Orthopedic Board study guide
Orthopedic Board · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) is the certifying body for orthopaedic surgeons in the United States, and its examination process is the route by which a surgeon becomes a board-certified Diplomate. Certification is a two-stage sequence. Part I is the written examination taken by candidates who have completed orthopaedic residency training; Part II is the oral examination taken later, after the surgeon has been in independent practice, and it is built around the candidate's own submitted case list and reviewed under a published scoring rubric. The ABOS also maintains continuing certification for existing Diplomates, along with subspecialty certification in Surgery of the Hand and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. Topics on this exam: Part I (Written) Examination and Part II (Oral) Examination. The Orthopedic Board study guide has 2 sections and about 695 words.
01Part I (Written) Examination: Foundations and High-Yield Traps
The Part I examination tests breadth of recall plus the ability to apply classification systems under time pressure. Organize study around anatomy and surgical approaches , biomechanics , pathophysiology of fracture healing , pediatric growth concepts (physis zones, remodeling potential, Salter-Harris), and basic science of implants (working length, stress risers, materials). Expect image-free stems that ask you to choose the single best answer; the discriminator is usually a definition or a threshold, not obscure trivia. Fracture healing : primary (direct) versus secondary (callus) healing; the roles of stability, gap size, and blood supply.
355 words, about 2 min02Part II (Oral) Examination: Structured Case Reasoning
The Part II examination is a structured case discussion. You are graded on organization, safety, and judgment , not on reciting a textbook. The reliable structure is: history and exam → differential → workup → definitive plan → complications and follow-up . Examiners probe the why behind each decision and often steer toward the point where your plan could harm the patient.
340 words, about 2 min