An important date is coming for diplomates in Continuing Certification who haven’t started answering Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) questions yet this year. August 3 is the last day when they can start participating and still be able to reach their annual progress requirement which, for most, requires answering 52 questions. 

Waiting until that date to begin answering questions impacts the program’s flexibility that participants enjoy. Those diplomates would need to answer all their remaining question opportunities to avoid forfeits, thus losing the ability to skip some weeks or decline questions. 

Here are a couple of other things for diplomates to consider as they assess their OLA participation halfway through the year. 

Avoid Forfeited Questions  

Questions that are required but unanswered for a given year are considered “forfeited” and counted as incorrect responses. For example, a diplomate who is required to answer 52 questions and only answered 50 would have two questions “forfeited.”  

Participants can identify if they have forfeited questions in two places:  

• Annual progress dashboard for the current and previous year  

• My OLA history  

Two Choices After Meeting the Annual Progress Requirement  

Diplomates who have met their annual progress requirements have two options regarding participation for the rest of the year:  

• Take a break: They may wait until next year to resume answering questions.  

• Keep going: They may choose to answer more than 52 questions. There is no penalty for continuing to participate.  

Questions? Contact Us  

Anyone who has fallen behind or has questions about their OLA status may contact a certification manager at information@theabr.org or 520-790-2900.