Emergency Medicine

How the new ABEM Certifying Exam works

A plain-English map of the in-person exam — so you know what you’ll walk into, and how DOME practices each station type.

At a glance

10 cases · half-day · in person

Where: AIME Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Session: Half-day, in person
Case count: 10 cases covering eight content areas

Source: ABEM Certifying Exam overview.

Two case families

Clinical care, then communication & procedures

Clinical Care Cases

15 minutes each · discussion-based

Clinical Decision-Making ×2
Prioritization ×2

Communication & Procedural

10 minutes each · OSCE-style (may use standardized patients or equipment)

Procedures
Ultrasound
Patient-Centered Communications
Reassessment
Difficult Conversations
Managing Conflict

Minutes: ABEM validity evidence (clinical 15 / OSCE 10). Case types: ABEM Certifying Exam Content page. Content page.

What each station asks

In ABEM’s words

Clinical Decision-Making: Structured discussion of an undifferentiated patient — history, exam significance, differential, studies, management, and rationale.
Prioritization: Multiple patients on a tracking board; acuity, stabilizing care, new arrivals, deterioration, and team resources.
Procedures: Consent, preparation, performance, and post-procedure care — with procedural equipment in the real exam.
Ultrasound: Acquire views on a standardized patient (examiner runs the machine) and interpret ultrasound videos.
Patient-Centered Communications: Empathic bidirectional talk with a patient — no physical exam in the sample materials.
Reassessment: New or conflicting information on a boarding patient; identify why they worsened and what to do next.
Difficult Conversations: Deliver sensitive or unexpected news with rapport, clarity, and closure.
Managing Conflict: Negotiate a patient-centered path when positions diverge (e.g. with a colleague or family).

Summarized from ABEM case materials linked on the Certifying Exam Content page. DOME does not reproduce ABEM’s copyrighted task sheets.

Practice on DOME

Talk it through, not flip flashcards

DOME runs live, voice-led cases for clinical decision-making, communication, procedure, and ultrasound stations. Multi-patient prioritization is in early access. The full 10-station mock exam (fixed order, coaching-only results, unfinished slots marked coming soon) is included with your Emergency Medicine access — no extra fee.

Start the full mock →

Original practice cases. DOME is not affiliated with or endorsed by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). FAQ: ABEM Certifying Exam FAQs.