End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Upon achieving Board Certification, Diplomates are required to complete an annual Continuing Certification process. Diplomates are also required to pay annual dues.
For more information on the Continuing Certification process, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Annual dues statements are sent out electronically via email in January for the current year and are due by March 15. After March 15th, a $100 late fee will be incurred.
All active Diplomates pay $550 annually, which includes dues and CC fees. Emeritus members enrolled into CC pay $375 annually. Emeritus members who are not enrolled in the CC process pay $175 annually.
In order to determine whether or not you are eligible to sit for the ABPM Board Examinations, go to our Exam Certification Examination page and click the Am I Eligible? button.
End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Examinations are administered through a network of national testing centers. ABPM will provide contact information to examination candidates on how to schedule their test-center appointment approximately 8 weeks prior to the examination date. Candidates are responsible for scheduling their own examination. Access to the test center location of choice is subject to a given center’s availability.
The board certification examination consists of 125 multiple choice items and 9 clinical scenarios. The clinical scenarios need to be worked through by the candidate. Candidates are provided initial patient information and other relevant clinical material from which to work through the case. Each segment of the case is assigned scoring criteria. As the clinical content varies from case to case the particular scoring criteria, likewise, varies accordingly. The test includes 25 multiple choice items and 1 clinical scenario that are unscored and included for field testing purposes.
The examination subject area content is delineated further in the Subject Outline of the General Examination Information link on the website.
To apply for the board examination, (click here) then click the button under Certification Exam to begin the Board Examination process.
All applicants confirmed to take the examination in the current year will have access to an online study guide and sample questions and will receive information from Board Headquarters on how to access after applications are processed. In addition, the American College of Podiatric Medicine offers a Review Text. Information can be found on their website www.acpmed.org.
You may schedule your appointment by logging into your ABPM Dashboard the Schedule My Exam button and follow the prompts to schedule your examination.
• After scheduling your appointment, you will receive a confirmation email from Pearson that provides additional details, including directions to the test center, instructions on what to bring with you, and other pertinent information.
• Please be aware that appointments are based on the test center’s availability and there is no guarantee that appointments will be available at the center nearest to you.
• If you are having issues finding a seat at your closest Pearson Testing Center, please contact the Pearson Call Center (800) 990-1976.
As of October 2022, the Certification Exam is scored as a single exam composed of two sections (Cases & Didactic). You must pass both sections in one sitting in order to pass the exam.
As of October 2022 you are considered eligible to sit for the Exam for eight years from the date you completed your CPME approved PMSR-36 or PMSR/RRA-36 residency. If you do not attempt the examination in that time period you are no longer eligible. If you attempt to take the Certification Exam during this eight year period and fail, your eligibility period is extended out for an additional 5 years. The maximum eligibility range is therefore 13 years.
Unfortunately, most of the podiatrists who fall into this category are no longer eligible to obtain Board Certification from ABPM. This is due to the confluence of several factors and determinations made both by the ABPM Board of Directors and the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) who recognizes and empowers certifying boards to conduct Board Certification.
CPME 220 regulates how recognized specialty certifying boards may conduct their certification procedures in section 5, stating:
5.2 The specialty board shall require candidates for certification to have successfully completed a minimum of three years of CPME-approved residency training.
This generally means that, presently, the Board can only certify only those podiatric physicians who have completed a 36-month CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR). This regulation was adopted and standardized in 2011 and both recognized certifying boards are required to comply.
The Board of Directors of ABPM has also adopted the following policy regarding Board Eligibility:
19.1 Board Eligibility – Candidates completing a CPME-approved residency program are considered Board Eligible at the conclusion of their final residency year.
19.1.1 Board Eligibility status is granted for a period up to eight (8) years, after which a candidate will no longer be permitted to sit for the examination process. If a candidate attempts certification within the eight (8) year period but does not achieve certification they will be granted an additional five (5) years of eligible status.
Applicants are encouraged to contact Board Headquarters at (315) 498-1588 or admin@podiatryboard.org for official verification of their eligibility status.
Upon achieving Board Certification, Diplomates are required to complete an annual Continuing Certification process. Diplomates are also required to pay annual dues.
For more information on the Continuing Certification process, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements, pass both the didactic and case sections of the Certification Examination and must provide evidence of an active license to practice podiatric medicine to be granted board certified classification.
The following subject areas are tested to determine Board Certified status, along with their approximate proportional representation in the Certification examination.include the blueprint.
Categories may include topics from the blueprint with special considerations in pediatric and geriatric patients. Both local and systemic manifestations of relevant podiatric pathology are assessed.
The Didactic portion, or multiple choice section, is primarily designed to assess a candidate’s breadth of knowledge. The Didactic portion of the examination consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. Each question is followed by four or more responses, of which there is a single best response available. Key words in the question stem, such as most, least, only, or except are highlighted to facilitate comprehension. There are no questions with responses such as: all of the above; none of the above; or combined responses, e.g. A and C.
The Case Review Section of the Examination consists of a variety of separate clinical scenarios that need to be worked through by the candidate. The clinical scenarios and related questions may involve any of the areas listed in the subjects listed above. Candidates are provided with patient and clinical information from which to work through the case. Each segment of the question is assigned specific scoring criteria, such as an appropriate history and physical examination, requesting appropriate additional laboratory and/or imaging studies, making the proper diagnosis, determining the appropriate treatment plan, etc. The particular scoring requirements of each case vary based on the presented information.
Special accommodations requests can be arranged through ABPM headquarters with proper documentation. You must provide documentation to board headquarters and special accommodations will be arranged with Pearson on an individual basis.
How long am I eligible to sit for the Certification Exam?
As of October 2022 you are considered eligible to sit for the Exam for eight years from the date you completed your CPME approved PMSR-36 or PMSR/RRA-36 residency. If you do not attempt the examination in that time period you are no longer eligible. If you attempt to take the Certification Exam during this eight year period and fail, your eligibility period is extended out for an additional 5 years. The maximum eligibility range is therefore 13 years.
How does passing/failing work for the current Certification Examination?
As of October 2022, the Certification Exam is scored as a single exam composed of two sections (Cases & Didactic). You must pass both sections in one sitting in order to pass the exam. If you fail one part of the exam you must take the entire exam over again the next time it is offered in the Fall. Failing one part of the exam adds a one-time 5 year extension onto your original eight year eligibility period, for a maximum eligibility period of 13 years.
What happens if I passed only one section of the exam that I took prior to October 2022?
If you passed only one section of the exam prior to October 2022, your scores are valid for eight years from your residency graduation date. For example: if you completed residency in 2021, and you attempted and passed only the Cases or Didactic section of the exam, you are eligible until 2029 to pass the remaining part of the exam you failed.
If there is an Examination provided in May, who is eligible to sit for this exam?
The only people eligible to sit for the ABPM examination in May are those who were tested prior to 2022 and have only passed one section.
Applicants who are unable to take our Board Certification examination may request a refund up to 30 days prior to the date of the exam. Refunds are issued on a case-by-case basis for the cost of the exam, minus the $250 non-refundable fee assessed at the time of registration. Applicants who do not request a refund, and who do not appear for any portion of the examination, waive the right to have any of their examination fee refunded.
Test centers are designed to provide a consistent, standardized testing experience in a quiet, distraction-free environment. All centers are designed to provide candidates with the most comfort possible during the examination process. For more information please click (https://home.pearsonvue.com/abpmed).
ABPM is currently working to revise and improve its mobile app for Android and iOS, we expect to be able to release it in July. Current users of the app may retain it on their device. In the meantime, please consult the resources below:
When should I arrive?
What if I arrive late?
What identification will I need?
Exam Structure and Scheduled Breaks
Lodging and Travel
To find out when examination applications are due, check our Board Examination page here.
Annual dues statements are sent out electronically via email in January for the current year and are due by March 15. After March 15th, a $100 late fee will be incurred.
All active Diplomates pay $550 annually, which includes dues and CC fees. Emeritus members enrolled into CC pay $375 annually. Emeritus members who are not enrolled in the CC process pay $175 annually.
Candidates will be furnished examination results on line approximately 6-8 weeks from the examination date, along with an explanation of their results. There is no appeal after the conclusion of the examination. The Board will not discuss the specifics of an individual candidate’s performance for any reason, including, but not limited to, using examination results as a study guide for future needs, etc.
The eight-year eligibility window specified in 19.1.1 allows a reasonable period following the completion of 3-year CPME approved podiatric medicine and surgery residency. The eight-year window exceeds that provided generally by our allopathic and osteopathic colleagues.
Additionally, ABPM’s policy allows those who have yet to obtain specialty certification from the other CPME-recognized certifying board an additional year to consider certification with ABPM and ensure their professional and economic viability. Both eligibility periods are comparable to those offered by our allopathic MD/DO colleagues, including the 24 distinct specialty certifying boards under the American Board of Medical Specialties umbrella.
More recently, ABPM’s Board of Directors has approved an additional 2-3 years due to the training and education impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided the candidate reaches out to ABPM to request extra time. Extra time is not approved simply by asking the question, but is only available on a case-by-case basis, only to those whose eligibility may have expired between 2020-2022.
Finally, the ABPM Board of Directors has determined that it cannot now elect to certify some practitioners who are presently outside of the eligibility window while others have been timed out of the process and were denied the opportunity to sit.
From ABMS Standards for Certification of Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine
GS-3. Each ABMS Member Board will determine criteria for eligibility, including the expiration date for the Board Eligible period. The expiration date must be no fewer than three and no more than seven years following the successful completion of accredited training, and in accordance with the corresponding Member Board requirements, plus time (if any) in practice required by the Member Board for admission to the certifying examination.
End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Upon achieving Board Certification, Diplomates are required to complete an annual Continuing Certification process. Diplomates are also required to pay annual dues.
For more information on the Continuing Certification process, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Annual dues statements are sent out electronically via email in January for the current year and are due by March 15. After March 15th, a $100 late fee will be incurred.
All active Diplomates pay $550 annually, which includes dues and CC fees. Emeritus members enrolled into CC pay $375 annually. Emeritus members who are not enrolled in the CC process pay $175 annually.
End dates are updated in the next 10-year cycle if credentialing requirements are met. An updated certificate will be issued at the end of the 10-year period.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Upon achieving Board Certification, Diplomates are required to complete an annual Continuing Certification process. Diplomates are also required to pay annual dues.
For more information on the Continuing Certification process, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Annual dues statements are sent out electronically via email in January for the current year and are due by March 15. After March 15th, a $100 late fee will be incurred.
All active Diplomates pay $550 annually, which includes dues and CC fees. Emeritus members enrolled into CC pay $375 annually. Emeritus members who are not enrolled in the CC process pay $175 annually.