Details and what to expect
The General Surgery Continuous Certification Assessment focuses on the latest and most important developments in practice to assist diplomates in staying up to date. In addition to the Core module that all diplomates must complete, general surgery diplomates are able to select their second module from four practice-related areas. These four areas were determined based on review of diplomates' operative logs submitted over the past few years. More areas will be added in the future based on feedback from diplomates and surgical societies.
Practice characteristics, patient population, and educational interests may make some modules more relevant to certain diplomates than others. Please click on the module names below to see the topic areas that will be addressed in the assessment.
Selecting a module does not lock you into a track. Diplomates are free to select a different practice area for the next assessment they take.
New reference lists are posted on the ABS website each year prior to the start of the assessment window. See our Assessment Reference Archive to find a catalog of all reference lists used in previous years.
Please click on the links below to access the reference lists for the 2023 General Surgery Continuous Certification Assessment.
While taking the assessment, question rationales and reference citations are displayed every time an answer is submitted. Completing the assessment and reading the rationales is an educational experience which may not require any preparation.
You will have up to two weeks to complete the assessment once you begin, with the opportunity to save your progress and continue at a later time during this two-week period. The last day to begin the assessment to ensure that you have the full two weeks is Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
Please note: Your personal two-week time limit will start the moment you click the “Begin” button on the ABS portal – do not click it until you are absolutely sure that you are ready to begin your assessment.
The ABS provides a list of topics to allow diplomates to choose which module fits their needs and interests, as well as to hone in on the areas that they should be aware of for the assessment. References are provided for transparency about the sources that support the development of the assessment. The references reflect that the assessment primarily focuses on important evidence-based recent updates to surgical practice. Diplomates are neither required nor expected to read all of these references before or during the completion of the assessment.
The reference lists that the ABS provides include all references used with a single key reference for each topic, including those which explain why the wrong answers are incorrect. References that are available open-source are indicated. Diplomates may choose to refer to these lists either before or during the assessment.
New reference lists are posted on the ABS website each year prior to the start of the assessment window. See our Assessment Reference Archive to find a catalog of all reference lists used in previous years.
Please keep the following in mind during the assessment: