Anesthesiology Exams

The ABPS’s anesthesiology board certification exams enable successful candidates to present themselves to the public as qualified medical specialists in anesthesiology. Completing the anesthesiology board certification exams indicates mastery of anesthesiology experience and knowledge, as well as a professional commitment to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics.

The anesthesiology board certification examination process consists of written and oral exams.

The format of the written exam is multiple-choice, single-response questions. The questions are developed and validated by Diplomates of the Board of Certification in Anesthesiology (BCA) under the direction of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) and psychometric consultants.

If successful in passing the written portion of the anesthesiology board certification exams, the candidate will advance to the oral exam at the next testing administration.

The oral exam of the anesthesiology board certification exams is comprised of three to five case presentations in which the candidate describes his/her approach to managing a case presented by an examiner. Trained examiners who are board certified in anesthesiology conduct the oral exam.