ABIM Rheumatology

It is a multiple-choice examination with a single best answer for each question, delivered in four sessions of up to 60 questions each, lasting approximately 10 hours total. Most questions use a patient-based clinical vignette stem; a small number test specific knowledge points without a clinical stem. Some items require interpreting illustrative material such as radiographs or photomicrographs.

Each of the four sessions contains up to 60 multiple-choice questions, so up to 240 items overall. Each session allows up to two hours. There are also up to 30 optional minutes of tutorial, up to 10 minutes of instructions and pledge, and an optional survey of up to 10 minutes.

Yes. You have 100 total minutes of break time that can be divided between three breaks during the exam. Any break time taken after a test session is deducted from this total. The breaks are listed as optional in the exam day schedule.

The 2026 exam is Nov. 5, 2026, with registration Dec. 1, 2025, through Jun. 15, 2026, and late registration Jun. 16 through Jun. 28, 2026. The 2027 exam is Nov. 10, 2027, with registration Dec. 1, 2026, through Jun. 15, 2027, and late registration Jun. 16 through Jun. 28, 2027. Late registration requires a non-refundable fee.

ABIM offers separate accommodated exam dates for physicians with a documented disability requiring a special testing schedule under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For 2026 those dates are Nov. 16–20, 2026, and for 2027 they are Nov. 15–19, 2027. Registration windows match the standard exam windows.

The pass-fail decision is based on your performance on the entire examination, and the minimum passing score reflects an absolute standard independent of other candidates' performance. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, so you should answer every question. Questions found to lack a single best answer are not counted in the overall score.

Final results are released within three months of the last date of the exam in that area, with email notification to access your score report in the Physician Portal. You may request a rescore for a fee of $250 by written request within six months of the results' release date; rescore results are mailed within eight weeks of receiving the request.

Start from the ABIM blueprint, which defines content categories and the target percentage of questions from each, then allocate study time proportionally. Work through the ABIM exam tutorial to learn the interface and question style, and review the laboratory reference ranges document, since results appear with bracketed reference ranges and H/L flags.

Leaving questions blank is a clear one, since unanswered items are scored as incorrect. Others include studying by topic volume rather than by blueprint weighting, neglecting the clinical-vignette decision-making style in favor of isolated facts, and being unfamiliar with the exam interface and reference-range reporting format on test day.

Those who pass are designated certified diplomates of ABIM and receive a certificate that remains valid as long as they continue to participate in MOC in accordance with MOC program requirements. Certificates are mailed within three to four months after candidates are notified of their results, and certification status is reported in the Physician Portal.