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The ACPM In-Service Examination (ISE) is administered annually in the Summer. This exam allows program directors and residents to identify specific areas where more study and experience are needed. It can also be a tool for programs to gauge the training at their respective institutions with other national programs. Finally, the voluntary exam affords resident trainees an opportunity to assess their individual performance with others at the program or national level. The exam is available for PM residents in their first or second year of training. Recent graduates (within 6 months of graduation) are also welcome to enroll.
In response to changes in the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) Certification Examination, we have added 55-question Specialty Sections for the PH/GPM, OEM and AM specialties. A specialty is selected during exam registration, and the 110-question Core Section has been retained to assess the performance of the new Specialty sections against the well-established historical norms of the Core Section. This year’s In-Service Exam will be the same as last year and offer a total of 165 questions, with a time limit of 3.5 hours. As the validity of the new Specialty sections is established, we anticipate adding more Specialty questions to future In-Service Exams. Changes in the quantity and distribution of the questions will be guided in part by feedback from the residency programs.
The exam’s 165 questions are written in a “one best response” format, and residents are given 3.5 hours to complete the exam. Though not intended to be an examination preparation tool, the In-service Exam can be a gauge of how well residents are being trained and prepared for the content of the Board examination. It is designed for residents in all specialty areas of Preventive Medicine. The material covered in the exam relates to the core and the specialty portion of the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) certification exam.
Registration Type
Pricing
In-Service Exam Member Resident (ACPM, ACOEM ASMA)
Please verify membership status prior to registration.
$225
In-Service Exam Non-Member
$300
In-Service Exam & ACPM Membership Bundle (through December 2026). This membership bundle is available for current and incoming residents.
$300
In-Service Exam & ACPM Membership Bundle (through December 2027). This membership bundle is available only for incoming residents beginning their residency in July 2026.
$350
Refund Processing Fee
$100
Membership status of current residents will be verified prior to invoicing and/or finalizing payment.
ACPM should receive the payment for the exams by the above deadline.
Residents will receive access to the exam only after ACPM receives payment.
Exam access information, including URL and resident-specific login, will be emailed to the program/residents shortly before the examination period.
The Inservice Exam will be offered ONLY during the following dates to ensure efficient enrollment of all residents to access the exam. All three specialties will be offered on all these dates
Friday, July 31 (2026 Residency Graduates only; limited exam analysis at the individual level may be available by end of August; program level and specialty level analyses will only be available in October)
All the remaining exam results will be available in October.
Friday, August 7
Tuesday, August 11
Friday, August 14
Thursday, August 20
Friday, August 21
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 28
During the exam, the residents will be allowed to 1) increase font size, 2) skip questions, 3) review and or change exam answers before submitting.
Programs must provide a proctor. ACPM will not provide a proctor.
Programs may determine exam logistics including in-person or virtual administration. Virtual proctoring is permitted for the In-Service Exam. Programs are required to provide their own proctor. Guidelines for the administration of the in-service exam are as follows:
Once the program directors pick one of the dates listed above, ACPM staff will send instructions to access the exam through our learning management system.
Programs that choose to proctor virtually may do so by using any of your virtual platforms such as Zoom, GoToMeetings, etc.
Programs that have the capacity and permission to offer the exam in-person may continue to proctor the residents the same way as they did in previous years.
Program results will be distributed in October 2026 (except for graduating residents who take the exam on July 31). Results include national data, program data, and individual results.
Week of April 27 – Registration Opens
July 10 – Deadline for Program Registration and Payment
July 10 – Once Payment is received, ACPM will verify information from programs to ensure ACPM login/exam access to residents
August 2026 – Exam offered ONLY on select dates (see above).
October 2026 – ACPM will send results to programs
Please contact Anita Balan: abalan@acpm.org