ABPN Neurology study guide
ABPN Neurology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, and its website describes the organization as setting certification standards for psychiatrists and neurologists since 1934. Initial certification in neurology is the entry-level credential a physician pursues after completing accredited neurology residency training. The ABPN Neurology study guide has 10 sections and about 4,160 words.
01Basic Neuroscience and Neuroanatomy: Localization as a Reasoning Skill
Most neuroanatomy items are localization puzzles dressed as trivia. For any vignette, extract: side of the lesion, level of the neuraxis, upper versus lower motor neuron pattern, and which cranial nerve nucleus or long tract is involved.
328 words, about 2 min02Behavioral Neurology and Dementia: Syndrome Before Biomarker
Every dementia question rewards the candidate who characterizes the cognitive profile and behavior before jumping to pathology. Start with the affected domain: memory-predominant, language-predominant, visuospatial, executive-behavioral, or fluctuating attention.
309 words, about 2 min03Cerebrovascular Disease: Time, Vessel, and Mechanism
Acute stroke items almost always hinge on two variables: time from last known well and whether a large vessel occlusion is present. Establish last known well first; wake-up strokes and unwitnessed onset are timed from when the patient was last seen normal.
325 words, about 2 min04Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology: Semiology First
Seizure questions test whether you can classify semiology and match it to treatment. Use the modern framework: onset (focal, generalized, unknown), level of awareness, and motor versus nonmotor features.
317 words, about 2 min05Headache and Pain: Red Flags Before Reassurance
Headache items reward pattern recognition, but only after secondary causes are excluded. Memorize red flags: sudden thunderclap onset, new headache after age 50, systemic symptoms such as fever or weight loss, neurologic deficit, papilledema, positional provocation, pregnancy or puerperium, and progressive course.
333 words, about 2 min06Neuromuscular Disorders: Pattern, Then Antibody
Fatigable weakness that worsens through the day points to the neuromuscular junction. Proximal weakness with normal sensation and reflexes points to muscle.
304 words, about 2 min07Movement Disorders: Phenomenology Separates the Look-Alikes
Classify each movement by speed (hypokinetic versus hyperkinetic), rhythm, suppressibility, and relation to rest, posture, and action. Distractibility and suggestibility favor functional movement disorders.
309 words, about 2 min08Demyelinating, Infectious, and Autoimmune Disorders: MRI Pattern and Antibody
Central nervous system demyelination questions turn on lesion distribution, longitudinal extent, and antibody status. Multiple sclerosis requires dissemination in space (lesions in at least two of four regions: periventricular, cortical or juxtacortical, infratentorial, spinal cord) and dissemination in time.
320 words, about 2 min09Neuro-oncology: Molecular Classification Guides Prognosis
Modern brain tumor questions expect molecular stratification. Adult diffuse gliomas are classified by IDH status and 1p/19q codeletion.
310 words, about 2 min10Neuro-ophthalmology and Neuro-otology: Anatomy of Vision and Balance
These items test whether you can localize with a penlight, a reflex hammer, and simple positioning maneuvers. An afferent pupillary defect indicates optic nerve dysfunction.
1,305 words, about 7 min