A Comprehensive Overview of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
Introduction and Historical Background
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 to serve the public interest and promote excellence in the practice of psychiatry and neurology. It was established following conferences of committees appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Neurological Association, and the then Section on Nervous and Mental Diseases of the American Medical Association. At the time of its founding, psychiatry and neurology were still practiced in combination, and the name reflected this integrated tradition. The ABPN was created to provide specialty regulation — including training oversight, examination, and certification — in response to the gradual introduction of medical specialties in the United States.
The ABPN became one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and has since developed processes to identify qualified specialists through rigorous credentialing, training requirements, and successful completion of certification examinations. In 1935, the first ABPN examination was delivered, certifying 19 psychiatrists. Since then, the board has certified tens of thousands of physicians across psychiatry, neurology, and various subspecialties. Buy fake certificate online.
Core Mission and Governance
The mission of the ABPN is to develop and provide valid and reliable procedures for certification and maintenance of certification in psychiatry and neurology. The board comprises neurologists and psychiatrists nominated by several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, the American College of Psychiatrists, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association. As of 2025, the ABPN is led by Chair Josepha Cheong, MD, Vice Chair Imran Ali, MD, and President and CEO Jeffrey Lyness, MD. The board has a President and CEO who oversees the organization’s operations from its headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois.
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Certification and Maintenance of Certification
To become board certified in psychiatry, neurology, or neurology with special qualification in child neurology, candidates must meet several requirements: be a graduate of an accredited medical school, complete ACGME-accredited training, hold an active and unrestricted medical license, and successfully pass the ABPN certification examination. ABPN lowered initial certification fees by 54 percent since 2007, keeping them well below the average of other ABMS boards.
The landscape of certification has evolved significantly over time. Physicians certified before October 1, 1994, were granted lifetime certificates. Between 1994 and 2011, certificates were time-limited to ten years. Beginning January 1, 2012, all certificates depend upon continuous maintenance of certification based on a three-year cycle of requirements, with certificates valid as long as they are maintained. The current Continuing Certification (CC) program comprises four components: professional standing (active unrestricted medical license), lifelong learning (averaging 30 CME credits per year), cognitive expertise (passing a cognitive examination every ten years), and performance in practice (quality improvement activities).
Examination Statistics and Continuing Certification Pathways
In 2025, the ABPN administered initial certification examinations across multiple specialties and subspecialties. In psychiatry, 2,184 of 2,537 examinees passed (86%), while in neurology, 899 of 1,240 passed (73%). Among subspecialties, consultation-liaison psychiatry achieved a 93% pass rate, forensic psychiatry 92%, and child and adolescent psychiatry 83%.
For continuing certification, the majority of diplomates now participate in the Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) pathway rather than the traditional ten-year proctored examination. In 2025, out of 83,350 participating diplomates across all specialties and subspecialties, 77,401 (93%) chose the ABCC pathway, while only 5,949 (7%) took the examination pathway. The ABCC pathway requires diplomates to complete 20 article exams every three years for each certification, with a maximum of 27 attempts allowed per three-year block to maintain the longstanding passing rate as close to 75% as possible.
Recent Evolution and Ongoing Changes
The ABPN has continued to refine its certification and continuing certification programs in response to diplomate feedback and evolving practice standards. Beginning in 2025, the required number of article exams in the ABCC pathway was reduced from 27 to 20 per three-year cycle, and the Self-Assessment CME requirement was lowered from 24 to 16 credits per three-year block. Additionally, diplomates in the ABCC pathway must now attest that they have selected and passed an examination for at least one article related to professionalism in each three-year block. Other notable innovations include a pilot program testing an alternative to the ten-year proctored MOC examination, in which eligible diplomates read and answer questions on 30 to 40 journal articles. The board has also maintained its emphasis on face-to-face clinical skills evaluations, having returned to in-person CSEs effective July 1, 2023, after a temporary pandemic-era allowance for virtual assessments.
As a leading member board of the ABMS, the ABPN continues to serve the public interest through rigorous certification, continuous innovation in assessment methodologies, and an unwavering commitment to promoting the highest standards of practice in psychiatry and neurology. With its distinguished history, comprehensive governance structure, and forward-thinking approach to maintenance of certification, the ABPN remains an essential pillar of specialty medicine in the United States.