Longitudinal Assessment FAQs

The American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) has transitioned from the 10-year re-certification examination to a longitudinal assessment model for primary certification. In January 2022, the board transitioned to a Longitudinal Assessment model that replaced the high stakes written examination previously required for OCC Component 3. The new approach was designed to afford board-certified physicians with greater flexibility, accessibility and convenience, while facilitating ongoing high-quality assessment and continuous learning.

• An open book assessment with the ability to save and return at your convenience.
• Remote online platform, available 24/7/365 and can be accessed from the convenience of your home or office.
• The assessment questions are untimed and can be completed during one or multiple sittings during the assessment cycle.
• Two attempts to pass the assessment questions during the annual assessment run.
• Immediate scoring upon final completion of the assessment.

No. AOBS agreed that General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care should align with the plans for specialties. Furthermore, AOBS agreed that the number of questions for both assessments should be reduced. From 2022-2024, General Surgery three-year cycle assessment, as was Surgical Critical Care. While General Surgery once required the completion of 60 questions over the cycle term, Surgical Critical Care had 30. Both assessments have now been reduced to 15 questions each, the same as AOBS specialties.

Yes, the Longitudinal Assessment is required annually to fulfill the osteopathic continuous certification (OCC) Component 3 requirements (Cognitive Assessment). Component 3 of OCC requires provision of one or more psychometrically valid and proctored examinations that assess a physician’s specialty medical knowledge, as well as core competencies in the provision of health care. Remember: You do not need to start the assessment until the year of your certificate expiration date, and annually thereafter.

The fee is $225 each year, which is due at the time of registration. Diplomates are required to pay the fee each year of the cycle (i.e., three times per cycle).

Visit the AOA Physician Portal (login required) to view your certification information and to check the OCC status. We encourage you to visit the portal throughout the CME three-year cycle to review your progress in meeting all OCC Components.

The Longitudinal Assessment for all AOBS specialties is administered through the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners’ (NBOME) CATALYST learning assessment platform. In addition to the learning opportunities that the CATALYST platform offers, assessments delivered on CATALYST provide both performance feedback and additional support.

Diplomates will have access to CATALYST 24/7/365, and the platform can be accessed via laptop computer, tablet or smartphone.

Diplomates with a certificate expiring in 2026 will start the assessment in January 2026. Likewise, Diplomates with an expiration date of 2025 will begin in the 2025 calendar year, and then annually thereafter. The completion date will vary each year, but will provide Diplomates with a minimum of nine months’ notice (completion dates for the 2025 assessment are further explained below).

The assessment is provided in two segments. The first segment runs from Jan. 8 to Sept. 30, 2025. During this nine-month period, Diplomates must answer all 15 questions of the assessment for to complete the first segment. If a Diplomate achieves at least 80% on the assessment, the Diplomate is finished with the assessment. However, if a Diplomate fails their first attempt, they will have a second attempt to retake the assessment between Oct. 1 and Nov. 28, 2025.

For those that are already on the annual assessment schedule, or those with certificates that expire on Dec. 31, 2025, registration has been open since the Fall of 2024 and will remain open until Nov. 12, 2025. Diplomates are encouraged to register as soon as possible and start the assessment in early 2025 so that they have enough time for completion or retake attempts. If a Diplomate waits until the closing application date, they will have limited time to complete the assessment.

Please visit the AOBS exam registration page.

A score of 80% or more is needed to pass the assessment. In other words, a Diplomate must correctly answer 12 out of 15 questions to pass the assessment.

If you fail the assessment on your first attempt, you will have one additional attempt to retake and successfully complete and receive a passing score on the questions you previously failed. Your second attempt will be available in the fourth quarter of the year, between Oct. 1 and Nov. 28, 2025, only.

If you fail the assessment on both attempts, you will be placed into “remediation.” Details about the remediation process will be sent to you, and you must again register for the assessment for the same fee of $225. The remediation assessment is hosted on the AOA’s Learning Management System (LMS).

No. One additional attempt at each question during the assessment is provided to assist you in passing. No additional out-of-pocket expenses are required. The annual fee paid at the time of registration covers the full cost of the assessment for the year. Additional fees only apply if you are in remediation.

After you select an answer for each question, you will click the submit button. Prior to NBOME logging in your answer, you are correct in that you must complete a question that asks about your confidence level. There are four options to choose from: not at all confident, somewhat confident, confident or highly confident.

The AOBS Longitudinal Assessment is an “open book” assessment. If an article is free and accessible electronically, you will have the opportunity to read it via the direct links. In most situations, even if an article is not free, the Diplomate and/or the organization is already a subscriber to the publishing company and will not have any difficulty accessing the content. For some of the articles, a cited reference reading listing is made available and posted on the AOBS website. It is up to the Diplomate to obtain the articles. While not mandatory, we do encourage you to read the articles in advance to prepare.

No, the questions are not timed. You will have unlimited time to answer each question, but please plan accordingly so that you have ample time to dedicate to this task. Each question should take approximately 5-15 minutes to review and answer in its entirety.

If you did not participate in the assessment, you risk your certificate becoming inactive. If the 2025 assessment closes and you have not registered or participated, you must begin the assessment in remediation. Depending on the timing of your submission, staff will assist you with the next steps. Please do not wait until your certificate is near the expiration date for assistance.

The assessment reattempt requires you to answer just the questions you initially answered incorrectly. In other words, if you incorrectly answered seven questions on your first attempt, you would only reattempt those seven failed questions during your second assessment. However, if you fail the second attempt, you will be put into remediation until you pass the assessment. The remediation requires a repeat of all 15 questions.

The first attempt of the assessment must be successfully completed no later than Sept. 30. The assessment questions are untimed and, once you begin, the assessment questions can be completed during one or multiple sittings throughout the nine months.

Completing the assessment is dependent upon your personal schedule and commitment. The assessment will resume where you previously left off. We recommend that you don’t wait until October of the assessment year to start, as you could potentially forfeit one of your two attempts if needed.

The assessment for AOBS is similar to your preparation for the OCC Written Exam prior to Longitudinal Assessment. Component 3 of Osteopathic Continuous Certification required the testing and assessment of a physician’s specialty medical knowledge, as well as core competencies in the provision of health care. References are provided on the Component 3 webpage.

The content includes assessing a Diplomate’s knowledge and practice of the surgical professional so that continuing education expectations of the osteopathic profession are withheld.

No. At this time, a late fee will not be assessed for the 2025 calendar year; however, a late fee will be implemented in 2026.

The AOBS Longitudinal Assessment was developed by AOA-board certified osteopathic surgeons who represent the AOBS Division of Examiners. These physicians are also known as subject matter experts (SME).

Each SME has a wealth of knowledge in content appropriate for ongoing osteopathic certification, including training in professional item writing. All questions administered during the Longitudinal Assessment were written with the assistance of medical editors and psychometric staff of the AOA Certifying Board Services department and the NBOME. Questions are submitted and vetted by the AOBS Division of Examiners as appropriate, debated and voted upon for acceptance.

Regardless of if a Diplomate selects a correct or incorrect answer, the assessment will provide not only the correct answer, but a rationale/reference after the Diplomate submits their answer. These rationales and references will provide assistance as to why a selection may be incorrect or confirmation of the correct selection. Moreso, AOBA does not expect Diplomates to fail on their second attempt. If you fail a question, please carefully study the rationale and re-read the articles (if provided) to better understand the reasoning behind the correct answer.

Yes. A total of 5.0 AOA Category 1-B credits will be awarded at the end of the calendar year upon successful completion of the assessment, equaling a total of 15.0 for the three-year cycle, assuming a Diplomate passes all three assessments per year. Credits will not be awarded should a Diplomate fail the assessment.

If your certificate was granted to you prior to 2018, it currently has an issuant date, and an expiration date. After 2018, the AOA discontinued including expiration dates on certificates to enhance the nature of continuous learning. Thus, you will only receive a new certificate if your current certificate has an expiration date, and all other OCC components have been met. For those who will not receive a new certificate, you will instead receive a formal letter from the AOA confirming the successful completion of OCC Component 3. Should you ever need a new certificate, you may order one through your AOA Physician Profile. New certificates, per AOA changes, will only reflect the issuant date. There will no longer be an expiration date stated on the certificate.

Again, you will receive two attempts at the assessment. Remember that the assessment will provide you with the correct answers. If a Diplomate truly fails the assessment two times, this is of great concern to the AOBS Board. The Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) is currently further discussing remediation, and we anticipate changes to be announced that will determine inactive status. However, at the present time, Diplomates will remain active but must complete the failed assessment and successfully pass. You may also simultaneously take the assessment for the current year, all the while attempting to pass the previous year that you failed. You will be provided with access to the retake assessment on the AOA’s Learning Management System to do so.

You will have six (6) months during this grace period to successfully pass the assessment. The time frame is Jan. 2 to June 1.

The remediation assessment will not be on the CATALYST platform but, rather, available on the AOA’s Learning Management System. Each Diplomate will be provided with instructions and a secure log-in once paid and registered.

Diplomates in remediation will be provided access to the assessment starting in January of the following cycle.

Like the first assessment, you will only be given two (2) opportunities to pass the assessment, and you must reattempt all questions for the assessment you are repeating. That is, all 15 questions must be scored correctly on your attempt(s) between the time frame of Jan. 2 to June 1.

Should you fail both remediation attempts, you must again pay the registration fee and will be granted two (2) additional attempts up until June 1. Diplomates will continuously be charged the same fee with the same number of attempts until they pass the cycle they are catching up on.  However, you can simultaneously take the assessment you failed while taking the current year assessment.

If you have any technical questions or concerns regarding features and functionality of the CATALYST platform, contact NBOME Client Services at [email protected] or (866) 479-6828.

If you are in remediation and are attempting to pass the assessment on the AOA’s Learning Management System, please call (312) 202-8078.

For general questions, please email us at [email protected].