Longitudinal Assessment FAQs

The American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) transitioned from the 10-year re-certification examination to a longitudinal assessment model for primary certification held in the above-mentioned specialties. The AOBS longitudinal assessment will align with the three-year Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) cycle to fulfill the Component 3 requirement. Our goal is to provide flexible, effective learning opportunities for our Diplomates and promote current knowledge of optimal surgical practice.

• An open book assessment with the ability to save and return at your convenience.
• Remote platform, online 24/7 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

The fee for all specialties is $225 for each year which is due at the time of registration each year. You will only pay $225 each year upon registration. Meaning, the total cycle fee is $675 over three (3) years.

Visit the AOA physician portal (login required) to view your certification information and to check the OCC status.

The AOBS longitudinal assessment for all of AOBS 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.

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

All Diplomates certified in AOBS Specialties with a time-limited certificate expiring on Dec. 31, 2024, could have started entering the new process in the OCC cycle beginning in Oct. 2023 (by registering). If your certificate is set to expire in 2024, you will be required to register for the AOBS longitudinal assessment within the registration time frame which started in Oct. 2023. Please make sure to complete the assessment by Sept. 30, 2024 (first opportunity to pass successfully).

Once you are registered, you will be able to access the assessment which started on Jan. 11, 2024. You will have until Sept. 30, 2024, to pass the assessment with 80%, a full nine months. For certificate holders expiring on Dec. 31, 2025, you will register in the fall of 2024 and have access for the assessment starting in Jan. 2025.

An 80% score is needed to pass the assessment. In other words, you must score 12 out of 15 questions correctly to pass the assessment.

If you fail the assessment on your first attempt, you will have one additional attempt to successfully complete and receive a passing score on the questions you previously failed only. Your second attempt will be available in the fourth quarter of the year from Oct. 16 until Dec. 15 only.

No. One additional attempt on each question during the assessment is provided to assist you with passing the assessment. 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.

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.

Once you are registered and have access to the CATALYST assessment platform, you may begin the assessment at any time. Please keep in mind that one attempt must be made between Jan. 11 and Oct. 15. If you require a second attempt of any questions, you can do so within the Oct. 15 to Dec. 15 retake period.

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

For AOBS specialties, the second assessment attempt provides you with just the questions you scored incorrectly. In other words, if you missed seven questions on your first attempt, you would receive those seven failed questions on your retake. 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 (please see further question below regarding remediation attempts).

The assessment must be successfully completed no later than Oct. 15 of the assessment year. Because 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 attempt if needed.

Participation in longitudinal assessment will be required on an annual basis. Fifteen items will be released each calendar year totaling 45 items each three-year cycle. Diplomates will have 15 items to attempt every year with an 80% passing score.

The assessment for AOBS Specialties is similar to your preparation for the OCC Written Exam prior to longitudinal assessment. Component 3 of Osteopathic Continuous Certification required the testing of and assessment of a physician’s specialty medical knowledge, as well as core competencies in the provision of health care. References are provided on our website and also at the end of this document.

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

Cardiothoracic Surgery, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Urological Surgery and General Vascular Surgery will have references provided as part of the assessment. You will not be redirected to articles to read beforehand or during the assessment. The current 2024 assessment for Neurological Surgery Diplomates will be derived from The Guidelines for the Management of Acute Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries. Diplomates will be provided access on the CATALYST platform. In 2025, the assessment for Neurological Surgery Diplomates will derive from the AHA/ASA 2022 Guideline for the Management of Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Guideline from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

No. At this time a late fee will not be assessed.

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 being trained 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.

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. A total of 15.0 for the cycle, assuming a Diplomate passes all three years. 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 putting expiration dates on certificates to enhance the nature of continuous learning. 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 receive a formal letter from the AOA confirming successful completion of OCC Component 3. Should you ever need a new certificate, remember that you can order one through the 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 on 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 later in 2024 which may determine an inactive status. However, at the present time, Diplomates will remain active but know that you must complete the assessment you failed 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. 1 to June 1 annually.

The remediation assessment will not be on the NBOME CATALYST platform, but 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 will be provided access to the assessment if in remediation, starting in January of the following cycle.

Like the first assessment, you will only be given two (2) opportunities to pass the assessment and must retake 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. 1 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 attempts until they pass the cycle they are catching up on. However, you can simultaneously take the assessment you failed, all the 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].

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