All Boards/ABSITE

ABSITE

American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination

Exam Overview

Format225 MCQ, computer-based, 1-day exam

Duration5 hours

FrequencyAnnual (January, all PGY levels)

Pass RateN/A — norm-referenced; top 30% is the benchmark

Exam FeeAdministered by residency program (no individual fee)

Eligibility Requirements

Active enrollment in an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency program

Applies to all residents from PGY-1 through PGY-5

No application required — program coordinators register residents automatically

Exam Syllabus & Content Areas

Alimentary Tract (esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, rectum)25%

Breast10%

Endocrine Surgery10%

Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery10%

Surgical Critical Care10%

Vascular Surgery10%

Trauma & Acute Care Surgery10%

Other (hernias, skin, soft tissue, pediatric, transplant, urology, orthopedics)15%

Recommended Resources

ABSITE Review (Fiser)

Book

NMS Surgery

Book

Pestana's Surgery Notes

Book

SCORE Surgical Council on Resident Education CurriculumCourse

UpToDate SurgeryCourse

Schwartz's Principles of Surgery

Book

BoardsQA Coverage

~440

questions available

Topics covered

Alimentary TractBreastEndocrineHPBCritical CareTraumaVascular

6-Month Preparation Timeline

Month 1

Alimentary tract: esophagus and stomach, GEJ, GERD, peptic ulcer, bariatric

Month 2

Small bowel, colon, rectum: Crohn's, UC, diverticular disease, colorectal cancer, ileostomy/colostomy

Month 3

HPB surgery, endocrine surgery, breast surgery

Month 4

Vascular surgery, hernias, skin & soft tissue, basic oncology principles

Month 5

Trauma, surgical critical care, fluids, nutrition, electrolytes

Month 6

High-yield review of weakest areas; timed full-length practice sets

Ready to prepare for ABSITE?

Practice with 440+ targeted questions covering the full syllabus.

Board information is updated regularly. Always verify with the official certifying body.