What types of questions appear in a CertLink assessment?
Of the 52 primary questions provided each year to a diplomate, three different types are provided as follows:
24 Core (image-based) questions
Each question consists of a photographic image of a skin disease with the query “Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?” Individuals with non-time-limited certificates, who voluntarily participate in the ABD’s continuing certification program and wish to maintain only subspecialty certification, are waived of the requirement to answer Core questions.
12 Concentration (specialty) questions
At the beginning of every year, each diplomate chooses which categories of subspecialty questions s/he wishes to receive that year: medical, pediatric, dermatopathology, surgery or cosmetics. Diplomates without subspecialty certification will answer 12 concentration questions yearly. Diplomates can “pick and choose” the number of questions they receive from each category, to reflect the composition of their patient practice. For example:
- Example 1: 12 medical, 0 surgical, 0 pediatric, 0 cosmetic
- Example 2: 6 medical, 2 surgical, 3 pediatric, 1 cosmetic
Individuals with subspecialty certification answer 24 concentration questions yearly (and only 12 core questions), and half of the 24 subspecialty questions consist of a subspecialist “level 2” questions.
16 Article-Based questions
This component consists of questions based on important articles in the recent literature. Articles are organized and presented by subspecialty – medical, pediatric, dermatopathology, surgery and cosmetics – but each diplomate may “pick and choose” among the articles and answer questions about whichever articles they wish. Eight articles (each with two associated questions) are selected by a diplomate at the beginning of each year, and then the system assigns two of those articles to that diplomate each quarter.
As with the other question types, if a question is answered incorrectly a repeat question will be delivered the next quarter, along with the article for review. All articles are provided without cost or subscription to every diplomate through CertLink.
