Maintenance of Certification
Taking the Infectious Disease Exam
Key Exam Dates
You must be enrolled in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) at least two weeks prior to the seat scheduling deadline to schedule a seat for the exam.
Note: Exam results are released within three months of the exam date.
| Item | 2011 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | Fall | |
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* These testing dates are available only to candidates with a documented disability requiring additional testing time, as provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please see the ABIM policy on Testing Accommodations for Exam Takers with Disabilities. ** You must be enrolled in MOC at least two weeks prior to this date to schedule your seat in this administration. Responsibility for Deadline Compliance - It is the sole responsibility of the candidate to be aware of and comply with seat scheduling deadlines. In fairness to all candidates, ABIM adheres firmly to its published seat scheduling deadlines for its examinations. Candidates are encouraged to apply early in the seat scheduling period. Scheduling Your Maintenance of Certification Exam provides an overview of how to schedule exams, exam fees, and how to change or cancel exams. |
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| Exam (Note: Dates are subject to change.) | October 5, 2011 | April 18, 2012 | October 11, 2012 |
| Exam for Candidates Requiring Testing Accommodations Across Multiple Days* | November 14-18, 2011 | May 14-18, 2012 | November 12-16, 2012 |
| Seat Scheduling Opens | May 1, 2011 | December 1, 2011 | May 1, 2012 |
| Seat Scheduling Deadline** | August 15, 2011 | February 28, 2012 | August 15, 2012 |
| Deadline Cancellation | 11:59 PM (Eastern time) three (3) days prior to your scheduled examination date. (Example: For exams scheduled Monday, April 12, 2010, the cancellation deadline would be 11:59 PM Eastern time on Friday, April 9, 2010). | ||
Exam Content and Blueprint
What Does the Examination Cover?
Click here to see the detailed Infectious Disease Maintenance of 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.
TopScoring 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.
- ABIM website's Home Page will announce when exam results have been released. 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.
At the end of the 10-year Certification cycle, physicians who pass the Maintenance of Certification Exam, have successfully completed the self-evaluation component, and whose credentials have been verified by ABIM are considered to be recertified for another 10 years. Physicians with a lapsed Certification are considered recertified upon successful completion of these three components. Your current status is reported on your Physician Login Home Page.
Pass Rates
Click here to see the First-Time Taker Pass Rates for Maintenance of Certification (pdf).
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