Performance on the Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP) examination: comparison of initial certfiers with experienced physicians

The perception that state-of-the-art clinical knowledge declines as a physician moves further away from formal training is prevalent.1 This perception is reinforced by a significant body of research.2⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–8 As a result, seasoned family physicians may have concerns that the American Board of Family Medicine’s Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP) examination may be biased against them. However, recent research has found that family physicians maintaining their certification performed better than recent graduates, with scores reaching their highest point approximately 30 years after their initial certification.1 The belief that the examination is biased against veteran physicians or merely fails to recognize their years of additional experience may be partially reinforced by only considering the MC-FP examination’s passing rates without regard to the distribution of scores.