| 2008 Important Exam Dates Application Deadline Early: July 1, 2008 Final: August 15, 2008 Certification Exams September 28-29, 2008 Tampa, FL |
| Certification Information |
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• Policies & Procedures for |
Oral and Written Examinations
2008 ABBM Certification Exam
September 28-29, 2008
Tampa, FL
The oral and written examinations will be conducted once a year in the Fall or at any other time deemed suitable by the Board. The examinations will be given on the date and time specified and administered only in English. Both the oral and written examinations administered by ABBM cover those areas of bariatric science and patient care consistent with current, accepted standards as reflected in the ASBP/ABBM Bariatric Practice Guidelines. A weighted, combined score of 75 percent is required to successfully pass the examination requirement for certification by the ABBM Board. The written exam is weighted 80 percent and the oral exam is weighted 20 percent of the overall combined score.
Written Exam
The written exam is a one-day exam consisting of 400 multiple choice questions designed to assess the knowledge base and the cognitive and deductive skills of the candidates.
Oral Exam
The oral exam generally takes between 20 and 30 minutes, is held before a panel of board-certified bariatricians, and covers practical clinical topics relevant to the practice of bariatric medicine. The oral examination is designed to measure those aspects of the candidate's ability not readily tested by written examination. Specifically, it is designed to assess the candidate's skill in managing bariatric patients. The candidate's decision-making ability is evaluated with particular emphasis on the scientific and clinical rationale that lead to those decisions. The principal thrust is to determine whether candidates recognize the pertinent aspects of a clinical problem, make rational diagnoses and develop appropriate treatment protocols.
Additional Policies
Absolutely no notes, textbooks, other reference materials, scratch paper or electronic devices may be taken into either the written or oral certification examination.
ABBM reserves the right to conduct and report research studies of its examinations and its examination data for purposes of quality assurance, examination development, and benefit to the specialty.
ABBM reserves the right to include in any examination certain questions or cases for the purpose of research and validation. Such items will not enter into the scoring for the purposes of certification.
All examination materials are copyrighted as the sole property of the ABBM and must not be removed by the candidate from the test area or reproduced in any way. Any reproduction of the test booklet in whole or in part, is a federal offense and also may subject the candidate to immediate removal from the examination and other punitive and/or legal action. No notes, textbooks, other reference materials, scratch paper or electronic devices may be taken into either the written or oral certification examination.
ABBM has no connection with, nor does it endorse or participate in the preparation of any of the following:
- Any programs, other than those sponsored by the ABBM, which involve mock training sessions for the written or oral portions of the board examination.
- Books or other publications which purport to instruct candidates how to take the examination except for those programs and written materials that the board itself conducts or issues.
Retesting
Applicants are entitled to retake the examination one time, upon payment of a retesting fee, without resubmitting evidence of compliance with the qualifications stated previously. The candidate must retake the exam the following time it is offered or forfeit this opportunity. Any additional retesting will require a reapplication for board certification.
Rescoring and Appeals
A candidate failing a certifying examination may request in writing that his or her examination be rescored by hand to verify the accuracy of the results as reported. Such requests must be received in the board office within 90 days of the date of mailing of the examination results to the candidates. A check in the amount of $40 payable to the American Board of Bariatric Medicine must accompany this written request. There shall be no further appeal from failure of an examination.
Reapplication
ABBM declares void the application of a candidate who has failed to satisfy the examination requirement after two attempts. The physician may reapply by submitting a new application. Such application shall be subject to the fees, rules, privileges and requirements that apply at the time of reapplication. Applicants whom ABBM determines meet existing eligibility requirements will be permitted to sit for the ABBM certification examination.
Irregular Behavior
ABBM acts to maintain the integrity of its examination and certification process and to ensure the equitable and objective administration of its examinations to all candidates.
All board examinations are supervised by proctors who are required to report any behavior which ABBM considers a violation of the integrity of its examination and certification process. Irregular behavior includes, but is not limited to, giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid before, during, or after the examination as evidenced by observation or subsequent statistical analysis of answer sheets. Offering financial or other benefit to a proctor, employee, or agent of ABBM is forbidden.
The examination of a candidate whose conduct, in the Board's judgment, violates or attempts to violate the integrity of its examination and certification process will be invalidated and no results will be reported. In that event, the candidate would be informed of the reasons for the Board's actions and could request an opportunity to present information deemed relevant to the issue and to petition the Board to reconsider its decision.
Unforeseeable Events
In the event inclement weather, a natural disaster, war, government regulations, strikes, civil disorders, curtailment of transportation facilities or other unforeseeable events make it inadvisable, illegal or impossible for the ABBM to administer an examination to a candidate at the appointed date, time and location, or to conclude a candidate's examination, ABBM is not responsible for any of the expense the candidate may have incurred to be present for the examination, nor for any such expense the candidate may incur for any substitute examination.