ABMGG LGG study guide
ABMGG LGG · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ABMGG Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) Certification Examination is the initial certification examination offered by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics, a board whose stated mission is "to serve the public and medical profession by establishing professional certification standards and promoting lifelong learning as well as excellence in medical genetics and genomics." The LGG credential is intended for physicians and laboratory scientists who have completed ABMGG-accepted training in genetics and genomics and who seek board certification in the laboratory genetics and genomics specialty. Candidates should treat the ABMGG Initial Certification section as the authoritative hub: the Content Outlines and Blueprints page defines the knowledge domains and the relative emphasis of each, while the Certification Exam pages (Dates & Fees, Application Requirements, Exam Requirements, Testing Process, On Exam Day, Scoring) govern logistics. Because the LGG-specific content outline page was unavailable when this page was compiled, no item count, time limit, passing standard, or fee is stated here; verify every such figure directly with ABMGG before you register. Preparation should be built around the published blueprint: map each domain to primary genetics and genomics literature and current professional guidelines, practice interpreting laboratory data and variant classifications, and rehearse explaining results in written form. Topics on this exam: Laboratory Genetics and Genomics and Clinical Genetics and Genomics. The ABMGG LGG study guide has 2 sections and about 710 words.
01Laboratory Genetics and Genomics: Assay Choice, Interpretation, and Confirmation
The laboratory domain tests whether you can move fluently between cytogenetics, molecular testing, and biochemical genetics, and justify why one assay answers a given question. Resolution and scope. Karyotype detects balanced rearrangements, aneuploidy, and large structural changes (~5–10 Mb) but misses submicroscopic copy-number changes. CMA/FISH/MLPA detect deletions and duplications but are blind to balanced events.
377 words, about 2 min02Clinical Genetics and Genomics: Pedigrees, Inheritance, and Counseling
The clinical domain rewards systematic pedigree reasoning and clear-eyed risk communication. Inheritance patterns. Autosomal dominant (vertical transmission, male-to-male possible), autosomal recessive (consanguinity, affected siblings, carrier parents), X-linked recessive (males affected, carrier females, no male-to-male transmission), X-linked dominant (affected fathers transmit to all daughters, no sons), mitochondrial (maternal transmission, variable heteroplasmy, no transmission from affected males). Penetrance and expressivity.
333 words, about 2 min