ABOS Orthopaedic Sports Medicine

It is a computer-based multiple-choice examination administered at Pearson Vue Test Centers nationwide. It consists of 175 multiple-choice questions and runs four hours, and is designed to evaluate the candidate's cognitive knowledge relevant to orthopaedic sports medicine. It is given in August, following the September application window.

Examinees receive 15 total minutes of break time, usable between any examination sections. The tutorial can be completed at home before the examination day, which results in extra break time. Breaks taken outside the normally scheduled breaks are not penalized, but unscheduled breaks reduce the time a candidate has on the examination.

Applicants must have completed a one-year ACGME-accredited fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine. Under the newer pathway, candidates may take the examination after passing the ABOS Part I Examination and successfully completing that fellowship. Primary Board Certification is still required before submitting the application, case list, and letters of recommendation.

A one-year case list with at least 115 operative cases and 10 non-operative cases. Seventy-five of the 115 operative cases must involve arthroscopy as a component of the procedure. The case list is part of the certification materials submitted only after primary Board Certification has been achieved.

Applications are available online each September, and the examination is given the following August by computer at Pearson Vue Test Centers nationwide. That leaves roughly an eleven-month runway from application to test date. Check the ABOS Orthopaedic Sports Medicine calendar and important dates pages for the specific deadlines in your cycle.

The retrieved ABOS page for this examination does not publish a passing score, so no numeric standard should be assumed. Passing the examination is described only as one step toward subspecialty certification; the remaining requirements include primary Board Certification plus the application, case list, and letters of recommendation.

The retrieved ABOS page does not state a retake policy, the number of permitted attempts, or any waiting period between attempts. Candidates should consult the current ABOS Orthopaedic Sports Medicine rules and procedures and fees pages, or contact the ABOS office in Chapel Hill, for the policy governing their cycle.

Candidates who meet all requirements and pass the examination receive a Subspecialty Certificate in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine valid through the expiration of the Diplomate's General Certificate. ABOS highly recommends that Diplomates take a combined examination at expiration so both certificates are recertified with a single examination.

The ABOS page states the examination evaluates cognitive knowledge relevant to orthopaedic sports medicine and links to a separate examination blueprint, but the retrieved page does not list content domains or percentage weights. Download the current blueprint from ABOS and use it as your outline rather than relying on secondhand weightings or older published figures.

Begin with the ABOS blueprint, then build a topic list from your own operative case log, covering the regions and procedures you actually perform, and review each systematically with a current sports medicine reference. Close with at least one timed, four-hour, 175-question practice run so pacing and break strategy are rehearsed before test day.