EXAMINATION PROCEDURES
The Board vigorously enforces the highest standards of honesty
and integrity in its examination processes. Accordingly, the following are
considered a breach of ABOto policy and are forbidden, and may be sufficient
cause for the ABOto to terminate an applicant's participation in the
examination, to invalidate the results of the examination, to withhold an
applicant's score or certificate, to bar an applicant permanently from all
future examinations, to revoke a certificate, or to take other appropriate
action:
1. Falsification of the application or the submission of any falsified
documents to the ABOto;
2. The giving or receiving of aid in the examination, including but not
limited to, copying answers from another candidate or permitting one's answers
to be copied, as evidenced by observation at the time of the examination or by
statistical analysis afterward;
3. The offer of any financial or other benefit to any director, officer,
employee, proctor, or other agent or representative of the ABOto in return for
any right, privilege or benefit which is not usually granted by the ABOto to
other similarly situated candidates or persons;
4. The unauthorized possession, reproduction, recording, discussion or
disclosure of any material, including but not limited to, written, oral or OTE
examination questions or answers before, during, or after the examination.
Proctors are required to report any suspected irregularity during an
examination. A candidate may be moved to a more isolated area, or his/her
participation in the examination may be terminated. Additionally, the ABOto may
undertake statistical studies of a candidate's answers compared with the answers
of other participants in the examination to provide evidence that would support
or fail to support a suspected irregularity. If, in the opinion of the ABOto,
there exists a probability that an irregularity occurred, the ABOto will afford
the suspected individual(s) procedural due process in order to assure fairness
in the determination as to whether an irregularity occurred.
The ABOto will not report scores or grant certification on the basis of scores
which it determines to be invalid, and reserves the right to take whatever legal
action is indicated with regard to violation of ABOto copyright or examination
violations.
BOARD ELIGIBILITY & STATUS
INQUIRIES
The ABOto does not recognize or use the term "board eligible." The Board
states whether an individual is certified, is not certified, or is in the
process of being examined (i.e., between written and oral examinations).
APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES
The ABOto fully supports the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). Upon request, ABOto will make reasonable accommodations in its
examination procedures for candidates with documented disabilities. An applicant
who believes that he or she is disabled within the meaning of the ADA law should
request detailed information concerning ABOto's policy regarding accommodation
so that his or her special needs can be met in a timely manner. Current
documentation of the disability must accompany the application.
OTOLARYNGOLOGY TRAINING EXAMINATION
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Otolaryngology Training Exam (OTE) is intended to be used as an
educational instrument to assist individuals in evaluating their educational
progress as compared with others of the same level of expertise or training.
As such, it is appropriate for program directors to use the aggregate
performance of their residents when evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of
their educational program. It is inappropriate for program directors to use this
measure of resident performance as the sole form of assessment when evaluating
residents for advancement.
EXAMINATION
- The OTE is a closed-book, proctored, timed examination offered once a
year to all interested practitioners and residents in the specialty.
- More than 100 test centers administer the exam annually throughout the
US and Canada, and the exam is available in other countries. Interested
parties located outside the US and Canada should contact the ABOto office
for more information about the OTE.
- Any resident, practicing otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, or
other interested physician may register for the OTE.
- Test scores are confidential for practitioners; resident scores are
reported to their training programs.
APPLICATIONS
The OTE application is available to all programs online. The application
becomes available September 1 of each year.
