Each ABPN examination is developed by a committee, chaired by an ABPN director, and comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs) who have been trained in the principles of item writing. In addition to content expertise, the ABPN strives to achieve a balance in terms of other factors such as involvement in residency and fellowship training, geographic location, gender, and cultural background. A typical test development cycle is one year. Test scoring typically takes 8-12 weeks, depending on the number of examinations administered in the same time frame.
Certification and Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
Certification examinations
Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
The items on ABPN’s article-based continuing certification (ABCC) examinations are carefully designed to measure meaningful and plausible testing points (e.g., diagnosis, management, etc.), without the influence of assumptions, bias, or stereotypes. When examinees select the correct (keyed) response, they are given credit because they are demonstrating what the examination item is designed to measure. ABPN examination committees encourage thoughtful consideration of patient characteristics, while at the same time striving to promote diversity and present patients who reflect the populations served by the examinees.
Many test items in this examination contain descriptions of patients. Characteristics of a patient such as age, sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, native language, country of origin, and/or occupation are sometimes mentioned within case vignettes in test items. Some patient characteristics may be important inputs into the diagnostic reasoning process. Inclusion of some characteristics may increase the clinical verisimilitude of the patient cases. Their inclusion, however, as in actual clinical practice, may lead to incorrect conclusions and misdiagnoses. Among the latter are characteristics that could potentially be associated with harmful patient stereotypes.
In the context of item creation, race is considered a social construct not linked to biology or susceptibility to disease. This is similarly true of ethnicity and culture, heritage, or even country of origin. Ancestry, if known, may be biologically important, and thus may be relevant to factors relating to health and disease. In addition, when and if these characteristics are included in items, they should be considered based on patient self-report, not the assumption of the physician.
Based on the thinking above, some of the question stems can be brief and if the reference to a patient is general, patient characteristics are likely omitted unless directly relevant to the question at hand. On the other hand, if the question stem includes a portrayal of a specific patient (including vignettes for linked item sets), it is reasonable to at least include the patient’s age and sex.
Additional patient characteristics may be included for any of several reasons, including if they:
Certification examinations
Certification examinations
Certification examinations
Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
Certification examinations
Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
Certification examinations
Certification examinations
Certification and Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) examinations
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