ABPS Surgery of the Hand exam-day guide
ABPS Surgery of the Hand · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring a current, unexpired, government-issued photo ID with your signature. The name must match your registration exactly (including middle name or suffix). If your legal name has changed since you registered, contact the board office well before test day rather than assuming the discrepancy will be resolved at the counter. Confirm with the provider which specific ID forms are accepted, and whether a second form of identification is required.
Appointment confirmation and scheduling permit
Print or save to a device you will leave in the locker the confirmation showing your exam name, date, time, and test-center address. Having the appointment number handy speeds check-in if there is any registration discrepancy. Keep the confirmation number written on paper in case your phone is stored.
Verified test-center logistics
Confirm the street address, which entrance is open early in the morning, and the parking or transit plan. Do a dry run or at least map the route at the hour you will actually travel. Build in a buffer for security screening; arriving at the appointment time rather than before it is a common and avoidable error. Confirm with the provider how early arrival is expected.
Candidate handbook and content outline
Read the board's candidate handbook once, in full, before the final week. Note the content domains and their approximate weighting so you can pace your last reviews and so you recognize which section a hard question is testing. Confirm with the provider that you are using the current-year version, since handbooks are revised.
Computer-based testing tutorial practice
Run through the testing vendor's online tutorial or sample test so that navigation, flagging, and the review screen are automatic on exam day. Minutes spent learning the interface during a timed exam are minutes you cannot recover.
Layered clothing and comfort items
Testing rooms are often cold and sessions are long. Wear layers you can remove, and choose clothing with no problematic metal or pockets that will slow screening. Leave jewelry, belts with large buckles, and anything that triggers repeated screening at home.
Leave prohibited items behind
Phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, notes, textbooks, and study cards are almost universally prohibited in the testing room. Plan a place to store them (car, hotel, or a center locker) so you are not forced to abandon them. Confirm with the provider which items the center will hold and which it will not.
Break supplies
Pack water and a snack in case a break is offered and you are permitted access to a locker. Confirm with the provider whether breaks are scheduled, whether the clock runs during breaks, and whether food or drink is allowed in the testing room.
Accommodation approval, if applicable
If you need extra time, a separate room, or another accommodation, the request must go through the board's formal process, usually with documentation and a deadline weeks or months ahead. Approval is not granted at the test center on the day. Confirm your approval status and any confirmation letter with the provider.
Registration and fee status verified
Log in to the board portal and confirm there are no outstanding fees, missing attestations, or unresolved case-list or credentialing items that could block your result from being reported even after you sit the exam. Resolve anything flagged before travel.
Travel and lodging contingency
Book lodging within walking distance or with reliable early transport, and identify a backup route. If flying, arrive at least the day before; a same-morning flight is a single-point failure for a high-stakes exam.
A short, familiar final review set
Bring nothing new. The only material worth carrying is a one- or two-page summary of your own high-yield lists (for example, your personal list of commonly confused nerve territories, tendon zones, or flap blood supply) to glance at the evening before, then put away.
Plan the day
Stop introducing new content. Spend the final three days on consolidation: re-read your own summary sheets, review the content outline and domain weightings, and do a small number of questions purely to rehearse pacing rather than to learn new facts. Confirm the appointment time, address, and what you are permitted to bring. Check the weather and transit advisories for the test city. Protect sleep starting now; two nights of good sleep before the exam matter more than one night of cramming. If you have an accommodation approval, confirm the letter is in hand.
Assemble the checklist physically: ID, confirmation, layers, break supplies. Lay it out where you will pick it up. Charge nothing that is prohibited and plan to leave it behind. Do a light pass over the highest-yield domains identified in the outline - for a hand surgery exam this usually means congenital and traumatic conditions, nerve and tendon injuries, and reconstructive planning - but keep sessions short and stop while you still feel sharp. Confirm the parking or transit plan one more time.
Travel day if you are not local. Check in to lodging early enough to walk to the test center and see the entrance. Eat a normal meal at a normal hour. Set two alarms plus a hotel wake-up call. Do one final 45- to 60-minute review of your summary sheets, then close everything. Do not work through practice questions late into the evening; a poor night's sleep costs more than any additional fact. Confirm what time you need to leave in the morning and build in at least the buffer the provider recommends.
Eat a real breakfast with protein and moderate caffeine - no more than your usual amount, and nothing novel. Dress in layers. Arrive earlier than the stated time to absorb security screening and check-in. Use the restroom before you are seated. Store all prohibited items before entering the testing area. At the workstation, take the tutorial seriously if it is offered, adjust chair and screen, and note where the clock and flag button are. If you feel anxious, use a slow breathing pattern for two minutes before the first question.
Read the stem fully and identify what is actually being asked before looking at the options; many misses come from answering a slightly different question. Answer every item - unless the provider states otherwise, unanswered items score the same as wrong ones, so never leave blanks. On items you cannot resolve in about a minute, choose your best answer, flag it, and move on. Return to flagged items only after reaching the end. Watch the clock at fixed checkpoints (for example every quarter of the allotted time) rather than continuously. If a question seems to depend on an image or exhibit you do not have, do not assume; answer from the stem and note it later if the provider allows comment. If the computer freezes, the screen goes dark, or your timer behaves oddly, raise your hand immediately and stay in your seat - get the interruption documented by the proctor before you resume.
Write down anything the board asked you to follow up on, and confirm when and how results will be released. Do not attempt to reconstruct or share exam content with colleagues; the confidentiality agreement you accepted covers question content, and discussing it can jeopardize your result.
Rules to check
Bring only what the provider permits into the testing room. Phones, smartwatches, and any study material must be stored as instructed; possession of a device at the workstation is commonly treated as a conduct violation regardless of whether it was used. Confirm the permitted-items list with the provider before test day.
Your identification must match the name on your registration. If it does not, contact the board before the exam - the test center generally cannot resolve a name mismatch on the day, and you risk being turned away or having your result withheld.
Follow the proctor's instructions exactly, including when you may stand, speak, or leave the room. If you believe an instruction is wrong, comply first and raise the concern afterward in writing to the board.
Breaks: confirm in advance whether breaks are scheduled or self-directed, whether the clock keeps running, and what you may access during a break. Unsupervised access to notes or devices during a break is a common and serious violation.
Scoring: confirm with the provider how the exam is scored, whether unanswered items count as incorrect, and whether there is any penalty for guessing. Unless the board states otherwise, answer every item.
Misconduct - including giving or receiving assistance, copying content, or attempting to record questions - can result in score invalidation and reporting to the board. Take the confidentiality agreement seriously and do not discuss specific question content afterward.
If an equipment failure or other disruption occurs, notify the proctor immediately and ask that it be documented. Do not attempt to fix hardware yourself, and do not simply continue and hope the issue is not counted against your time.
Confirm with the provider in advance what happens if you arrive late, are ill, or have a personal emergency, and what documentation would be required to reschedule. Do not assume a missed appointment is automatically rebooked without a fee.