Initial Certification
Taking the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Exam

• Key Exam Dates
• Exam Content and Blueprint
• Scoring and Reporting of Exam Results

Key Exam Dates

Note: Exam results are released within three months of the last exam date.

Exam Content and Blueprint

What Does the Examination Cover?

Click here to see the detailed Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Certification exam blueprint (pdf), which includes the content areas covered, their relative percentages, and the approximate number of questions in each area to expect on a typical exam.

Exam Administration

The exam lasts one day. Multiple editions, or "forms," of the exam are used, and they may differ in question order and content. Some questions require the interpretation of illustrative materials such as electrocardiograms, radiographs and photomicrographs (e.g., blood films, Gram stains, urine sediments). A list of normal laboratory values is provided. Refer to this list to interpret values given in the questions because they may differ from those to which you are accustomed.

Exam Development

A complete description of the process used to develop ABIM exams is available in How Exams Are Developed. Topics include:

• Pretesting
• Question content criteria
• Question-writing process
• Question review/editing process
• Relevance review, and more

Question Format

The exam consists of single best answer questions only. This type of question consists of a brief statement, case history, graph, or picture followed by a question and list of possible options. You must choose the one answer that is better than the others; note that other options may be partially correct. Familiarizing yourself with the question format in advance may help you work more effectively.

Copyright and Examination Non-Disclosure Policy

All ABIM materials are protected by the federal Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101, et seq. Access to all such materials, as further detailed below, is strictly conditioned upon agreement to abide by ABIM's rights under the Copyright Act and to maintain examination confidentiality.

ABIM examinations are confidential, in addition to being protected by federal copyright and trade secret laws. Candidates and diplomates who undertake examinations agree that they will not copy, reproduce, adapt, disclose, or transmit examinations, in whole or in part, before or after taking an examination, by any means now known or hereafter invented. They further agree that they will not reconstruct examination content from memory, by dictation, or by any other means or otherwise discuss examination content with others. Candidates and Diplomates further acknowledge that disclosure or any other use of ABIM examination content constitutes professional misconduct and may expose them to criminal as well as civil liability, and may also result in ABIM's imposition of penalties against them, including but not limited to, invalidation of examination results, exclusion from future examinations, suspension, revocation of certification and other sanctions.

With respect to ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) products, including its Medical Knowledge Modules and ABIM PIMs Practice Improvement Modules^®, candidates agree that they will not copy, reproduce or make any adaptations of such materials in any manner; and will not assist someone else in the infringement or misuse of these or any other ABIM-copyrighted works.

Scoring and Reporting of Exam Results

Scoring

The examination pass-fail decision is based on your performance on the entire examination. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; therefore, you should answer every question. The minimum passing score reflects an absolute standard that is independent of the performance of any group of candidates. This standard has been established by the examination committee and approved by the ABIM Board of Directors.

Results

• After the exam is given, it will be analyzed and evaluated to ensure the reliability of individual results.
• Your results will be released and a Score Report will be mailed to you within three months of the last date of the exam in that area.
• You will receive e-mail notification when your results are released and an announcement will be posted on ABIM's website. No additional information is available until that time.
• You can obtain your pass/fail status for an exam in the exam history section on your home page under Physician Login when results are released.
• Scores are provided through the mail only. Copies of your Score Report will be maintained for two years from the date they were released. During that period, you may obtain a copy of your Score Report upon written request.
• Questions regarding exam results should be submitted in writing within six months of the date results were released.

Those who pass the examination are designated as certified as diplomates of ABIM. The certificate is valid for ten years. Maintenance of Certification is required for renewal of certificates. The certificates are mailed directly from the engraver within three to four months after candidates are notified of their results. Note: your current board certification status is reported on your Physician Login Home Page.

Pass Rates

Click here to see the First-Time Taker Pass Rates for Initial Certification (pdf).