Longitudinal Assessment for Sports Medicine
Sports-LA Now Available for ABPMR Diplomates
Administered by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), and in partnership with the ABPMR, Sports-LA is now available for all diplomates who hold subspecialty certification in sports medicine.
Sports Medicine Longitudinal Assessment (Sports-LA) is required for maintaining Sports Medicine certification. Sports-LA is an alternative to the one-day examination that will allow eligible physicians to complete their assessment requirement over time. Sports-LA is a learning platform designed to assess your knowledge, provide immediate feedback, help you identify knowledge gaps, and link to resources to support lifelong learning.
Sports-LA Basics
Who Should Participate
Sports-LA is intended for Sports Medicine diplomates who need to meet an assessment requirement to maintain Sports Medicine certification. Beginning in 2027, current Sports Medicine diplomates transition to a five-year certification cycle in the last year of a ten-year certification cycle.
Diplomates who initially certify in Sports Medicine in 2027 or later begin their first five-year cycle the year after initial certification. For example, a diplomate who initially certifies in 2027 would begin the first five-year cycle in 2028 and continue through 2032.
Enrollment during the appropriate registration window will start the new five-year certification cycle.
Eligibility
Continuing Certification
Beginning in 2027, if you currently hold subspecialty Sports Medicine certification, you will complete enrollment for the five-year cycle in the winter of the year prior to your 10th year of certification. Completion of the registration process automatically enrolls you in Sports-LA and initiates the continuous five-year cycle process for maintaining certification. Participation in Sports-LA begins in January of the final year of a ten-year certification cycle.
Example: Sports Medicine examination due 12/31/2027. Complete enrollment for the Sports-LA in Winter 2026 and begin a five-year cycle in January 2027.
Initial Certification
If you gain initial Sports Medicine subspecialty certification in 2027 or after, you will complete registration for the five-year cycle upon certification in winter of 2027. Completion of the enrollment process automatically enrolls you in Sports-LA and initiates the continuous five-year cycle process for maintaining certification. Participation in Sports-LA begins in January of the year following your initial certification.
Example: Sports Medicine initial certification July 2027. Register for five-year cycle in Winter 2027; begin five-year cycle January 2028.
Note: Successful completion (passing) of the traditional one-day examination is required for all physicians to gain initial Sports Medicine certification. Sports-LA is only an option for continuing certification.
Format and Participation Guidelines
During the longitudinal assessment, you will receive 17 multiple-choice questions per quarter that cover a breadth of sports medicine topics. You will have five minutes to answer each question, and they may be answered online, anywhere, at any time within the Sports-LA delivery platform. The complete assessment includes answering 204 questions over a maximum of four years. When you complete 204 questions and achieve a passing score within the four-year window, you will meet your assessment requirement to maintain your subspecialty certification.
You may use references and you will receive immediate feedback and rationale for each question answered. Please note, questions are considered secure and should not be copied, printed, or reproduced in any other way before, during, or after the assessment.
Participation Guidelines
To maintain your eligibility for the longitudinal assessment, you are required to adhere to several guidelines:
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Minimum Answered Questions
All participants must answer a minimum of 187 total questions by the conclusion of the maximum four years to complete the assessment. Those who do not fulfill this requirement will be removed from Sports-LA after the quarter in which it becomes impossible to reach 187 answered questions. As a result, the one-day Re-Entry Examination will need to be successfully completed by the end of the five-year cycle to continue Sports Medicine certification.
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Deferred Questions
Deferred questions are questions that were available to be answered in a given quarter but never opened. While these questions do carry forward to be presented in the future, it is important to note that if more than 68 questions are deferred, it will not be possible to answer the full 204-question assessment in the allotted four-year timeframe. Any questions that are not attempted will be counted as incorrect.
Please note
Only 17 questions will be presented in each quarter, so deferring questions will ultimately result in completing your assessment in year four. You cannot answer more than 17 questions in a quarter to make up for previously deferred questions.
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Primary Certification
Participating in the longitudinal assessment requires ongoing compliance with ABPMR Continuing Certification requirements including Professionalism, CME, SA-CME, IHHC, and Fees.
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Program Fees
Participation in the longitudinal assessment requires an annual fee of $210 for each year of certification. Non-payment may result in temporary loss of access or removal from the longitudinal assessment.
Scoring and Performance Feedback
Through ABFM’s Sports-LA platform, you will receive an immediate response indicating whether your answer is correct or incorrect, as well as the rationale and the percentage of respondents who answered the question correctly. You will have the opportunity to select a confidence and relevance rating for each question.
Performance Feedback
- After completing year one of the longitudinal assessment, an estimated scaled score will be provided to monitor your performance over the duration of the assessment.
- You can also view the percentage of questions answered correctly in each blueprint category to identify gaps in knowledge and areas for improvement.
Final Score Report
- All questions included in the longitudinal assessment will be marked as correct or incorrect. After all 204 questions are scored, your raw score will be transformed into a scaled score that accounts for the difficulty of the questions you received. This ensures that no Diplomate is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by receiving a relatively easy or difficult set of questions.
- Your final scaled score and a detailed report will be delivered in the quarter following your completion of 204 questions, or the end of the fourth year, whichever comes first.
- To continue your certification, you must meet the minimum passing standard, which is set at the same standard as the one-day exam.
One-Day Examination Option
The one-day in-person examination is only available for Re-Entry. Sports diplomates are expected to participate in Sports-LA during their five-year cycle. Those diplomates with insufficient participation or who do not meet the passing standard of Sports-LA may attempt the one-day examination as early as year four and must pass the examination no later than the end of year five for certification to continue. Taking the one-day Re-Entry Examination is not an option in years 1-3 of a five-year cycle.
Re-Entry
Getting Back On Track
Should you not meet the performance standard set by the ABFM at the end of your current certification cycle, your certificate will expire, and you will no longer be certified in Sports Medicine.
Re-Entry via Sports Medicine Examination
- Take and pass the Sports Medicine Re-Entry Examination
- Remain current with all PM&R Continuing Certification Requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is Sports-LA a replacement for the one-day examination?
Sports-LA is the required assessment option for eligible diplomates. The one-day examination remains available as a pathway to Re-Entry only.
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When does Sports-LA launch?
Sports-LA launches in 2027. Registration is expected to open in Winter 2026 for diplomates with a 2027 exam requirement.
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Can I use references?
Yes. Clinical references are permitted while answering questions.
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How many questions are included?
The full assessment includes 204 scored questions, delivered as 17 multiple-choice questions per quarter.
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What happens if I miss questions?
Questions that are available but never opened are deferred and carry forward. However, participants may not answer more than 17 questions in a later quarter to make up missed questions.
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What is the minimum participation requirement?
Participants must answer at least 187 questions within four years to successfully complete Sports-LA.
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What happens if I stop participating?
A participant with zero participation may be removed after six consecutive quarters. Removal from Sports-LA does not immediately expire certification, but the diplomate must still meet the assessment requirement by the end of the five-year cycle by way of the one-day Re-Entry Examination in year four or five of a five-year cycle.
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Can I withdraw from Sports-LA?
Yes. Withdrawal requests must be initiated through ABPMR. Withdrawing will require a diplomate to pass the one-day Re-Entry examination in year four or five of the five-year cycle to maintain certification.
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Will Sports-LA offer CME credit?
CME or other credit availability has not yet been determined.
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Will Sports-LA be considered as a route for Re-Entry if my Sports Medicine certification is expired?
No, Sports-LA is not available for Re-Entry. Former diplomates must take and pass the Sports Medicine Re-Entry Examination.
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Are accommodations available for Sports-LA?
The ABPMR makes reasonable accommodations in examination procedures for individuals with disabilities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other applicable law. Time-based accommodations are available for Sports-LA. Approved accommodations may provide additional response time per question.
Accommodations can be requested at the time of registration.