Maintenance of Certification Examination   Introduction Test Site Selection Exam Day Exam Content     Introduction The next ABOto Maintenance of Certification Exam will be held on Thursday, February 3, 2011. The Part III examination will be administered at Pearson VUE computer testing centers throughout the country, so most participants will be able to take the examination in their own community. The ABOto policy is to provide MOC participants three attempts to pass the Part III examination prior to expiration of their certificate. All MOC participants will need to pass the exam prior to their certificate's expiration. If you take and pass the Part III exam, and you have completed the other MOC requirements, your certificate will be renewed for an additional ten years from the date of its expiration, not the date you passed the Part III exam. The Maintenance of Certification Examination is a computer-based examination offered annually by the ABOto on one day. The examination consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions designed to assess the applicant's cognitive knowledge and clinical judgment. The examination lasts three hours and is held at computer-testing facilities across the U.S. Results will be mailed approximately nine weeks after the examination. Diplomates may apply for the maintenance of certification exam starting three years prior to the expiration of their certificate. Individuals apply through the online application process. Once your application is approved, you will be sent an exam admission authorization letter with the final details about your exam and instructions on reserving a place at a computer-testing center. Please log in to your account on the ABOto website to apply for the examination. The deadline for completing applications for the 2011 exam is September 1, 2010.   Test Site Selection Information will be provided in mid-October.   Day of Exam: Registration and Security at Examination Center On the day of your exam, plan to arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes prior to your exam to allow time for registration. Be aware that strict security measures are employed at all testing centers to ensure the integrity of the examination process. Bring with you your ABOto exam authorization letter and two forms of identification - both forms of ID must have your name and signature and one must have your photo. You will be photographed and finger-scanned for identification purposes during registration and upon re-entry to the examination room. Do not bring any reference materials, notes, calculators, etc., with you to the center. You will be given a private locker in which to store your personal belongings, including your coat, wallet, watch, cell phone, pager and keys, as you cannot bring these items into the exam room. The examination room is continuously videotaped. No food or drinks are allowed in the examination room. We also suggest that you dress in layers in case you find the room too cold or hot, since you may not keep your coat. You may request earplugs or headphones if you find the room too noisy; however you may not bring your own.   MOC Examination Content The Maintenance of Certification Part III Examination is an integral part of the MOC process. Unlike some other specialties, an otolaryngology MOC examination is complicated by the fact that many if not most otolaryngologists tend to focus on specific practice areas. An otolaryngologist whose practice focus is head and neck oncology may not see or operate on patients with otologic conditions. The American Board of Otolaryngology recognizes this situation and has designed some components of MOC (including the Part III Examination) to address this issue. The blueprint for the Part III Examination calls for two components for the eighty question examination. One component (Clinical Fundamentals) consists of twelve questions on topics all otolaryngologists should know regardless of specialty focus. The other sixty-eight questions are specific to otolaryngology specialty areas. Each person taking the Part III exam will select the specialty focus area of their choice. The ABOto divides the non-Fundamentals question topics into three broad areas: Data gathering/Interpretation, Differential diagnosis/Diagnosis, and Management. The approximate percentage of questions that comprise the exam is: 15% Clinical Fundamentals 30% Data gathering/Interpretation 20% Differential diagnosis/Diagnosis 35% Management The questions used on the Part III Examination are drawn from the pool of questions used in the Written Examination. Unlike the Written Examination which includes both basic science and clinical questions, the Part III Examination will contain only clinically relevant questions. The passing score of the Part III Examination is the same as the Written Examination meaning that the expected level of knowledge is at the same level as the initial certification examination. Since the Part III passing score is the same as the passing score of the primary certification examination, passing the Part III examination does not imply any advanced knowledge or skills in any specialty area. Diplomates are prohibited from using passing an examination in a specialty focus area to imply special knowledge or skills in any form of advertising. Diplomates subcertified in Neurotology and Sleep Medicine will need to pass those specialty focus examinations in order to maintain their subspecialty subcertification. Passing the subcertification Part III Examination will renew both their primary and subspecialty certificates. Since the passing scores on the subspecialty examinations are at a higher level than the primary certification examination, diplomates are not prohibited from indicating their subcertification status.   FUNDAMENTALS AREA CLINICAL FUNDAMENTALS includes topics such as emergency airway management, professionalism issues, patient safety, anesthesia concepts, CPR, patient safety, and universal precautions. Consists of twelve questions on topics all otolaryngologists should know regardless of specialty focus.   SPECIALTY AREA The other sixty-eight questions are specific to otolaryngology specialty areas. Each person taking the Part III exam will select ONE of the specialty focus areas listed below: ALLERGY/RHINOLOGY includes questions on the full spectrum of otolaryngic allergy and rhinology including allergy testing, medical management of rhinosinusitis, endoscopic sinus surgery, disorders of smell, headaches, and epistaxis. HEAD AND NECK includes benign and malignant neoplasms of the head and neck, with a focus on tumors of the upper aerodigestive track, the salivary glands, the thyroid and parathyroid glands, and adult tracheal stenosis. GENERAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY is comprised of a specific mix of questions from the various specialty focus examination. The approximate percentage of questions coming from each specialty focus is: 21% Allergy/Rhinology 17% Head and neck 13% Laryngology 17% Otology 17% Pediatric otolaryngology 7% Plastic and reconstructive 8% Sleep medicine LARYNGOLOGY includes disorders of speech and swallowing, laryngeal trauma, delayed laryngeal speech restoration (e.g., Tracheo-esophageal puncture), management of vocal fold paralysis, diagnosis and treatment of early laryngeal cancers, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. OTOLOGY/AUDIOLOGY covers the full spectrum of otologic practice including hearing aids and cochlear implants. Questions about the diagnosis of tumors of the temporal bone are included in this section, but specific management of these lesions is considered Neurotology and is excluded from the Otology/Audiology examination. PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGY questions are limited to patients under the age of eighteen and cover the full spectrum of pediatric otolaryngic conditions. PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY will cover both cosmetic and reconstructive (including facial fractures) topics in an approximately 50/50 ratio.