The American Board of Surgery
Connuous Cercaon Program
Connuous Cercaon Assessment
The ABS Connuous Cercaon Program is designed
to provide exible, high-quality, pracce-relevant
learning and assessment to support surgeons in
their pracce as they maintain their ABS board
cercaon.
As part of this program, the Connuous Cercaon
Assessment has replaced the tradional recercaon exam
for all ABS speciales and sub-speciales.
The assessments focus on the latest and most important
developments in their respecve pracce areas, to assist ABS
diplomates in staying up to date.
Assessment Structure
• 40-queson, open book assessment to be taken and
passed every other year
• General surgery assessment is modular:
- 20 quesons on core surgical principles
- 20 quesons on a pracce-related area of
the diplomate’s choosing
• Complex general surgery oncology, hand surgery,
pediatric surgery, surgical crical care, and vascular
surgery assessments are not modular at this me
© 2023 The American Board of Surgery | www.absurgery.org
Assessment Details
• Take assessment using your own computer
• Once assessment is started:
- Two weeks to complete
- Ability to save and connue later
- Individual quesons are not med
• If taking more than one assessment, you can
begin each assessment on a dierent date
within assessment window
• Immediate feedback provided
- Two aempts to answer correctly
- Final score of 80% correct needed to pass
- Must achieve 40% or higher on rst aempt
in order to receive a second aempt
A fail does not necessarily aect cercaon status
— see informaon about the grace year on the
following page.
Topics and references for all assessments
will be published in advance of the
assessment window on the ABS website.
© 2023 The American Board of Surgery | www.absurgery.org
Connuous Cercaon
Program Requirements
Diplomates should keep their information regarding
these requirements up to date in their ABS portal:
• A valid, full and unrestricted medical license
• Hospital/surgical center privileges if clinically active
• Two professional reference forms submitted every
five years
• Practice improvement: Ongoing participation in
a local, regional or national outcomes registry or
quality assessment program
• 150 Category 1 CME credits from the past five years,
50 of which must include self-assessment
− Requirement will change to 125 Category 1 CME
credits with no self-assessment required after
passing first assessment, beginning January
1 of the year following the first successful
assessment attempt
• Annual fee once participating in new assessment
process
Check your status and update your informaon
anyme at www.absurgery.org.
Registraon for all 2023 Connuous
Cercaon Assessments will open on
August 1, 2023.
All assessments will be available from
August 28 - November 6, 2023.
The last day to begin the assessment to
ensure that you have the full two weeks
for compleon is Monday, October 23,
2023.
See www.absurgery.org for more info:
• Connuous Cercaon Program Overview
• Connuous Cercaon Assessment Enrollment
• Connuous Cercaon Program Requirements
• Complex General Surgical Oncology Assessment
• General Surgery Assessment
• Hand Surgery Assessment
• Pediatric Surgery Assessment
• Surgical Crical Care Assessment
• Vascular Surgery Assessment
• Frequently Asked Quesons
Please make sure to keep your contact informaon up to date for updates regarding Connuous Cercaon.
For specic quesons, send an email to cc@absurgery.org.
Advantages
• Evaluates knowledge and judgment more
relevant to a surgeon’s daily pracce
• Assures paents that ABS-cered surgeons are
staying current in their area of pracce
• Less need to prepare, less anxiety to take
• No travel or me away from pracce
Grace Year
A grace year will be oered the following year for
diplomates who are enrolled in the program and
need to retake the assessment. These diplomates
will not lose cercaon unl the end of the grace
year, as long as they are current with their annual
fee payment.
Enrollment
Diplomates whose cercate expires at the end of
2022 will use the new assessment to connue their
cercaon. Diplomates are not required to take
the new assessment unl the year in which their
current cercate is due to expire.
All diplomates must connue to meet the other
ongoing requirements of the ABS Connuous
Cercaon Program — see box at right.