Preparing for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Radiation Oncology Qualifying Exam? Here is what to know about the remote exam format before you sit down for it.
The ABR Qualifying Exam confirms readiness for the written boards process and is taken remotely from a location of your choosing, provided that location meets the ABR's setup and security standards. Getting your technical setup, workspace, and identification squared away in advance is just as important as knowing the content.
Registration happens through myABR, and the ABR emails you when registration opens, so keep your contact information current there. The exam is written by volunteers across a range of practice settings, and the ABR is upfront that commercial prep materials may not fully match the exam's scope or question style. Watching the ABR's exam security video ahead of time is worthwhile, since it lays out both the ABR's and the candidate's obligations for a valid, secure exam.
Before exam day, you will want to run through a technical verification and an Exam Readiness Check, ideally using the exact computer and location you plan to test from. Basic requirements include:
The Exam Readiness Check also walks through the exam interface itself: case navigation, flagging questions, image tools, and how breaks and content locking work. It is worth doing more than once if you change your computer or testing location afterward.
You can test anywhere reasonably private and quiet, but a handful of rules apply. Only one monitor is allowed, other people cannot be in the room, and open books, notes, scratch paper, and calculators are off limits (the exam software includes its own calculator). A small whiteboard and dry erase marker are permitted but must be wiped clean at both the start and end of each session. Your phone needs to stay visible on the same side as your webcam, for emergencies only.
A side-view webcam is required for the entire exam, positioned roughly two feet above your desk and four to six feet back, so proctors can see you, your hands, your mouse, and your full workspace at once. Skipping this setup can invalidate your exam session, so it is worth testing during the readiness check rather than discovering an issue on exam day.
The first time you log into the exam software, whether during the readiness check or on exam day itself, you will scan a valid photo ID (a U.S. driver's license, state ID, or passport; military ID is not accepted) and take a selfie for identity verification. After that, a quick selfie confirms your identity each time you re-enter the software.
The Clinical Qualifying Exam runs across two sessions in one day, 120 questions each, separated by a required 60-minute intermission. Each session includes its own short break allowance, though you can take additional break time if needed, it will just count against your total exam clock. One important detail: once you leave a question behind on a break, you cannot go back and change or add an answer to it afterward, so it helps to fully answer everything you have already seen before stepping away.
The Qualifying Exam draws from across the full breadth of clinical radiation oncology. Roughly how much weight each disease site or skill area carries:
| Breast | 9–15% |
| Gastrointestinal | 9–15% |
| Genitourinary | 9–15% |
| Lung & Mediastinum | 9–15% |
| Head & Neck | 7–13% |
| Gynecological | 7–13% |
| Skin histologies | 7–13% |
| Central Nervous System | 5–11% |
| Hematologic | 5–11% |
| Pediatric | 4–10% |
| Sarcoma | 2–8% |
| Benign diseases | 2–5% |
| Non-Clinical Skills | 1–6% |
Because the heaviest-weighted domains (breast, GI, GU, and lung) together make up close to half the exam, a study plan that gives those areas proportionally more time, while still covering every domain, tends to pay off.
Broad, steady review across all clinical domains beats last-minute cramming. Practice high-yield questions with detailed, evidence-based rationales before your exam date.
Practice on irrad8u.com ✦irrad8u.com offers a free, continuously growing radiation oncology question bank built for ABR written boards, ACR TXIT, and MOC preparation.
Results post in myABR roughly a month after the exam. Scoring is criterion referenced, meaning a passing standard is set in advance rather than graded on a curve, so there is no fixed failure rate built into the process.
Good luck on your qualifying exam.