You can’t predict which specific questions will appear on the General Pediatrics Certifying Examination, but the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) provides a content outline, or blueprint, of information you can expect to be covered on the exam.

NEJM Knowledge+ Pediatrics Board Review content is designed to reflect the ABP exam blueprint. Because our system adapts to you, NEJM Knowledge+ will help you focus on the blueprint areas where you need the most review, providing efficient, effective preparation for the ABP exam.

The NEJM Knowledge+ Pediatric Board Review content areas are as follows:

The items in the NEJM Knowledge+ Pediatrics question bank reflect pediatrics practice across the following key dimensions:

  • Prevention, screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment
  • Ambulatory clinic and hospital-based care
  • Chronic, subacute, acute, and emergency cases
  • Various patient characteristics, including age and gender
  • ACGME core competencies

NEJM Knowledge+ represents a comprehensive survey of pediatric medicine. And like the board exam, NEJM Knowledge+ focuses on the clinical scenarios most relevant to general pediatrics, allowing you to approach the exam with confidence.

ABP Certification/Recertification Examination Blueprint

The ABP blueprint lists the categories of pediatric medicine that will appear on all three ABP general pediatrics exams (initial certification, MOC, and in-training) and shows you approximately how much of the exam content is devoted to each topic. The current blueprint determines the exam content through August 31, 2017, and the updated blueprint will become effective on September 1, 2017 and determine exam content until further notice.

Current ABP Blueprint (effective through August 31, 2017)

Pediatric Content CategoryApproximate Percentage
Growth and Development5.0%
Nutrition and Nutritional Disorders4.0%
Preventive Pediatrics5.0%
Poisoning and Environmental Exposure to Hazardous Substances2.0%
Fetus and Newborn Infant3.5%
Fluid and Electrolyte Metabolism2.5%
Genetics and Dysmorphology2.5%
Allergic and Immunologic Disorders3.5%
Infectious Diseases4.5%
Metabolic Disorders1.5%
Endocrine Disorders3.5%
Gastrointestinal Disorders3.5%
Respiratory Disorders4.0%
Cardiovascular Disorders3.0%
Blood and Neoplastic Disorders2.5%
Renal and Urologic Disorders2.5%
Genital System Disorders1.5%
Neurologic Disorders3.0%
Musculoskeletal Disorders3.0%
Skin Disorders3.5%
Collagen Vascular and Other Multisystem Disorders1.5%
Disorders of the Eye1.0%
Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders3.5%
Adolescent Medicine and Gynecology4.0%
Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness2.5%
Substance Abuse1.5%
Disorders of Cognition, Language, and Learning3.0%
Behavioral and Mental Health Issues4.0%
Psychosocial Issues2.0%
Child Abuse and Neglect2.0%
Critical Care2.0%
Emergency Care3.0%
Pharmacology and Pain Management2.0%
Research and Statistics1.5%
Ethics for Primary Pediatricians1.0%
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement1.5%
Total100%

Updated ABP Blueprint (effective beginning September 1, 2017)

Content DomainExam Weight
Preventive Pediatrics/Well-Child Care8.0%
Fetal and Neonatal Care5.0%
Adolescent Care5.0%
Genetics, Dysmorphology, and Metabolic Disorders3.0%
Mental and Behavioral Health5.0%
Child Abuse and Neglect4.0%
Emergency and Critical Care4.0%
Infectious Diseases7.0%
Oncology2.0%
Hematology4.0%
Allergy and Immunology4.0%
Endocrinology4.0%
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine4.0%
Rheumatology2.0%
Neurology5.0%
Ear, Eye, Nose, and Throat4.0%
Cardiology4.0%
Pulmonology5.0%
Gastroenterology4.0%
Nephrology, Fluids, and Electrolytes4.0%
Urology and Genital Disorders3.0%
Skin/Dermatology4.0%
Psychosocial Issues2.0%
Ethics2.0%
Research Methods, Patient Safety, and Quality Improvement2.0%
Total100%

In addition, the updated ABP blueprint indicates percentages for “universal tasks” that will be tested on the board exam:

Total

Universal TaskExam Weight
Basic Science and Pathophysiology20%
Epidemiology and Risk Assessment10%
Diagnosis35%
Management and Treatment35%
Total100%

For more information on what to expect as you prepare for the ABP exam, see Taking the ABP Exam.