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INTRODUCTION

Passing the emergency medicine written certification examination is an impor-

tant milestone in the process of becoming a board certified emergency physi-

cian. The written exam, formerly called the Written Certification Examination

and now referred to by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)

as the “Qualifying Examination,” is used to identify candidates who are ready

to take the oral exam, the final step in becoming board certified. The Qualifying

Examination measures core knowledge, and, to many who must take it, it is an

intimidating hurdle. Every year approximately ten percent of examinees fail

the test and must retake it the following year. Given that many test takers are

completing their residency and may be moving to start a new job in the months

leading up to the test, it is clear that there is a need for a focused, easy-to-use

review book to help them prepare.

First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Boardsis such a book. The First Aid series

is based on the idea that people who have recently prepared for and taken the

test know best how to teach others to study for it. We have drawn on the expe-

rience of 31 individual chapter authors and nearly as many senior reviewers,

integrating clinical experience, information from existing review books, and

the ABEM practice questions to create a book designed to improve your score

on the Qualifying Examination. First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Boards

contains dozens of challenging cases (“minicases”) and reinforces important

information in highlighted “key facts” and “mnemonics.” Filled with tables and

figures, it presents key findings and must-know information in a clear, concise,

and highly accessible format that makes it easy to recall both on test day and in

the emergency department.

ABOUT THE QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

The Qualifying Examination consists of approximately 305 questions. Candi-

dates are given six-and-a-half hours of time in which to complete the test. All

questions are the multiple choice, single-best-answertype. You will be pre-

sented with a case scenario and a question, followed by five answer options.

Approximately 10% of the questions include a figure (radiograph, photograph,

ECG, rhythm strip, or ultrasound image). There are no penalties for wrong

answers, so if you find a question unanswerable, make your best guess and move

on. Candidates who achieve a score of 75% or higher pass.