In Practice

The Early Career Section (ECS) has created a dedicated resource page to support new attendings as they navigate preparing for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) exams. This page serves as a general supplemental guide and is not a substitute for official announcements, updates, or exam details available on the ABR’s website regarding initial certification.

We wish you the best of luck while you are studying for your exam!

The Qualifying (Core) Exam

The Qualifying (Core) Exam assesses a candidate’s foundational knowledge and clinical judgment across key practice areas in diagnostic radiology and integrated interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology. Learn more about The Qualifying (Core) Exam’s format, prerequisites, registration and other exam prep materials through the ABR website.

The Certifying Exam

The IR/DR Certifying Exam comprises two distinct components: a computer-based exam and an oral exam, administered on separate days. Beginning with the June 2024 residency graduates, all future candidates must wait until the calendar year following their training completion to take the oral component. While passing the computer-based exam is not a prerequisite for taking the oral exam, candidates must successfully complete both components to pass the IR/DR Certifying Exam.

Oral component

The oral exam consists of four 30-minute 1:1 sessions, totaling approximately 3 hours, (including orientation and breaks). Each session evaluates the candidate’s abilities in image interpretation, image-guided procedures, and periprocedural patient management. Candidates interact with a different examiner for each session, with exams conducted sequentially and 10-minute breaks. Examiners will guide candidates through multiple cases, which reflect the full scope of interventional radiology practice rather than individual practice settings. Session categories are broken down into:

• Core interventional radiology

• Arterial diagnosis and intervention

• Venous and lymphatic diagnosis and intervention

• Oncology, biliary, and genitourinary diagnosis and intervention

Computer-based Component

The computer-based exam has 178 questions in four 30-minute blocks, and is approximately 4 hours long (including orientation, tutorial, and breaks). Exam content includes:

• Essentials of Diagnostic Radiology

• Interventional Radiology

Learn more about The Certifying Exam’s format, prerequisites, registration and other exam prep materials on the ABR website.