Anesthesiology board review means preparing for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s three-step certification: the BASIC exam, the ADVANCED exam, and the APPLIED exam, which is an oral exam (SOE) plus an OSCE for residency graduates since Oct. 1, 2016 (ABA). BASIC and ADVANCED are each 200 multiple-choice questions in four hours (BASIC blueprint, ADVANCED blueprint).
Below: what each exam covers and how the blueprint weights it, how the APPLIED oral and OSCE run, the dates the ABA lists through 2027, and a review plan built for residents and new attendings who are working while they study.
ABA exams at a glance
| Topic | Official rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Order of exams | BASIC first (residents are encouraged to take it at the end of CA-1), then ADVANCED after residency and a passed BASIC, then APPLIED after a passed ADVANCED. | ABA: APPLIED exam page |
| BASIC exam | 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions in 4 hours, computer-based at Pearson VUE centers, twice a year. Residents with 18 months of satisfactory training in an ACGME-accredited program are eligible. | ABA: BASIC exam blueprint (pdf) |
| ADVANCED exam | 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions in 4 hours, computer-based at Pearson VUE centers, twice a year, for physicians who completed an ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency. A small number of questions may include short video clips. | ABA: ADVANCED exam blueprint (pdf) |
| APPLIED exam | Standardized Oral Examination of two 35-minute sessions, plus an OSCE of seven eight-minute stations with four-minute breaks between them. Candidates who completed residency on or after Oct. 1, 2016 take both parts. | ABA: APPLIED exam page |
| Exam dates | BASIC: Nov. 6 to 7, 2026; June 4 to 5 and Nov. 12 to 13, 2027. ADVANCED: Jan. 22 to 23 and July 16 to 17, 2027. APPLIED 2027 weeks: Mar. 1 to 4, Mar. 22 to 25, Apr. 12 to 15, May 17 to 20, Sept. 13 to 16 and Oct. 25 to 28. | ABA: BASIC, ADVANCED and APPLIED exam pages |
The BASIC exam
BASIC covers the scientific basis of clinical anesthetic practice, and the ABA encourages residents to take it at the end of CA-1 (ABA). It uses single-best-answer questions that ask you to apply knowledge, often from a short clinical vignette, and some questions refer to static images (ABA blueprint).
| Content category | Share of exam | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic sciences | 24% | 44 to 52 |
| Clinical sciences | 36% | 65 to 79 |
| Organ-based basic and clinical sciences | 37% | 66 to 82 |
| Special problems or issues in anesthesiology | 3% | 4 to 8 |
Source: ABA BASIC blueprint. Clinical sciences and the organ-based systems together make up about three quarters of the exam, so a review that moves system by system through physiology, pharmacology and the matching clinical problems follows the blueprint.
The ADVANCED exam
ADVANCED focuses on clinical aspects of anesthetic practice, subspecialty-based practice and advanced clinical issues (ABA). It is taken after residency and a passed BASIC. Like BASIC it uses single-best-answer questions and static images, and a small number of questions may include short video clips (ABA blueprint).
| Content category | Share of exam | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic sciences | 9% | 15 to 22 |
| Clinical sciences | 10% | 18 to 22 |
| Organ-based basic and clinical sciences | 30.5% | 52 to 68 |
| Clinical subspecialties | 44.5% | 76 to 101 |
| Special problems or issues in anesthesiology | 6% | 7 to 16 |
Source: ABA ADVANCED blueprint. Clinical subspecialties are the largest block at 44.5%. The ABA lists them as painful disease states, pediatric, obstetric, ENT, plastic surgery, laparoscopic, ophthalmologic, orthopedic, trauma, ambulatory, geriatric and critical care anesthesia, so a resident who has had a thin rotation in one of them should plan extra time for it.
The APPLIED exam: oral and OSCE
APPLIED is the last step. If you completed residency on or after Oct. 1, 2016, it has two parts (ABA).
- Standardized Oral Examination (SOE). Two 35-minute sessions of guided questions that open with a brief clinical history. The ABA says they assess your judgment, adaptability to unexpected clinical changes, and organization and presentation of information (ABA).
- OSCE. Seven eight-minute stations with four-minute breaks to read the next scenario. The stations assess communication and professionalism and technical skills related to patient care, and the sessions are recorded for grading (ABA).
These are performance exams, so reading is not enough. Practise saying your reasoning out loud against a clock, including what you do when the case changes.
Anesthesiology board exam dates
These are the dates the ABA lists today (ABA exam pages). The ABA says BASIC dates can be changed only for religious observance, military commitments and medical accommodations (ABA), and an ADVANCED date is assigned after you register (ABA).
| Exam | Dates | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| BASIC | Nov. 6 to 7, 2026 | Closed |
| ADVANCED | Jan. 22 to 23, 2027 | Sept. 30 to Nov. 25, 2026 |
| BASIC | June 4 to 5, 2027 | Feb. 10 to Apr. 7, 2027 |
| ADVANCED | July 16 to 17, 2027 | Mar. 24 to May 19, 2027 |
| BASIC | Nov. 12 to 13, 2027 | July 21 to Sept. 15, 2027 |
| APPLIED | Six weeks in 2027: Mar. 1 to 4, Mar. 22 to 25, Apr. 12 to 15, May 17 to 20, Sept. 13 to 16, Oct. 25 to 28 | Sept. 2 to 30, 2026 (rank weeks); a second window opens in early 2027 for candidates not eligible in September |
For APPLIED you rank all six weeks; the ABA randomizes assignments from the rankings, so submission time does not matter, and assigned weeks are released in late November (ABA APPLIED registration).
A board review plan around residency
- Start from the blueprint. List the categories, rate your confidence in each, and give the weeks to the weakest ones.
- Match the question style. BASIC and ADVANCED ask you to apply knowledge to a vignette. Review each missed question by asking why the best answer beats the second-best one.
- Run timed blocks. Two hundred questions in four hours is about 72 seconds each. Practise at that pace before the day.
- Treat the subspecialty block seriously for ADVANCED. Pediatric, obstetric, pain and the other subspecialties carry 44.5% of the exam.
- Practise out loud for APPLIED. Do mock oral cases with someone who interrupts and changes the scenario, and time yourself on short OSCE-style stations.
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