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The American Board of Internal Medicine says it issued 371 indeterminate results after login delays disrupted the Aug. 13 internal medicine board exam. Several physicians told MedPage Today their results were unexpectedly low and questioned whether responses were recorded, while ABIM says scoring was accurate and the results reflect uncertainty about the disruption’s effect on candidates. A retake is not available before the next testing cycle.
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) issued 371 indeterminate results after login delays affected examinees taking the internal medicine board exam on Aug. 13, prompting some physicians to question whether their answers and scores were reliable. ABIM says the scores were accurate, but told affected candidates they must wait until the next testing cycle to retake the exam.
The disruption involved a system used by Pearson, ABIM’s testing partner, to check examinees back into the test center after breaks. In an Aug. 13 email to one affected candidate, ABIM said the program had malfunctioned and that some examinees may have experienced a disruption. Candidates interviewed by MedPage Today said they did not receive further information until results were sent on Oct. 22.
Several physicians who received indeterminate results said their scores were lower than expected based on practice exams. Aaron Gans, MD, told MedPage Today that his results were unexpectedly low across subject areas and questioned whether the system captured all of his responses. Other test-takers described being locked out after breaks, and one said her answers initially were not recording properly. Those accounts are individual reports, not evidence that responses were lost across the exam.
ABIM senior vice president for academic and medical affairs Erica Johnson told MedPage Today that candidates given an indeterminate result received full credit for the exam fee. In an email to one candidate, ABIM said the designation reflected uncertainty about how the disruption affected the exam-day experience, “not any concern about the completeness of your results or how your test was scored.”
Retakes Delayed Until Next Cycle
The results affect physicians’ exam records and preparation plans. Candidates who receive an indeterminate result do not have a failed attempt recorded, according to ABIM’s explanation, but they still face waiting for another chance to sit the exam. Test-takers told MedPage Today they were told the next opportunity would be in August 2027.
That delay can carry practical costs for clinicians balancing exam preparation with work. One affected candidate argued that ABIM should have offered a retake during the testing window that ran from August into September. ABIM said it could not arrange earlier retakes. The board’s decision leaves candidates weighing its assurance about scoring against their own experience of interruptions and unexpectedly low results.
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The August Login Disruption
The exam-day problem was described by ABIM as a failure in the software used to check candidates back in after breaks. The board said the incident caused login delays and may have disrupted some candidates. One physician in Georgia told MedPage Today that it took about an hour and 20 minutes to sign back in.
ABIM’s explanation distinguishes between a disruption to the test-taking experience and an error in scoring. The board said it was concerned that a delay might affect concentration, but stated the scoring itself was accurate. The results were released on Oct. 22, more than two months after the exam date. MedPage Today also reported similar posts on Reddit, though those posts do not independently establish how widespread any technical problem was.
“We are confident the scoring was accurate. Our concern was how a delay and the uncertainty around it may have affected a candidate’s concentration.”
— Erica Johnson, MD, ABIM senior vice president for academic and medical affairs
Questions About Individual Exam Records
The published account does not establish whether any candidate’s answers failed to save or whether the login delays affected individual performance. ABIM says scoring was accurate and that the indeterminate designation concerns possible effects on concentration, not missing or incomplete results. Some candidates, however, say their experiences and scores leave them unsure whether their records reflect what they answered.
ABIM has not, in the material reported by MedPage Today, provided a detailed public account of how it reviewed each affected exam or how it determined that scores were accurate. It is also unclear how many of the 371 candidates reported technical problems beyond login delays. Individual accounts and online posts describe concerns, but do not independently confirm a broader scoring or response-recording failure.
Registration Opens December 1
ABIM said it cannot offer affected candidates a retake before the next testing cycle. A candidate quoted by MedPage Today said the board identified August 2027 as the next exam opportunity and that registration opens December 1. The affected physicians will have to decide whether to retake the exam under normal testing conditions while their concerns about the August sitting remain unresolved publicly.
The next developments to watch are any further explanation from ABIM about its review of the 371 results and whether additional details are provided about the exam-day software incident. No earlier retake plan or change to the board’s position was reported.
Key Questions
How many candidates received indeterminate results?
ABIM told MedPage Today it issued 371 indeterminate results associated with login delays during the Aug. 13 exam.
Does an indeterminate result mean ABIM found a scoring error?
No. ABIM said it was confident the scoring was accurate. It described the indeterminate designation as reflecting uncertainty about how the disruption may have affected candidates’ exam-day experience.
When can affected candidates take the exam again?
ABIM said it cannot arrange retakes before the next testing cycle. Candidates were told the next opportunity would be in August 2027, with registration opening Dec. 1, according to a test-taker’s account to MedPage Today.
Did ABIM reimburse candidates for the exam?
ABIM said everyone who received an indeterminate result received full credit for the exam fee.
Source: medpagetoday.com
