Early Preparation Is Key to Success on Exam Day
By Robert M. Barr, MD, ABR President; Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director; and David Laszakovits, MBA, ABR Communications Director
2024;17(1):4
Taking an exam can be stressful, even for the most prepared candidates. While convenient, remote exam delivery introduces hurdles not encountered during in-person exams. Even perfect execution by ABR staff and candidates does not ensure a problem-free exam day experience. We have had unanticipated interruptions caused by circumstances such as internet outages, third-party software updates, unsupported operating systems, browser problems, database resource strain, and institutional network firewalls.
While we cannot control these types of issues, together we can prepare for the best possible exam experience. When we began offering remote exams in 2021, we unveiled a variety of tools to help candidates prepare:
- Pre-exam emails
- Exam guides
- Exam Readiness Check (computer-based exams)
- Self-guided technical check (oral exams)
- YouTube demos and tutorials
To reduce stress during an ABR exam event, we advise candidates to engage with the available tools well in advance of exam day. If you have issues, please contact our knowledgeable certification managers at information@theabr.og or 520-790-2900.
Technical failures resulting in a candidate not completing a remote computer-based or oral exam are exceedingly rare. However, even if difficulties occur on exam day, our Exam Day Help Desk team can quickly respond and help to resolve them. In addition, we’ll replace lost exam time needed to fix the problem. On exam day, keep the Exam Day Help Desk flyer close by and don’t hesitate to call if you need assistance.
While a smooth exam for hundreds of candidates with unavoidable variability in hardware and network connections is impossible to guarantee, preparation and mutual respect for the high stakes of the process go a long way toward making every exam as stress-free as possible.
