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The American Board of Internal Medicine says login delays during its August 13 exam led it to issue 371 indeterminate results, with affected candidates receiving full exam-fee credits. Some physicians who received failing scores alongside the indeterminate designation question whether their answers were recorded and say they must wait until the next testing cycle to retake the exam.
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) issued 371 indeterminate results after login delays disrupted an August 13 internal medicine board exam, and some affected physicians are questioning whether their responses were recorded and their scores were valid. ABIM says the scoring was accurate, but the candidates described by MedPage Today received failing scores with the indeterminate designation and were told they could not retake the exam before the next testing cycle.
ABIM acknowledged that software used by testing partner Pearson to check examinees back into the test center after breaks malfunctioned on August 13. In an email sent that day to an affected candidate, the board said some examinees may have experienced a disruption. Candidates interviewed by MedPage Today said they were locked out after breaks; one reported waiting about one hour and 20 minutes to sign back in. Another said her answers initially did not record properly.
Those interviewed learned their results on October 22. Several received an indeterminate result alongside a failing score and were told they would need to wait until the next exam cycle. ABIM told one candidate the designation reflected uncertainty about how the disruption may have affected the exam-day experience, rather than concern about whether the results were complete or the scoring process was accurate.
ABIM said it issued 371 indeterminate results associated with login delays and credited the full exam fee to everyone who received one. Erica Johnson, the board’s senior vice president for academic and medical affairs, told MedPage Today that ABIM was confident in its scoring. She said the board could not determine how the delay affected each candidate’s concentration, so it reported indeterminate results instead of recording a fail. ABIM said an earlier retake was not possible; registration for the next exam was scheduled to open December 1.
Why These Results Matter
The board exam can affect physicians’ professional progress, while a delayed retake means candidates may have to spend months preparing again. The reported candidates said their results were far below expectations based on practice exams, and some questioned whether the technical problem interfered with saving responses. Those accounts do not establish that answers were lost or that scores were incorrect, but they show why the distinction between an indeterminate result and a confirmed failure matters to candidates.
ABIM’s response addresses the score designation and provides a fee credit, but it does not give affected candidates an earlier opportunity to retest. For physicians with demanding clinical workloads, the wait until the next cycle can add time and preparation burdens. The available reporting does not establish how many of the 371 candidates had failing scores, how many raised concerns about recorded answers, or whether all experienced the same disruption.
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How the August Exam Disruption Emerged
The disruption occurred during the August 13 internal medicine board exam, when candidates returned from breaks. ABIM’s email to an affected examinee described a malfunction in the program Pearson used for check-in and said some candidates may have experienced disruption. According to the report, candidates heard little more about the issue before results were released on October 22.
After receiving their results, several candidates shared concerns with MedPage Today. One physician, Aaron Gans, said his scores were lower than he expected across subject areas and did not match his practice-test performance. Other candidates described login delays or problems with answers appearing to save. People posting on Reddit also reported similar experiences, but those posts are individual accounts and do not independently verify what happened in the exam system.
“We are confident the scoring was accurate. Our concern was how a delay and the uncertainty around it may have affected a candidate’s concentration.”
— Erica Johnson, MD, ABIM senior vice president for academic and medical affairs
Questions About Recorded Answers
The public information cited in the report does not specify whether ABIM or Pearson audited individual response logs, what technical records were reviewed, or how the board assessed whether answers were saved. ABIM says scoring was accurate and that the concern was the possible effect of login delays on concentration. Candidates’ concerns about missing responses and unusually low scores remain their accounts; the report does not independently establish that the glitch changed scores.
It is also unclear how many of the 371 indeterminate results included failing scores, whether the disruption affected candidates in the same way, and whether ABIM will provide additional information about its review. The board’s statement that a retake cannot be offered before the next cycle leaves the timing of a new attempt clear, but does not resolve these questions.
Next Exam Cycle in 2027
ABIM told affected candidates that the next opportunity to take the exam would be in August 2027, with registration set to open December 1. The board said it could not accommodate requests for an earlier retake and that candidates who received indeterminate results had been credited the full exam fee.
The next developments to watch are whether ABIM provides more detail about how it reviewed the affected exam records and whether candidates receive further explanations about their individual results. Based on the information reported, no earlier retest has been announced, and the concerns raised by candidates have not been resolved publicly.
Key Questions
What happened during the August 13 board exam?
ABIM said a program used by Pearson to check examinees back in after breaks malfunctioned, causing login delays for some candidates. Test-takers also described being locked out, and one reported that answers initially did not appear to save.
How many results did ABIM mark indeterminate?
ABIM told MedPage Today it issued 371 indeterminate results associated with login delays on August 13. The report does not state how many of those results also included failing scores.
Does ABIM say the candidates’ scores were inaccurate?
No. ABIM said it was confident the scoring was accurate and explained that the indeterminate designation reflected uncertainty about whether delays affected candidates’ concentration. Some test-takers questioned whether responses had been recorded, but the report does not establish that answers were lost.
When can affected physicians retake the exam?
ABIM told candidates the next exam opportunity would be in August 2027, with registration scheduled to open December 1. The board said it could not offer an earlier retake.
Source: medpagetoday.com
