Building the future of exam excellence: The AOBFP Item Writer Mentor Program
By Deb Dupnik, CAE, CCSM-A
Director, American Board of Osteopathic Family Physicians
March 2026
High-quality certification exams depend on high-quality questions. To strengthen the development of new exam items and ensure the continued excellence of our assessments, AOBFP has launched the Item Writer Mentor Program, an initiative designed to train and support the next generation of skilled item writers.
At the heart of the program is a significant investment of time and expertise from both mentors and mentees. Experienced item writers volunteer many hours to guide new participants through the process of developing effective exam questions. These mentors share practical insights on crafting clear stems, designing appropriate distractors, aligning items with examination blueprints and applying best practices in assessment development.
Mentees also commit substantial time to the program. Through training sessions, guided writing exercises and collaborative reviews, they gain hands-on experience in developing examination items that meet the rigorous standards required for certification testing. The process includes careful revision, discussion and feedback, ensuring each new writer develops both the technical skills and the critical thinking necessary to create high-quality exam content.
One of the program’s greatest strengths is the diversity of perspectives brought by new item writers. Participants represent a wide range of clinical backgrounds, practice environments and professional experiences. This diversity enriches the item development process by bringing forward varied clinical scenarios and real-world perspectives that reflect the breadth of family medicine practice.
The result is a growing pool of well-trained item writers who contribute thoughtful, clinically relevant questions to the AOBFP item bank. Items developed through the mentor program consistently demonstrate strong alignment with exam objectives, clear clinical relevance and high psychometric quality.
These contributions have a direct impact on the overall quality of AOBFP examinations. As the item bank grows with carefully developed questions from trained writers, the Board is better equipped to deliver fair, reliable and valid examinations that accurately assess the knowledge and competencies expected of board-certified family physicians.
The success of the Item Writer Mentor Program reflects the dedication of both mentors and mentees who are committed to advancing assessment quality in family medicine. Their collaboration not only strengthens today’s examinations but also ensures that AOBFP continues to uphold the highest standards in certification for years to come.
Through this program, AOBFP is not only building better exam items, but also the future of exam development.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us! The next training program will start in August.