- Description of the nature of your impairment, including:
- When it was first identified or diagnosed
- When it was last evaluated and/or treated
- The name of the professional who evaluated and/or treated the condition
- How your impairment is accommodated in your daily life
- A list and, where applicable, documentation of past accommodations you have received for standardized testing or in academic settings. If you have received no previous accommodations, then you should provide an explanation for why no accommodations have been received in the past and why accommodations are necessary now.
- A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the professional report should contain.
- A comprehensive psychological evaluation conducted by an appropriately qualified professional. The evaluation should include objective psychometric test procedures and have been performed within the past five years. See the “For Evaluators” section below for details of what the evaluation should contain.
Step 3: Submit your request by the registration deadline: Before the examination registration deadline, submit your written request and documentation to accommodations@abim.org.
Step 4: Request evaluation - ABIM will conduct an evaluation of your request and notify you in writing with a determination.
Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.
For Evaluators
Your professional report should include:
- Your name, address and phone number
- Your area of specialty/expertise
- Description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
- Description of the accommodations recommended by you
- Description of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
- Documentation addressing whether the test taker’s impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
- Objective evidence of functional limitations:
- A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
- Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based
Your comprehensive psychological evaluation should include objective psychometric test procedures and have been performed within the past five years. It should include:
- A history and clinical interview addressing the course of the condition, including fluctuations in severity and periods of remission.
- A comprehensive and complete assessment of aptitude. The recommended evaluation procedure is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) because abbreviated measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-II) do not provide a complete picture of the individual's relative strengths and weaknesses in order to assess functional impairment.
- Attention and memory assessments utilizing an age-normed, standardized instrument assessing both verbal and nonverbal memory such as the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV).
- A comprehensive assessment of affected mental capacities including, for example, tests of mental speed and flexibility such as the Trail Making Test and tests of executive function such as evaluation by the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System.
- A comprehensive assessment of academic skills and achievement, including assessment of affected functions such as reading, reading speed, and reading comprehension test, such as the Nelson-Denny Reading Test.
- A comprehensive, psychometric assessment of personality and emotional functioning that contains built-in validity measures, including quantitative measures of emotional functioning, such as Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) or Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). Additional quantitative measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) are also suggested.
- Test scores, in the form of standard scores and percentiles. All scores should be based on appropriate age norms, except in the case of a test for which no age norms are available. For tests that only have grade-based norms, scores should be provided for first year college norms, as well as the norms based on the test taker's current grade.
- A specific diagnosis based on standard, accepted diagnostic nomenclature and supported by the history and objective test data.
Reapply for an Approved Accommodation for a Disability
To request the same accommodation for another exam, email accommodations@abim.org with:
- Your name and contact information
- The title and administration period of the ABIM exam(s) for which that accommodation was approved
- The title of the exam for which you are now seeking the accommodation
- Description of the accommodation(s) previously received
You do not need to re-submit medical documentation of your need for the same accommodation on a future examination.
If you were previously approved for an accommodation by another organization similar to ABIM, you may be granted the same accommodation by ABIM. Candidates requesting such consideration should submit a written request for accommodation to the address above that includes:
- Your completed request form (pdf)
- A letter from the organization that administered the exam for which you received the requested accommodation stating that the requested accommodation had been approved
- A copy of all documentation sent to the other testing organization in support of your request
How Requests are Evaluated
After a request for a testing accommodation is submitted with the necessary supporting documentation, ABIM conducts an evaluation of the request.
Once all supporting documentation is reviewed, ABIM may need to request additional information to verify the existence of a disability and the need for a testing accommodation.
ABIM cannot delay administration of an examination pending submission of any missing documentation. In addition, in some cases, ABIM may require an independent review. Therefore, if, in ABIM’s judgment, it is not clear whether an individual is disabled or whether a requested accommodation is needed, ABIM may engage an outside expert at its own expense to review all submitted documentation and to render an opinion.
ABIM's review will entail an assessment of the following issues:
- Does the individual have a disability? In other words, does the individual have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities as compared to most people in the general population?
- Will the disability prevent the results of the applied-for examination from accurately reflecting the individual's medical knowledge or clinical judgment or other factor the examination measures?
- Would provision of the requested accommodation enable the results of the applied-for examination to accurately reflect the individual's medical knowledge or clinical judgment or other factor the examination measures?
- Would the requested accommodation fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the examination is intended to test, or would it impose an undue burden on ABIM?
- If ABIM cannot provide the requested accommodation, are there alternative accommodations that can be made available?
The determination of each of these issues will be made in accordance with applicable provisions of the ADA and any applicable state or local laws and regulations.
Upon completing its review of a candidate’s request for an accommodation and all supporting documentation, ABIM will notify the candidate in writing of its determination regarding the requested accommodation and the basis for that determination.
Whether a given testing modification is appropriate will be evaluated based on the reported impairment and the test taker's individual circumstances, taking into account any specific limitations and needs.
If it is determined that a requested modification would fall into either of these categories, ABIM will contact the requesting physician to determine whether some other form of modification will satisfy their needs. If no alternative accommodations can be identified, ABIM will contact the the requesting physician, notify them of this fact and invite them to identify any other form of testing accommodation they wish to be considered.
If the requesting physician is dissatisfied with ABIM's determination concerning their request for accommodation, they may request a reconsideration of the determination. To do so, the physician must send a letter to ABIM stating in detail why they believe the determination was incorrect. The letter should include any additional documentation they wish ABIM to consider. Requests for reconsideration must be received by ABIM within 60 calendar days of the date appearing on ABIM's written determination concerning the request for accommodation. Requests for reconsideration should be emailed to accommodations@abim.org.
Requests for reconsideration will be reviewed by the leadership of ABIM. Upon review, ABIM may grant or deny the request, or seek additional information from the requesting physician.
If a request for reconsideration is successfully resolved after the applicable registration deadline, ABIM cannot guarantee that the physician will be able to sit for the current examination with an accommodation, particularly when the accommodation requires time-intensive preparation, such as special formatting. In such cases, registered physicians may to sit for the examination in the current administration without accommodation or request a refund for the examination fee.
Please note: Only reconsideration requests submitted directly by the test taker will be processed. Submissions from a representative or on behalf of the test taker are not permitted.
ABIM prefers to communicate directly with physicians requesting accommodations. If necessary, and upon the physician's explicit consent, ABIM may communicate with a designated representative regarding the accommodation request. All information related to accommodation requests is kept confidential and shared only with individuals involved in the decision-making and implementation process.
For any questions or to submit accommodation requests, please email accommodations@abim.org or call 1-800-441-2246.
Deadlines for ADA Accommodation Requests
All requests must be received by the examination's registration deadline.
Submitting requests well in advance is highly recommended, as some accommodations require substantial time to arrange.
|
Exam Type |
Late Registration Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Internal Medicine Certification Exams |
April 28 |
|
Subspecialty Certification Exams |
June 28 |
|
Spring Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams |
February 28 |
|
Fall Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams |
August 15 |
|
Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment - Quarter 1 |
February 28 |
|
Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment - Quarter 2 |
May 31 |
Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) will consider requests for medically necessary testing accommodations to support pregnant and nursing mothers.
Important note: All physicians requesting an accommodation should review these policies in their entirety to ensure they understand their rights and obligations when requesting a testing accommodation. Evaluation of requests for testing accommodations, including review of supporting medical documentation, can be a time-intensive process.
Therefore, physicians seeking a testing accommodation should pay careful attention to the deadlines and submit their testing accommodation request and supporting documentation to ABIM as soon as possible.
Accommodations for Nursing Mothers
ABIM recognizes the importance of supporting nursing mothers during examinations. We consider requests for medically necessary testing accommodations to facilitate this.
Nursing mother will have:
- 60 minutes of break time added to the standard pool of scheduled break time found in the specific exam.
- A private space with an electrical outlet, that is not a restroom, for lactating purposes.
Children are not permitted at Pearson VUE test centers. Please email accommodations@abim.org to discuss options if you are exclusively breastfeeding.
Nursing mother will have:
- 60 minutes of break time added to the standard pool of scheduled break time found in the specific exam.
- A private space with an electrical outlet, that is not a restroom, for lactating purposes.
Children are not permitted at Pearson VUE test centers. Please email accommodations@abim.org to discuss options if you are exclusively breastfeeding.
All requests should include:
- A completed nursing mother request form (pdf)
- Documentation from a medical provider demonstrating the need for an accommodation – ordinarily, a physician's letter stating the candidate's delivery date and the accommodation they require
Please note: To maximize the potential that a nursing mother will have access to private space to express breast milk during an ABIM exam, ABIM must receive a request for such space at least 30 days prior to the physician’s exam date. Space is provided on a first come, first served basis and is subject to availability. This could require a candidate to travel to a test center that has private space available.
All requests should include:
- A completed nursing mother request form (pdf)
- Documentation from a medical provider demonstrating the need for an accommodation – ordinarily, a physician's letter stating the candidate's delivery date and the accommodation they require
Please note: To maximize the potential that a nursing mother will have access to private space to express breast milk during an ABIM exam, ABIM must receive a request for such space at least 30 days prior to the physician’s exam date. Space is provided on a first come, first served basis and is subject to availability. This could require a candidate to travel to a test center that has private space available.
Accommodations for Pregnant Women
ABIM will work with pregnant women on an individual basis to determine the best timing or comfort accommodation. We understand that your needs may vary based on how far along you are in your pregnancy.
The following is a list of common pregnancy testing accommodations that have been requested prior to the deadline and, if appropriate, granted by ABIM:
- Modified exam format
- Permission to have water in a clear, spill-proof bottle
- Prescribed medication (note: pills do not require pre-approval)
Simply contact accommodations@abim.org and our accommodations team will provide any available options for your unique circumstance.
The following is a list of common pregnancy testing accommodations that have been requested prior to the deadline and, if appropriate, granted by ABIM:
- Modified exam format
- Permission to have water in a clear, spill-proof bottle
- Prescribed medication (note: pills do not require pre-approval)
Simply contact accommodations@abim.org and our accommodations team will provide any available options for your unique circumstance.
All requests should include:
- A completed pregnant mother request form (pdf)
- Documentation from a medical provider demonstrating the need for an accommodation – ordinarily, a physician's letter stating the candidate's delivery date and the accommodation they require
Requests and supporting documentation must be received no later than 60 days prior to the scheduled exam date. However, we recommend submitting your requests as far in advance of that deadline as possible. Some requests, once granted, may involve a substantial period of time to make the necessary arrangements while also protecting the integrity of the examination, particularly if it involves a special format.
Deadlines for Accommodation Requests
All requests must be received by the examination's registration deadline.
Submitting requests well in advance is highly recommended, as some accommodations require substantial time to arrange.
Exam Type
Late Registration Deadline
Internal Medicine Certification Exams
April 28
Subspecialty Certification Exams
June 28
Spring Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams
February 28
Fall Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams
August 15
All requests should include:
- A completed pregnant mother request form (pdf)
- Documentation from a medical provider demonstrating the need for an accommodation – ordinarily, a physician's letter stating the candidate's delivery date and the accommodation they require
Requests and supporting documentation must be received no later than 60 days prior to the scheduled exam date. However, we recommend submitting your requests as far in advance of that deadline as possible. Some requests, once granted, may involve a substantial period of time to make the necessary arrangements while also protecting the integrity of the examination, particularly if it involves a special format.
Deadlines for Accommodation Requests
All requests must be received by the examination's registration deadline.
Submitting requests well in advance is highly recommended, as some accommodations require substantial time to arrange.
|
Exam Type |
Late Registration Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Internal Medicine Certification Exams |
April 28 |
|
Subspecialty Certification Exams |
June 28 |
|
Spring Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams |
February 28 |
|
Fall Traditional 10-Year MOC Exams |
August 15 |
