Pediatric board review means preparing for the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) General Pediatrics Certifying Examination: seven hours of testing in four sections, given once a year in the fall (ABP, ABP exam day). Most first-time takers pass, but not all. In 2025, 87% of 3,469 first-time takers passed; in 2022 the figure was 80% (ABP pass rates).
Because the exam comes once a year, a fail costs a full year. This guide covers the format, the 2027 dates and fees, what five years of pass rates show, and how to build a review plan from your in-training exam results.
The ABP exam at a glance
| Topic | Official rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Four sections of 1 hour 45 minutes (seven hours of testing), with optional breaks of up to 15, 60 and 15 minutes between them. Total appointment about nine hours. | ABP: exam day, what to expect |
| When it is given | Once a year in the fall, computer-based, at Prometric test centers in the US, Canada and abroad. | ABP: General Pediatrics Certifying Exam |
| 2027 dates | October 12, 13 or 14, 2027; each candidate tests on one of the three days. | ABP: exam dates and fees, general pediatrics |
| Fee (2027) | Regular registration January 13 to March 31, 2027: $2,337 for new applicants, $1,787 for re-registrants. Late registration to May 13, 2027 adds $345. | ABP: exam dates and fees, general pediatrics |
| First-time pass rate | 87% of 3,469 first-time takers in 2025; 89% of 3,412 in 2024; 82% of 3,402 in 2023; 80% of 3,364 in 2022; 81% of 3,423 in 2021. | ABP: initial certification pass rates (PDF) |
| Eligibility window | Required training must be completed within the previous seven years. Otherwise, six months of supervised practice is required before a new seven-year window opens. | ABP: time-limited eligibility, general pediatrics |
| License deadline | A valid, current, unrestricted US or Canadian medical license must reach the ABP by October 1, 2027. | ABP: exam dates and fees, general pediatrics |
ABP pass rates for first-time takers
| Year | First-time takers | Passed |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,469 | 87% |
| 2024 | 3,412 | 89% |
| 2023 | 3,402 | 82% |
| 2022 | 3,364 | 80% |
| 2021 | 3,423 | 81% |
Between 2021 and 2023, roughly one first-time taker in five did not pass. The last two years were better, but 11% to 13% still missed. The same ABP report covers the pediatric subspecialty exams, most of which are not given every year, and the ABP publishes pass rates for each accredited general pediatrics training program as well (ABP), so you can see how your own program’s graduates do.
What the exam day looks like
| Part of the day | Time allowed |
|---|---|
| Check-in | Arrive 30 minutes before the start |
| Introduction and honor code | Up to 5 minutes |
| Tutorial | Optional, up to 10 minutes |
| Section 1 | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Break | Optional, up to 15 minutes |
| Section 2 | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Break | Optional, up to 60 minutes |
| Section 3 | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Break | Optional, up to 15 minutes |
| Section 4 | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Survey | Up to 15 minutes |
| Total appointment | About 9 hours |
Two rules shape how you pace the day. Scheduled breaks between sections do not use testing time, but once you finish a section you cannot go back to it; and if you leave the room mid-section, the clock keeps running (ABP exam day). So flag and revisit questions within each section, not at the end of the day, and take the long middle break to eat properly.
What the exam covers
The ABP uses one general pediatrics content outline for the in-training exam, the initial certifying exam, the maintenance of certification exam and MOCA-Peds, and the outline gives the percentage of questions assigned to each category (ABP content outline). Download it before you plan. It tells you where the questions are, and because your in-training exam uses the same outline, your ITE score report already maps your weak areas onto it.
Start from your in-training exam
The ABP’s Certifying Exam Prediction Tool estimates a resident’s chance of passing on the first attempt from In-Training Exam scores (ABP). Use it as a starting gauge, then look at the ITE report itself. Areas well below your average become the first blocks of the plan; areas near it get mixed question practice rather than content review.
Building a pediatric board review plan
- Count back from the exam date. The 2027 exam runs October 12 to 14 (ABP). Residents finishing in June usually have the summer; physicians in practice need a plan that fits clinic hours.
- Questions first. Work timed blocks of board-style questions and review every miss for why you missed it, not just what the answer was.
- Content where the misses point. Re-learn a topic when two or three misses trace back to it, rather than reading the whole field again.
- Rehearse the full day. At least once before the exam, sit four timed sections with the real break pattern. Seven hours of questions tests stamina as much as knowledge.
- Leave the last week light. Review your miss list and sleep. The work that moves your score happens in the months before.
If you are retaking the pediatric boards
A fail means waiting for the next fall administration. Re-registrants pay $1,787 at regular registration in 2027, against $2,337 for new applicants (ABP), and the license deadline still applies (ABP). Keep the seven-year window in view: if your required training ended more than seven years before the exam, you need six months of supervised practice before you can sit again (ABP).
Start a retake plan from your score report rather than from where you started last time. The question is not whether you know pediatrics, it is which areas and which kinds of mistakes cost you the points.
Pediatric board tutoring with The Boards Professor
We teach pediatric boards one-on-one, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet), alongside our USMLE and COMLEX tutoring. Our team includes Dr. Chelsi Flippo, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and assistant professor of pediatrics who completed her pediatric residency as chief resident. Sessions are built around live questions: you talk through your reasoning, we find where it breaks, and the plan is adjusted to your ITE or score report. You can text questions between sessions.
One-on-one pediatric board tutoring with The Boards Professor costs $349 per 50-minute session, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet). Book a free intro consult.