ABPath Molecular Genetic Pathology

It is a one-day, computer-based examination made up of combined Written and Practical questions in each section. All questions are multiple-choice in the one-best answer format, and questions may include sequencing or array data, karyotypes, graphs, pedigrees, or other images.

The ABPath description lists approximately 245 questions and approximately 6 1/2 hours of total testing time. Treat both as approximate and confirm current details, including section timing, through ABPath's published daily exam schedules before your test date.

ABPath uses criterion-referenced tests for certification examinations. The passing or cut-off score is determined in advance by a committee of experts in the field, and your performance is compared to that cut-off rather than to other test takers. In principle, all candidates could pass or all could fail.

The source material available here does not state a retake policy or a validity period for this certificate. Check ABPath's Booklet of Information and the Unsuccessful Candidates page for current rules rather than relying on secondhand accounts.

No. ABPath states that it does not use norm-referenced tests for its certification examinations. Norm-referenced tests rank candidates against one another on a curve, whereas the MGP exam measures whether you have met a predetermined standard of knowledge and skill.

A codon table and a list of amino acids with their abbreviations are available for reference in the Molecular Genetic Subspecialty examination. No other reference materials are described in the source, so plan to know nomenclature, calculations, and interpretation frameworks from memory.

The subject areas are listed as roughly equal in scope, so a balanced plan works best: molecular techniques and human genetics fundamentals, laboratory quality and regulatory issues, inherited and mitochondrial disorders, neoplastic and acquired disease, infectious disease, identity and histocompatibility testing, pharmacogenomics, and informatics.

The practical, data-driven items. Candidates who only memorize facts struggle when asked to interpret a pedigree, a sequencing trace, or array results under time pressure. Build fluency reading raw data and applying variant nomenclature, and practice explaining why each wrong option fails rather than just recognizing the right one.

It is intended for physicians with pathology training who practice or intend to practice molecular genetic pathology and want subspecialty certification. The exam is offered in cooperation with the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Verify eligibility and application requirements directly with ABPath.