ABIM Palliative Care exam-day guide
ABIM Palliative Care · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission permit or scheduling confirmation
Download and print (or save offline) whatever admission document ABIM makes available for your appointment, and confirm the exact test-center address, arrival time, and reporting instructions with ABIM and the test vendor. Do not assume the address on an old email is still correct - verify it the week of the exam.
Primary government-issued photo ID
Bring an unexpired government-issued photo ID with a signature. The first and last name must match your registration exactly; if your ID uses a different form of your name (maiden name, suffix, hyphenation), resolve it with ABIM before exam day rather than at the check-in desk.
Any secondary identification the vendor requires
Some test centers ask for a second ID or a signature-bearing card. Confirm the current requirement with ABIM or the test vendor in advance; do not rely on a student ID, expired passport, or digital copy of a license.
Confirmation number and contact numbers
Carry your registration/confirmation number and the test vendor's phone number in case of a scheduling discrepancy or a delay in transit. Keep them on paper as well as in your phone, since phones are typically stored during testing.
Plan for personal items and storage
Expect to store your phone, watch, bag, and study materials in a locker or designated area, and confirm with the vendor whether a locker is guaranteed or whether you should travel light. Smartwatches and fitness trackers are commonly prohibited at the testing station.
Reviewed interface and tutorial
Complete any free practice test or interface tutorial ABIM or the vendor offers so that navigation, item review, flagging, and the lab-values/reference tools are familiar before the clock starts.
Travel and arrival plan with buffer
Plan to arrive well before your scheduled reporting time - many candidates target 30 minutes early - and identify parking, transit, and backup routes. Late arrival can result in forfeiture of your seat, so confirm the vendor's late-arrival policy beforehand.
Break and timing plan
Confirm with ABIM how breaks are structured and whether the clock stops during them. Decide in advance roughly when you will break, and assume you may need to pass through a security check to re-enter the testing room.
Medications, food, and hydration plan
Bring any medication you may need during the day and a snack or drink for breaks if the center permits it; confirm storage rules with the vendor. Plan a normal night's sleep rather than a late cramming session.
Approved accommodation documentation
If you requested extra time, a separate room, or other accommodations, confirm in writing that they were approved and that the test center has them on file. Accommodations generally cannot be arranged on exam day.
Score reporting expectations
Note how and when ABIM reports results for this exam and what the score report will contain. Confirm the current timeline on ABIM's website rather than relying on what colleagues experienced in prior years.
Nothing that could be considered study material
Leave notes, flashcards, textbooks, and printed summaries at home or in the locker. Bringing reference material into the testing room is a conduct violation, and last-minute review is better placed in the waiting area before check-in.
Plan the day
Re-confirm the appointment: test-center address, reporting time, ID requirements, and any approved accommodations. Re-read ABIM's exam-day rules so nothing at check-in is a surprise. Shift from new content to light consolidation - review your own high-yield summaries, symptom-management tables, and communication frameworks rather than starting unfamiliar material. Protect sleep: move your bedtime earlier across all three nights instead of trying to bank sleep the night before.
Lay out your ID, admission document, confirmation number, and any permitted comfort items in one place. Check the weather and transit advisories and set two alarms. Do a short, low-stakes review (30-60 minutes at most) and then stop. Eat a normal dinner, avoid alcohol, and avoid caffeine after mid-afternoon. Confirm your route and, if driving, where you will park.
Eat a normal breakfast with protein and moderate caffeine if that is your habit - do not experiment with energy drinks or new supplements. Arrive at the center early with your ID and admission document in hand. Use the waiting period for calm breathing or a glance at one or two summary sheets, not for new material. Silence your phone and store it before entering the testing room.
Read the on-screen instructions and confirm the number of items and scheduled breaks. If the interface offers a tutorial or calculator, spend a moment verifying where tools are located. Start with a steady pace rather than rushing to make up imagined lost time, and note the time per item so you can calibrate.
Use breaks deliberately: stand, hydrate, eat a small snack, and take a few slow breaths. Expect fatigue to peak in the third quarter of the exam. For long vignettes, identify the question stem first, then read the data, and be alert to the single best answer versus a bundle of plausible but non-best options. Flag uncertain items and return to them only if time allows.
Reserve the last several minutes to confirm no items were left blank if the platform requires an answer for every item, and to check for accidentally changed answers. Answer every item - there is generally no benefit to leaving a question unanswered unless the scoring rules say otherwise, so confirm that with ABIM. Do not change answers on a hunch alone; change only when you can articulate a specific reason.
Note the date by which ABIM expects to release results, and resist reconstructing items with colleagues - the content is confidential. Debrief on process (pacing, breaks, sleep) only if you may test again, and file any receipts for expenses you may need to document.
Rules to check
Bring the exact ID required and make sure the name matches your registration; if there is any mismatch or you lack acceptable identification, contact ABIM before exam day, because the test center staff generally cannot waive identity requirements.
Treat the exam content as confidential. Sharing, reproducing, or discussing specific items - including on social media or in group chats - is prohibited and can invalidate your result.
Follow the test vendor's rules on personal items: phones, smartwatches, and study materials go into storage, not to the testing station. If you are unsure whether an item is permitted, ask the proctor before the exam begins.
Raise your hand or use the on-screen button to leave the room; do not stand or move around unannounced, and expect a security check when you return. Confirm break rules and whether the clock stops with ABIM or the proctor, since policies vary.
If a technical problem occurs - a frozen screen, lost time, or a broken workstation - stop and notify the proctor immediately and ask that the incident be documented. Do not attempt to fix equipment yourself.
Scoring is criterion-referenced against a standard set by ABIM rather than a curve against other examinees, so your goal is a defensible answer on each item, not comparison with peers. Confirm the current pass standard and reporting format on ABIM's website.
Request any accommodations well before the exam through ABIM's formal process; approved accommodations are arranged in advance and typically cannot be added on exam day.
Behaving disruptively, attempting to access unauthorized materials, or taking notes outside the provided materials is grounds for score invalidation. If you are uncertain about a practice - scratch paper, a calculator, a medication you must carry - ask the provider in advance in writing.