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Your Assessment Options: Choice, Relevance, Convenience

Since 1936, the American Board of Internal Medicine has supported licensed physicians in demonstrating their expertise and commitment to high-quality patient care through rigorous medical assessments.

Explore your assessment options and choose the pathway that best supports your growth as a physician and the care you provide to patients.

Comparing ABIM Assessment Options

Comparison
 Traditional 10-Year MOC Exam Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®)
  Testing Frequency

Once every 10 Years

Quarterly
  Number of Questions

Up to 240

600 offered over 5 years; must open 500 to meet LKA Praticipation Requirement
(30 new questions are made available each quarter)
  Time Limit

8-10 hours in one day

5 minutes per question
(with an annual 30-minute time bank)
  Location

Approved test center

Anywhere with an internet connection
  Available Disciplines

All specialties

Most specialties*
  Available Resources

UpToDate® included in the exam

Any resource except for another person
  Performance Feedback

Content area feedback with score report

Immediate feedback on each question: content area feedback in quarterly progress reports
  Final Results Received

Within 3 months of the last offered exam date in that specialty

Within the first quarter after the 5th year of testing
  MOC Points

20 MOC points for every assessment attempt

0.2 MOC points for each correct answer
(up to 24 points annually and 120 points over 5 years)
More About 10-year Exam
More About The LKA

How Your Peers Chose Their Assessment Option

  • Choosing the Traditional, 10-Year MOC Exam

    Read Story

  • Choosing the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®)

    Read Story

  • Maintaining Three Certificates with the LKA

    Read Story

  • The Possibility of Mixing MOC Assessment Options

    Read Story

*The LKA requires substantially more items compared to the traditional, 10-year MOC exam and won’t be available in certain specialties (Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Transplant Hepatology) because there are fewer physicians maintaining certification in these highly specialized areas.

For Cardiologists

See how the CMP compares with the traditional, 10 year MOC exam and the LKA

Compare Options (pdf)