Exam Security
The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) is committed to reporting scores that accurately reflect the performance of candidates. Pediatricians who are successful on an exam and meet other requirements obtain ABP certification. Patients and families rely on the ABP to certify only pediatricians who uphold standards of excellence leading to high-quality health care for children.
Securing exam content is a top priority of the ABP, as breaches and unethical behavior compromise the integrity of the certification process and threaten the fairness, validity, and reliability of its exams. Therefore, the ABP requires exam applicants and participants to attest to and affirm their adherence to the following:
- The ABP Honor Code: Professionalism, Moral and Ethical Principles (PDF) requires pediatricians to uphold fundamental moral and ethical principles and specifies types of unethical behavior that may result in disciplinary action. Pediatricians applying to take ABP exams, including MOCA-Peds, affirm that they will be bound by the Honor Code otherwise the application cannot be submitted. MOCA-Peds participants re-affirm the Honor Code each quarter of their participation. At a computer testing center, all ABP examinees must agree to be legally bound by the Honor Code; otherwise they will not be able to begin the examination.
- Participant Agreements summarize the requirements that pediatricians seeking to take an ABP exam, including MOCA-Peds, must affirm before they are allowed to access the exam.
- The ABP Privacy Policy (PDF) alerts residents, fellows, and diplomates about how the ABP will use their data for exam security, including exam and testing site data, personal information, training information, and survey information, as well as information obtained through interviews, publicly available information, internet searches, or third-party investigators. Pediatricians who wish to take ABP exams, including MOCA-Peds, must attest to reading and understanding the policy and must consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information as permitted by the ABP Privacy Policy.
Measures employed by the ABP to deter, detect, and respond to exam security breaches and unethical behavior include data forensics, web patrolling, video and audio monitoring at secure test centers, and other industry-standard exam security processes.
Failure to abide by the Honor Code and participant agreements may result in the invalidation of exam scores, withholding of scores or certificates, required retake of exams, the requirement to take a proctored exam instead of continuing in MOCA-Peds, exclusion from future exams, revoked certification, and/or the pursuit of legal action.
Reporting Security Concerns
Please help the ABP uphold standards of excellence in pediatrics by reporting any potential exam security breaches that you have observed or learned about, using one of the following methods:
- Fill out a Test Security Incident Report
- Call (919) 929-0461 ext. 770
- Email testsecurity@abpeds.org
- Send a letter detailing the incident to:
The American Board of Pediatric
Attn: Test Security
111 Silver Cedar Court
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
To assist the ABP in its investigation, please provide as many details as possible (e.g., dates, times, examination name, test center, etc.). If you have physical or electronic evidence, please notify us but do not send it immediately. Provide your contact information and we will instruct you on how to send it securely, if needed.