The American Board of Surgery (ABS) grants “board certification” after completion of residency and passing of the “boards”. They are comprised of two separate examinations: the ABS Qualifying Exam (QE) and the ABS Certifying Exam (CE).
American Board of Surgery – Qualifying Exam
The ABS-QE, also known as the “written boards”, is an 8-hour computer-based examination, similar to the ABSITE. It consists of approximately 300 multiple-choice questions given over 8-hours. It is generally taken after graduation although some residents may elect to take it early, after PGY-4. It is only offered once per year in mid-July. Graduates will have a total of 4-opportunities within a 4-year period to pass. You must first pass the ABS-QE before you can sit for the ABS-CE.
American Board of Surgery – Certifying Exam
The ABS-CE is also known as the “oral boards”. It consists of three 30-minute oral examination sessions/rooms. Each session/room consists of 4 individual cases for a total of 12 cases throughout the day. Each session/room is led by two examiners that will independently grade the scenarios. According to the ABS, it is “designed to assess a candidate’s surgical judgment, clinical reasoning skills and problem-solving ability.” The content is aligned with the SCORE curriculum, with the majority focusing on “core” topics with a few scenarios covering “advanced” topics. Historically, the ABS-CE has been administered in a hotel room setting but with the recent COVID pandemic it is being moved to a Zoom electronic interview setting. The exam is generally administered twice per year (November and March). Graduates will have a total of 3-opportunities within a 3-year period to pass, only one attempt allowed per academic year.
The most effective and up-to-date oral board review book available. Focused on diagnosis and treatment in bullet-point format, this book will help you formulate a reasonable and safe approach to surgical pathology and master your oral boards.
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