Certificate of Added Qualification

Adolescent Medicine Longitudinal Assessment

ABFM has partnered with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) to offer the Adolescent Medicine longitudinal assessment through ABP’s MOCA-Peds program.

If you hold a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Adolescent Medicine and plan to maintain your certification, you must apply for MOCA-Peds in the year your 10-year exam requirement is due. If you gain initial certification in Adolescent Medicine in 2024 or after, you will begin MOCA-Peds participation in the sixth year after gaining initial certification. Going forward, you can expect to begin a new cycle of MOCA-Peds every five (5) years to maintain your Adolescent Medicine CAQ.

*As of 2023, ABFM no longer offers the Adolescent Medicine one-day exam to physicians seeking continued certification.


How It Works

  • You will begin in the first quarter of the year your exam requirement is due.
  • You will answer up to 20 (five minute) questions each quarter over three to four years.
  • If performance at the end of three years is sufficient to reach the minimum passing standard, the fourth year may be taken as an “off” year.
  • Questions can be answered in one or multiple sessions within the quarter.
  • Immediate feedback and critiques are provided for each question answered.
  • Quarterly performance summaries will be available at the end of the first year, so you can continually assess your performance and identify focus areas for future study.
  • You may review all answered questions in the “Question History” section of the MOCA-Peds dashboard.
  • Final results will be provided following the quarter in which you complete the assessment.

MOCA-Peds covers the unique physical, psychological, and social characteristics of adolescents and their health care problems and needs.  For more information about MOCA-Peds content for Adolescent Medicine, click here.

Each year, MOCA-Peds participants receive one unique question for each of the 45 Learning Objectives drawn from the Adolescent Medicine exam content outline and two questions based primarily on featured readings selected by ABP.


Eligibility Requirements

You are eligible if you are an…

  • ABFM Diplomate who is recertifying in Adolescent Medicine in the year your exam is due.
  • ABFM Diplomate who wishes to regain certification in Adolescent Medicine.*​

*Please note: if you enroll in MOCA-Peds while not certified in Adolescent Medicine, you will not regain certification until you complete the assessment with a passing score (minimum three years).

You are not eligible if you are a(n)…

  • ABFM Diplomate pursuing initial certification in Adolescent Medicine.
  • ABFM Diplomate who has completed, but not passed MOCA-Peds.
  • ABFM Diplomate who wishes to take the Adolescent Medicine exam prior to the year it is due.
  • Physician who is not certified in family medicine by ABFM.

Application Information

To participate in MOCA-Peds, you must complete an application to be reviewed and approved by ABFM, just as you have previously done for the one-day exam. There is no additional cost for MOCA-Peds compared to the one-day exam. The online application can be accessed in your MyABFM Portfolio during the open application period. Visit the Adolescent Medicine Important Dates page to review application deadlines.

ABFM provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). More information regarding accommodations can be found in the Candidate Information Booklet. If necessary, you may request accommodations after the application process is completed by submitting a written request to [email protected].


Examination Information Booklet

To assist you with the Adolescent Medicine application and results process, ABFM provides you with a Examination Information Booklet that includes a comprehensive description of our requirements and policies. We recommend you read this thoroughly before beginning the application process.

2024 ​Candidate Information Booklet

2025 Examination Information Booklet


Participation Guidelines

While participating in MOCA-Peds, you will receive up to 20 (five minute) questions each quarter that can be answered in one or multiple sessions.

The table below lists the beginning and ending date for each quarter that you will have to answer your questions.

The assessment can be completed in as little as three years or a maximum of four years. Completing the assessment and achieving a passing score will satisfy your exam requirement and enable you to maintain your CAQ in Adolescent Medicine.


MOCA-Peds Platform Tutorial


Ongoing Requirements

To remain enrolled in MOCA-Peds, you must submit the annual CAQ certification fees and continuously maintain your family medicine certification. If you do not meet these requirements, you will be removed from MOCA-Peds and lose certification in Adolescent Medicine. Once removed, you are required to pass the one-day exam to regain certification.


Scoring and Performance Feedback

Scoring

Questions that are viewed and answered will be counted correct or incorrect. Questions that are viewed but not answered will be counted as incorrect. Questions that are not viewed during a quarter will be counted as incorrect.

Immediate Feedback

After each question, you will be prompted to provide confidence and relevance ratings, then provided an immediate response indicating whether your answer is correct or incorrect. The feedback page also provides the learning objective associated with the question, rationale, supporting references, peer comparison data and an opportunity to submit a comment related to the question. You may also review all answered questions in the “Question History” section of the MOCA-Peds dashboard.

Ongoing Feedback

ABP will provide an overview of your ongoing performance and opportunities to identify areas of strength and weakness in the “My Performance” section of the MOCA-Peds dashboard. Please note, your cumulative scaled score will not be provided until the beginning of your second year of participation.

Final Score

The lowest performing four quarters will not be included in your final score calculation. If you achieve the minimum passing standard after three years of participation, you are not required to answer additional questions in the fourth year. If you do not achieve the minimum passing standard, you may continue to answer questions in the fourth year in an effort to raise your final score. After four years of participation, if you do not achieve the minimum passing standard, you will remain certified through the end of the fifth year, but are required to pass the one-day exam to maintain your certification in Adolescent Medicine.

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