2021 ABSITE Order Information
Dec. 23, 2020
Update January 7, 3:30 p.m.
The deadline for placing 2021 ABSITE orders has been extended. Orders for the 2021 ABSITE will now be accepted until Wednesday, January 13, 2021.
Original post:
Orders/registrations for the 2021 ABSITE may now be placed via the ABS website.
In response to program director and program administrator input about the challenges of administering the ABSITE during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ABS announced in October the extension of the exam window from 5 days to 10 days for the 2021 ABSITE. The window will be from Thursday, January 28 to Saturday, February 6, 2021. This extension will allow for 7 weekdays and 3 weekend days of exam time. There will not be a second administration or a separate make-up day for the exam.
The administration of the ABSITE must be conducted in the usual manner as an in-person administration and with a proctor in each exam room. As always, the program director is empowered to designate faculty, administrative staff or other individuals to serve as proctors.
The ABS also recognizes that not all programs may be able to administer the ABSITE due a variety of reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to note that the ABS does not require the ABSITE for any reason, including application for certification. Ultimately, it is a program decision whether or not to administer the ABSITE. Program directors are also empowered to decide to not give the 2021 ABSITE to their residents, should local conditions warrant.
ABSITE Information and Ordering Instructions
For more details, please see the 2021 ITE Order/Computer Requirements info sheet on your Status of Order page
To access the order form, click on Training & Certification > For Residency & Fellowship Programs > 2021 In-Training Exams and log in with the credentials noted in the email that you received. The page that follows will be your Status of Order Form.
Order deadline: January 7, 2021
Exam Fee: $80 per exam
Payment and Seating Chart deadline: February 6, 2021. Results will not be released until order is paid in full and the seating chart is received.
Use of Personal Laptops for the ABSITE: Residents may use their personal laptops provided that they complete the system check and download the secure browser. However, it is IMPERATIVE that programs and/or their IT department run a test simulation to see how many simultaneous users can test at the same time and perform a bandwidth check to check your network’s ability to transfer data to ITS. If these checks are not completed, your program will experience connectivity issues during the exam. See the 2021 Order/Computer Requirement info sheet on your Status of Order page for more details. Our exam vendor, ITS, is also available to answer questions about completing the bandwidth check.
Accepted forms of payment: Checks issued by the institution or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). Checks from individual residents are not accepted.
Testing Accommodations: Programs may grant additional exam time of either time and a half (1.5x) or double time (2x) to examinees with learning differences and to lactating mothers who may need additional time to pump. Extra time is noted on the order form for each specific resident. Note: accommodations on the ABSITE are granted by the program and do not guarantee accommodations on ABS certification examinations.
Taking ABSITE with host program (at an alternate site): The parent program would select on the order form the name of the host general surgery program from the drop-down menu for each specific resident taking the exam off-site. This arrangement must be made in advance.
Proctor Log-in Credentials to the Testing Website: In mid-January, the program director and program administrator will receive a Welcome email from ITS with log-in credentials. Please ensure that emails from ABSsupport@testsys.com are not blocked by your network.
If you have any questions, please email Barbara Jalbert-Gerkens. We look forward to working with you toward a successful examination.
