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Candidate Board Status Descriptions (1)
ABOG is committed to upholding the highest standards of professional conduct and integrity throughout the certification process. Candidates are expected to adhere to strict guidelines that promote fairness, confidentiality, and respect for the examination process. This page outlines the expectations for candidate behavior, the policies governing conflicts of interest, and the procedures in place to ensure a secure and equitable testing environment for the Specialty and Subspecialty Certifying Exams.

 

 

Exam Registration

You will receive an email regarding the time and place of the registration process when they receive information concerning your assigned examination date. If you are late for registration, you may not be allowed to take the exam. 

 

After registration, a brief orientation will be provided. Then you will be escorted to the testing floor. You will be assigned an examination room and will remain there for the three hours of the examination. 

 

 

Exam Format and Examiners

The Specialty Certifying Examination is three hours in length equally divided into the areas of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Office Practice. Each candidate will be assigned an examination room and will remain there for the three hours of the examination. The candidate will be informed of the names of the six examiners—two in Obstetrics, two in Gynecology, and two in Office Practice—who will conduct their examination. If the candidate believes there is a conflict with one or more examiner, the conflict will be investigated. If the decision is made that an actual conflict exists, an alternate examiner will be provided.


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

The Subspecialty Certifying Examination is three hours in length. Each hour will be divided into two sections of approximately 30 minutes, with the first comprising structured cases and the last comprising the candidates’ personal case lists. See the bulletin for the areas covered for each subspecialty. All examinations will be conducted in English and will be administered by two examiners per section.


You will be informed of the names of the six examiners who will conduct your examination. If you believe that one or more examiners would be unable to provide you with an unbiased exam, this will be discussed with an ABOG executive physician. If the decision is made that a conflict exists, an alternate examiner will be provided.

 

Each examiner will score the candidate on all the topics covered within each section. The final grade will be determined analytically following the examination.

 

 

Prohibited Items

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

  • cellular phones 

  • all devices that can record 

  • Apple Watch and similar devices 

 

If you need to use medical equipment during the exam (such as an insulin pump), submit a request for an accommodation. 

 

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

 

You will also not be permitted to bring your thesis or case lists into the examination room. The examiners will choose cases from the submitted electronic case list and display them on the monitor. 

 

 

Test Integrity

Prior to the administration of the exam, you will have a Terms of Agreement task added to your ABOG dashboard. You must sign the Terms of Agreement by the task deadline. If you refuse to sign the agreement, you will not be allowed to take the Certifying Exam. 

 

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