ABFM Family Medicine

No. Under the 5-Year Cycle, the one-day exam is optional unless you prefer that style of testing. You may instead answer 25 quarterly exam questions until you complete 300 total. The source reports that more than 80% of eligible ABFM board-certified physicians have selected the longitudinal assessment alternative when given the option.

It consists of 300 multiple-choice questions completed within four 95-minute sessions of 75 questions each, with pooled break times. It is administered each April and November at proctored test centers across the US and various international locations. Scores are sent within 6-8 weeks of the testing window.

Instead of answering all 300 questions in one day, you answer 25 online questions every quarter over three to four years. You choose the day, time, and location within each quarter. The questions are timed, you may use references as in practice, and you receive immediate feedback on what you got right or wrong.

Each Diplomate transitions when their next exam requirement is due, not automatically on January 1, 2025. ABFM honors the current 10-year exam requirement: you will not be required to take your next exam earlier than 10 years after you last met it. For example, a Diplomate who met the requirement in 2022 has it due in 2032.

Yes. Most Diplomates complete the longitudinal assessment in three years, but you may roll into a fourth year if needed. If you complete all requirements in four years, you would enjoy the fifth year off with no requirements.

The exam requirement is intended to regularly assess and measure clinical knowledge and demonstrate competency in medical care across the wide spectrum of conditions treated by family physicians. The source pages do not list organ-system percentages or content weights, so plan your preparation around that broad clinical scope rather than a published breakdown.

Prepare across the breadth of family medicine, since the requirement spans the wide spectrum of conditions family physicians treat. For the longitudinal assessment, practice using references efficiently and review the immediate feedback after each quarterly block. For the one-day exam, build stamina for four 95-minute sessions of 75 questions each and rehearse timed question blocks.

The ABFM pages provided here do not state the passing score, examination fee, or retake policy. Rather than rely on unofficial figures, log in to MyABFM Portfolio or contact ABFM directly for your status, deadlines, and any retake or scoring details that apply to your cycle.