Subspecialty Certification Research

Analysis of Candidate Performance in the Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certification Examination

This study presents the first publication reviewing the administration and candidate performance of the Brain Injury Medicine (BIM) subspecialty certification examination, which has been administered by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) since 2014. Using de-identified data from the ABPMR database, the review includes 1,197 candidates who took the exam between 2014 and 2024, 74.4% of whom were ABPMR diplomates and 25.1% American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology diplomates.

The overall pass rate was 97.2%, with about 96% of first-time exam takers passing. A clear trend showed declining performance with increasing numbers of attempts. ABPMR diplomates generally had higher mean scaled subscores across all exam item categories except “other neurologic disorders.” More than 90% of candidates agreed the exam was relevant to BIM, though only 77% felt the content reflected the scope of training. Exam item reliability remained high, ranging from 0.83 to 0.97.

A notable aspect of this article is the team behind it, the authors include current and former BIM Examination Committee members, some of whom have been involved since before BIM was formally recognized as a subspecialty. Their long-standing involvement makes this a meaningful collaborative effort and adds valuable perspective to the analysis.

These findings offer useful guidance for prospective BIM Examination candidates and for ongoing exam development.

Read the full analysis here: Analysis of Candidate Performance in the Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certification Examination

Francisco, Gerard E. MD; Raddatz, Mikaela PhD; Armstrong, Michael MD; Greenwald, Brian D. MD; Jaffee, Michael S. MD; O'Shanick, Gregory MD; Paolini, Ronald MD; Tsao, Jack W. MD; Kinney, Carolyn MD