The Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on American Board of Surgery's Oral Certifying Exams

In response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, the American Board of Surgery (ABS) shifted from in‐person to remote administrations of the oral certifying exam (CE). Although the overall exam architecture remains the same, there are a number of differences in administration and staffing costs, exam content, security concerns, and the tools used to give the exam. Overall, the remote oral CEs have been a success, being well‐received by candidates and examiners, having comparable psychometric performance to the in‐person exams, and allowing over 2,300 candidates to obtain board certification on time. Although the ABS will continue remote administrations in the near future, a permanent switch will require careful consideration of exam security, psychometrics, validity, examiner quality and engagement, and other issues related to comparability across administration modes.