Midwifery Exam

It is computer-based, delivered through PSI Services LLC. The exam is comprised of 175 multiple-choice items, and you have an allotted four-hour examination time. Within that time you may review and change previously answered items as desired. A clock on screen shows your remaining testing time throughout the examination.

The audience is successful graduates of an accredited educational program for nurse-midwives or midwives with a graduate degree. CNM candidates must also have an active RN license. As of January 1, 2011, a graduate degree is required to be eligible, including for certificants who have allowed their certification to lapse.

AMCB uses Linear On The Fly Testing (LOFT), generating an automated form for each administration from an available item pool used for 12 months. Each form meets content and statistical requirements, so every examinee receives an equivalent form with a unique combination of items. A criterion-referenced cut-score method, guided by an October 2022 standard setting study, sets the passing standard.

The content areas and the percentage of total items each represents are determined by the most recent Task Analysis completed by the Research Committee. Knowledge and judgment abilities for both normal and deviations from normal are tested across all clinical areas, including physical examination findings, lab values, physiology, pharmacology, and clinical decision making at entry level.

Start from the exam content outline derived from the most recent Task Analysis, then allocate study hours in proportion to the percentages those areas represent. Build deliberate practice in both normal and abnormal findings for every clinical area, integrating labs, physiology, pharmacology, and clinical decision making rather than studying each in isolation.

Two recurring problems are studying only normal care and neglecting deviations from normal, and memorizing facts without practicing clinical decision making that integrates physical examination findings, lab values, physiology, and pharmacology. A third is ignoring the content outline's weighting, which can leave heavily represented areas thinly prepared relative to their share of items.

Candidates who fail may request verification of results; the cost for this verification is delineated by the AMCB fee schedule. Immediate official results are provided to all candidates at the testing site after computer-based testing, so you will know your outcome before leaving the center.

Through PSI there are more than 120 testing sites nationally. Each state, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, has at least one test center, and centers are within a 2-hour drive of the top 150 metropolitan areas. Sites are available 5 days per week, except holidays. Once a complete, valid application is submitted, you are approved and cleared to schedule through PSI.

Strict verification of identity is made at the testing site. Before beginning, you are oriented to the computer and receive a brief tutorial on taking the exam using computer-based testing. Testing sites are ADA compliant, have restroom facilities, and offer several individual testing stations. Arrive early enough to complete check-in without eating into your four hours.