In-service Exam FAQs

General Information

Important dates

Available Exams

When is the exam administered?
Is there more than one exam?
If my program is a Pulmonary Fellowship, which exam do I offer my fellows?
Are the exams the same for all fellowship years?
How many questions are on each exam and are they computer-based?
What is the value of the exam to the Program Director and Faculty?
What value are the exams to the Fellows?

Exam Administration Fees

How much does the exam cost?
Can the Program Director take the exam? 

Exam Development

How are the exams developed?

Exam Registration

Who registers fellows for the exam?
Can the Program Director register fellows for the exam?
How do I register my Fellows?
If my program is not ACGME-accredited, or my program is located outside of the United States, can I still register my Fellows?
Is the registration process the same when registering incoming Fellows and for In-service Exam retakes?

Exam Administration

How is the exam administered?
Do I really need to proctor the exam? 
Can a fellow request more time to take the exam?
How do I test my computer and operating system to make sure they are compatible?

Exam Results

What type of feedback will my Fellows and my Program receive?
Has the exam been validated with pass rates for the ABIM Board Licensure exams?

2024 Important Dates

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When is the exam administered?

• 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-Year Fellow Exams: administered the last week of April and first week of May of each year.
• Incoming Fellow Exams: administered in July, extending for two weeks.
• Retake Exams: administered in October, extending for two weeks.

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Is there more than one exam?
The APCCMPD develops and administers two exams:

• Pulmonary/Critical Care In-service Exam based on the ABIM Pulmonary Disease MOC Exam Blueprint
• Critical Care In-service Exam based on the ABIM Critical Care Medicine MOC Exam Blueprint

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If my program is a Pulmonary Fellowship, which exam do I offer my fellows?
Pulmonary fellows should take the Pulmonary/Critical Care In-service Exam. This exam is based on the ABIM Pulmonary Disease MOC Exam Blueprint, This exam has been validated for Pulmonary Board Pass Rates.

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Are the exams the same for all fellowship years?
Yes, the Incoming, 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-Year Fellows all take the same Critical Care or Pulmonary/Critical Care In-service Exam. A new exam is created each year using test questions that have been psychometrically evaluated and tested for performance.

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How many questions are on each exam, are they computer-based, and how much time is provided to complete the exam?
Both the Critical Care Exam and Pulmonary/Critical Care Exam are computer-based and contain 150 questions. Fellows should be provided four (4) hours to complete the exam. If the Fellows require more time to complete the exam please email Joyce Reitzner with this request.

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What is the value of the exam to the Program Director and Faculty?
Each exam has been developed as a "low stakes" examination and not to be used for promotion. The exams:

• Provide educational counseling
• Evaluate knowledge uptake of the course of fellowship
• Develop curricula and validate planned curricular changes
• Compare Fellows' performance nationally
• Serve as a tool for the Program Requirement V.A.2.b).(1).(b) Medical Knowledge
• Requires the program use an objective formative assessment method. The same formative method must be administered at least twice during the program.

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What value are the exams to the Fellows?

• Identify areas of deficiency that require further learning
• Compare performance to peers nationally
• May help make career choices 

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How much does the exam cost?

Pulmonary/Critical Care In-service Exam

Critical Care In-service Exam

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Can the Program Director take the exam?
Program Directors who register their Fellows will also be able to register themselves to take a complimentary exam at no cost. If your Program Director is interested in taking the exam, please send the Program Director's name, email address, program name and exam type to Joyce Reitzner.

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How are the exams developed?

• The exams are developed and maintained by the In-service Exam Writing Committee comprised of 13 physician experts and two psychometricians.
• Each exam is a 150 question, computer-based exam. Content is based on the respective ABIM Pulmonary Disease MOC Exam Blueprint and ABIM Critical Care Medicine MOC Exam Blueprint, as well as established program curriculum for pulmonary and critical care medicine.
• Exam questions are reviewed every year and are added or retired based on review of question performance.

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Who registers Fellows for the exam?
By default, the Program Coordinator will receive all correspondence on the exam. This includes:

• Notices to register the Fellows and Incoming Fellows
• Exam passwords for each Fellow
• Fellows' scores

The Program Coordinator is also responsible for ensuring the exam is proctored in their local university testing center or other secured environment and all computers that will be used to administer the exam have passed the readiness check.

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Can the Program Director register Fellows for the exam?
Yes, in the absence of a Program Coordinator the Program Director can register Fellows for the exam. Please contact Joyce Reitzner in order to make this change,

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How do I register my Fellows?

• At the end of February each year registration for the In-service Exam opens.
• Program Coordinators and Program Directors will receive an email with the link to Register for the exam.
• Registration will take place on the APCCMPD website.
• Program Coordinators/Program Directors are required to log-in using their APCCMPD Username and Password. There will be an opportunity to reset your Username/Password if it's forgotten.
• At checkout there will be two options to purchase the exams:
• Pay by credit card
• Request and invoice (payable within 30 days.

NOTE: If your Program Director is interested in taking the complimentary exam, please send the Program Director's name, email address, program name and exam type to Joyce Reitzner.

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If my program is not ACGME-accredited, or my program is located outside of the United States, can I still register my Fellows?
Yes, non-ACGME accredited programs and international programs can register to take the exam. Please contact Joyce Reitzner to register.

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Is the registration process the same when registering incoming Fellows and for In-service Exam retakes?

• The process to register Incoming Fellows (those who commence fellowship on July 1) and to register Fellows who wish to retake the In-service Exam in the fall are the same as noted above.
• Prior to June 1 of each year the link to register Incoming Fellows will be sent to Program Coordinators and Program Directors.
• In the fall of each year the link to register Fellows who wish to retake the In-service Exam will be sent to Program Coordinators and Program Directors.

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How is the exam administered?
The exam is administered as a 4-hour computer-based exam via the Internet.

APCCMPD In-service Exams must be proctored. Therefore, programs should arrange a location where all exam takers can take the exam together (or in groups) under the supervision of a proctor. Information on how to administer the exam will be provided to programs that register.

Every effort should be made to:

• Ensure exam takers do not bring testing aides with them, including textbooks, pocket manuals, notes, mobile phones, pagers, and equipment that will capture digital images.
• Ensure exam takers do not communicate with one another during test administration.

For more information please contact Joyce Reitzner for a copy of the APCCMPD Exam Administration Manual. 

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Do I really need to proctor the exam?
Yes, this is a proctored exam. Therefore, programs should arrange a location where all exam takers can take the exam together (or in groups) under the supervision of a proctor. For more information please review the APCCMPD Exam Administration Manual. If you need a copy contact Joyce Reitzner.

Every effort should be made to:

• Ensure exam takers do not bring testing aides with them, including textbooks, pocket manuals, notes, mobile phones, pagers, and equipment that will capture digital images.
• Ensure exam takers do not communicate with one another during test administration.

If the APCCMPD discovers that a program did not proctor the exam the program could be prohibited from administering the exam in the future. 

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Can a Fellow request more time to take the exam?
Fellows should be provided four (4) hours to complete the 150 question exam. If the Fellows require additional time to take the exam please email your request to Joyce Reitzner.

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How do I test my computers and operating systems to make sure they are compatible?
Follow the steps below to ensure the computers you will be using to administer the exam are ready for exam day:

1. Click on the Program Workshop/Check Readiness link to check your system readiness
   
2. Download the APCCMPD Secure Browser to the device (Windows or Mac)

NOTE:
• If Fellows are bringing their own laptop: you are required to perform Steps 1 and 2 above on their laptop.
• If computers are provided by the program: Steps 1 and 2 above must be performed on every computer that will be used.

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What type of feedback will my Fellows and my program receive?

• Immediately after completing the exam, Fellows, Program Directors and Program Coordinators will receive an initial score report via email.
• Approximately two weeks after the administration window, comparative reports will be available for download by Program Coordinators and Program Directors. The reports will provide data on how the Fellow and program scored compared to their national peers who also took the exam.
• Score reports will be broken down by content areas.
• National summary graphs will also be provided approximately two weeks after the administration window.

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Has the exam been validated with pass rates for the ABIM Board Licensure exams?
Kempainen, Hess, Addrizzo-Harris, et al.: Pulmonary and Critical Care In-Service Training Examination Score as a Predictor of Board Certification Examination Performance. Annals ATS. Volume 13. Number 4. April 2016 provides an overview of the APCCMPD In-service Exam validation. 

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