Exam Admissibility Policy - SCC

Certifying Exam

• Surgeons who complete a surgical critical care fellowship during the 2019-2020 academic year or thereafter will have 7 years following training to achieve certification in surgical critical care, i.e., become certified in surgery and pass the Surgical Critical Care Certifying Exam.
• The 7-year period starts immediately upon completion of surgical critical care training. Once an application is approved, the applicant has a maximum of 5 opportunities within 5 consecutive years to take and pass the Surgical Critical Care Certifying Exam. Only one exam opportunity will be offered in each year of that five-year period. If an applicant decides not to take the exam in a given year, it is a lost opportunity as the five-year limit is absolute.
• During the five-year period, examinees who postponed or were unsuccessful will be able to register for the next exam without completing a new application; the original application will suffice. Active duty military personnel who may encounter difficulty taking the exam due to their service should contact the ABS as soon as possible.
• Applicants who have exhausted their seven-year admissibility period should contact the exam coordinator regarding the readmissibility requirements in effect at that time.

Updated: April 2020