At what point is it determined whether I met the CertLink criteria to maintain board certification?

At what point is it determined whether I met the CertLink criteria to maintain board certification?

To determine whether diplomates have fulfilled CertLink criteria to maintain board certification, each diplomate will need to answer an adequate number of questions over time to render a psychometrically valid assessment of his or her performance. Some of the other boards who have longer experience with longitudinal assessment have indicated that 4-5 years of questions is the adequate number, but that may depend on how many questions are answered each year.

For ABD diplomates, one key “Look Back” point will occur after four years of participation. At that point, each actively participating diplomate will receive feedback that will include whether the diplomate is on track to earn a passing score. Those not on track will receive advice for improving performance.

The exact time required to render the final assessment is still unknown. It is important to understand that CertLink is a longitudinal process that continues throughout your career. It is a significant change from the old MOC cycles that required passage of a long, high-stakes proctored exam once every 10 years. Current research into how adults learn shows that cramming for one major test every decade is not an effective way to learn and is not the best way to assess whether a dermatologist possesses the knowledge he or she needs to effectively treat patients. The idea behind CertLink is to combine lifelong learning with longitudinal assessment to help diplomates recognize and fill any knowledge gaps and be informed of new research and best practices.