The Maintenance of Certification Process Part 2: As Easy as ABC

Dr. Alvin Schamroth, MD, FACOG


Probably the majority of the nation’s OB/GYNS are now involved in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 2 process (lifetime education). This article aims to provide the basic information for those not yet obligated, and also to give some lesser known facts for those who are already involved in this process.


The MOC Part 2 portion has been in existence since 1998, but was previously known as the ABC (Annual Board Certification) exam. It is designed to encourage diplomates to read prescribed articles and thereby continue with lifetime learning. It caters to those engaged in general OBGYN as well as subspecialty practice. This portion of MOC is conducted by ABOG and is completed online by logging onto www.abog.org and signing on with your ABOG ID number and personal password. Access to the articles is only made available after ABOG has received payment (via check or credit card). The fee is $235 for the year and the deadline was February 26! A late fee of $110 will extend the application deadline to June 30. An additional late fee of $110 (total late fee $220) will buy you an extension to August 30. Similarly, a third $110 late fee (total now $330) will delay the deadline to September 29. Failure to complete this portion of the MOC process will result in a withdrawal of board certification status.


The MOC Part 2 consists of 3 sets of articles per year. Each set comprises 15 articles and a total of 60 associated questions (for an annual total of 180 questions). These 15 articles (each with 4 associated questions) typically have 5 articles dedicated to each of GYN, OB and ‘Office’ categories. The 3 sets of articles are issued in January, April and July of each year. OB/GYN generalists may select articles from 2 or all 3 categories (OB, GYN and ‘Office’) in each set of articles. The candidate must select enough articles to answer at least 120 questions (this can be obtained from just 2 sets if so desired) each year to fulfill the MOC requirement. Once an article is selected, the diplomate must complete all questions associated with that article. Diplomates are respectfully warned that failure to answer a single question from a selected article will result in an automatic failing grade (even if the actual grade is above the 70% pass mark!). One is thus encouraged to make sure that a minimum of 120 questions (and all questions from any selected article) have been submitted by the September 30 deadline. Also, be aware that once an answer has been submitted, it cannot be changed. Completion of 120 questions with a passing grade confers 25 hours of CME. The remaining 60 questions are optional and will confer extra CME credit for an additional fee.



The MOC Part 2 is an ‘open book test’. Candidates are required to read the article and then answer the 4 questions. They must attest to having read the article themselves in order to answer the questions, and may not use any commercial services that provide article summaries for the purpose of completing the ABC exam. The physician is encouraged to check the bottom of their individualized ABC web page, where they will find a summary of the number of articles they have read, the number of uncompleted questions and their score. Most will find that even with a nominal expenditure of intellectual energy, they will be well over the minimum passing grade of 70%.


It is fair to assume that these articles are chosen by ABOG for their relevance to current clinical practice, and that ABOG would like the OB/GYN profession to be familiar with these practices. As such, most diplomats find these articles to be interesting, valuable and highly worthwhile. There is an added benefit: these articles can reasonably be expected to play some part in the MOC Part 3 examination. Consequently, many may choose to read all articles from all 3 sets and not only the minimum requirement (equivalent of 2 sets).


In the (expected rare) case of a diplomate failing to achieve a passing grade, he/she will be notified in November and will be allowed a retake examination. Failure to achieve a passing grade in this reexamination will result in withdrawal of board certification status. This in turn will preclude membership with ACOG.


Subspecialists should have applied for the MOC Part 2 exam in November 2008. Whereas the subspecialty registration fee is greater ($295), the late fee and deadlines are similar to generalists (discussed above). Each of the 3 sets of articles for subspecialists will comprise 2 subsets: 1) general OB/GYN articles (as described above) and 2) subspecialty articles with 30 questions per subset. A subspecialist must annually answer a total of 150 questions: 60 questions derived from the ‘generalist’ list of articles and all 90 questions associated with their ‘subspecialty’ list of articles. Again the pass mark is 70% and 25 CME credits are provided.


While this portion of the MOC process does require a commitment of time on the part of the diplomate, this should result in greater awareness of current standards and hopefully, improved clinical practice.