Internal Medicine

Exam at a glance

Exam fee

Internal Medicine initial certification exam fee is $1,430; late registration adds a non-refundable $400 and international test centers add $500

Questions on exam

Up to 240 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions, of which approximately 35 are new unscored questions

Duration

Approximately 10 hours total appointment time, with four sessions of up to 2 hours each and up to 60 questions per session plus optional break and administrative time

Passing score

Standardized score must equal or exceed ABIM's passing standard; no fixed percentage of examinees passes or fails

Retake policy

Board eligibility generally lasts seven years and repeated unsuccessful attempts can trigger waiting rules

Validity

Certificates remain valid as long as physicians continue participating in Maintenance of Certification, including earning required MOC points and meeting the assessment requirement through an ABIM option such as LKA or the traditional MOC exam

Published exam facts, from the official outline.

What’s on the IM exam

1. Allergy and Immunology (2%)
2. Cardiovascular Disease (14%)
3. Dermatology (3%)
4. Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (9%)
5. Gastroenterology (9%)
6. Hematology (6%)
7. Infectious Disease (9%)
8. Miscellaneous (2%)
9. Nephrology and Urology (6%)
10. Neurology (4%)
11. Obstetrics and Gynecology (3%)
12. Medical Oncology (6%)
13. Ophthalmology (1%)
14. Otolaryngology and Dental Medicine (1%)
15. Psychiatry (4%)
16. Pulmonary Disease (9%)
17. Rheumatology and Orthopedics (9%)
18. Geriatric Syndromes (3%)

Official exam blueprint domains — your practice bank mirrors this outline.