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[ Home ](https://mdster.com) 2. [ Blog ](https://mdster.com/blog) 3. [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) 4. American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (Emergency Medicine Written Exam (Part I)): A Practical Study Plan [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (Emergency Medicine Written Exam (Part I)): A Practical Study Plan ===================================================================================================================== Turn the AOBEM blueprint into focused practice for a six-section, remote-proctored exam. [ MDster Editorial Team ](https://mdster.com/about) · Oct 27, 2026 · 6 min read · 25 [ Reviewed by Dr. Ali Ragab, MBBCH, MSc, MCAI ](https://mdster.com/medical-reviewers/dr-ali-ragab) [Editorial Policy](https://mdster.com/editorial-policy) \| [Corrections Policy](https://mdster.com/corrections) [ Emergency Medicine Boards ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=emergency-medicine-boards) [ Emergency Medicine ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=emergency-medicine) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=study-tips) [ AOBEM ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=aobem) [ Written Exam Part I ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=written-exam-part-i) ![American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (Emergency Medicine Written Exam (Part I)): A Practical Study Plan](https://mdster.com/storage/blog/images/american-osteopathic-board-of-emergency-medicine-emergency-medicine-written-exam-part-i-a.png) Share this article Share this post On this page 1. [ Start with the Part I blueprint ](#start-with-the-part-i-blueprint) 2. [ Allocate time by tested content ](#allocate-time-by-tested-content) 3. [ Study Schedule Template: eight weeks around shifts ](#study-schedule-template-eight-weeks-around-shifts) 4. [ Make question review resemble clinical decisions ](#make-question-review-resemble-clinical-decisions) 5. [ Rehearse the section clock and remote platform ](#rehearse-the-section-clock-and-remote-platform) 6. [ Avoid predictable Part I pitfalls ](#avoid-predictable-part-i-pitfalls) 7. [ Key Takeaways: what to do this week ](#key-takeaways-what-to-do-this-week) 8. [ Put the plan to work ](#put-the-plan-to-work) 9. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 10. [ References ](#references-heading) On this page 1. [ Start with the Part I blueprint ](#start-with-the-part-i-blueprint) 2. [ Allocate time by tested content ](#allocate-time-by-tested-content) 3. [ Study Schedule Template: eight weeks around shifts ](#study-schedule-template-eight-weeks-around-shifts) 4. [ Make question review resemble clinical decisions ](#make-question-review-resemble-clinical-decisions) 5. [ Rehearse the section clock and remote platform ](#rehearse-the-section-clock-and-remote-platform) 6. [ Avoid predictable Part I pitfalls ](#avoid-predictable-part-i-pitfalls) 7. [ Key Takeaways: what to do this week ](#key-takeaways-what-to-do-this-week) 8. [ Put the plan to work ](#put-the-plan-to-work) 9. [ Frequently Asked Questions ](#blog-faqs) 10. [ References ](#references-heading) You may manage a crowded emergency department confidently yet lose time on a written question because two answers seem defensible. For AOBEM Written Part I, the task is to choose the **single best answer** repeatedly, under a section clock—not to narrate everything you would do at the bedside. Build your preparation around that distinction. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Start with the Part I blueprint ------------------------------- The remote-proctored exam has 300 multiple-choice questions in six sections of 50. You have 60 minutes per section, and you cannot return after submitting one. Most questions ask for one best answer from five choices; train yourself to identify exactly what the stem asks before comparing options. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") ### Allocate time by tested content Use the board’s content percentages to plan your first pass, then adjust for your own misses. Abdominal/gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders each account for 9%; trauma accounts for 8%; systemic infection, nervous system, and thoracic-respiratory disorders each account for 7%. Pediatrics is not listed as a separate category in the current primary-certification outline, so include pediatric presentations across relevant systems rather than assuming they are absent. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") - Download the current AOBEM Part I outline and list every content area. - Give larger domains proportionally more question blocks, while covering smaller domains such as environmental disorders and EMS/disaster medicine. - Tag every missed question by domain **and** decision type: diagnosis, next test, immediate treatment, procedure, or disposition. The overall score reflects the total number of correctly answered items; content-area scores are reported separately when available. Do not treat a small domain as expendable, but do not devote half your study time to it because one practice score was low. AOA reports scaled scores, with 500 or higher required to pass—not a published raw-percentage target. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Study Schedule Template: eight weeks around shifts -------------------------------------------------- An eight-week plan is a template, not a required preparation period. If your exam is farther away, stretch the first four weeks; if it is closer, preserve mixed timed practice and shorten broad reading. As of October 2026, the AOBEM site lists the next written examination for **March 22–24, 2027**; confirm your assigned appointment and current instructions with the board. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") WhenMain taskOutputWeeks 1–2Take mixed diagnostic blocks; map misses to the outlineRanked weak-domain listWeeks 3–5Alternate targeted blocks with mixed blocksOne-page rules for recurring errorsWeeks 6–7Complete 50-question, 60-minute sectionsPacing and accuracy recordWeek 8Revisit repeated misses; rehearse the testing setupFinal decision list and technology check On a workday, try 15–20 questions and review the explanations before opening another set. On a lighter day, complete a timed 50-question section and spend a separate session investigating errors. If you miss a planned day after a night shift, resume the schedule; do not replace review with a large, unexamined question dump. Make question review resemble clinical decisions ------------------------------------------------ Choose a question bank with explanations and topic filters, an emergency medicine reference for disputed concepts, and access to current primary clinical guidance when a recommendation may have changed. Use the bank to expose decisions you get wrong, not merely to accumulate completed questions. Save textbook chapters or a focused review course for a weakness that persists after you have examined several related questions. For each miss, write a compact correction: **stem clue → best answer → why my choice was weaker**. For example, if you misread a question asking for the *next* step as one asking for the eventual diagnosis, label it “task misread.” Re-answer that item later without looking at the explanation, then test the same decision in a new vignette. > **Pro Tip:** Ask a study partner to challenge your one-sentence rationale for two difficult items each week. If your defense depends on facts missing from the stem, reconsider the answer rather than adding imagined clinical details. Keep Part I practice distinct from oral-case rehearsal. The written exam tests selections from presented options; the Part II oral exam assesses how you work through simulated cases, including evaluation, treatment, disposition, and communication. The legacy Clinical Exam applies only to candidates approved to sit Part I before September 1, 2013. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") Rehearse the section clock and remote platform ---------------------------------------------- A 50-question section allows an average of 72 seconds per item. In practice, check whether you have reached approximately question 25 by minute 30; use the remaining time for unanswered items and any review permitted within that section. Do not carry a flagged question into the next section: once you submit, those answers are final. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") The board lists an optional 10-minute break after each section and an optional 40-minute lunch break after Section 3. Practice one longer simulation with those section boundaries, and decide in advance how you will use breaks. Study materials and electronics are prohibited during breaks. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") At least two weeks beforehand, complete the AOA’s pre-test technical check and try its platform practice exam. Arrange a private room, verify the required secure browser on a suitable personal computer, and confirm your ID matches your application. The AOA warns that work or hospital computers may not support the required browser; do not discover that at check-in. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") Avoid predictable Part I pitfalls --------------------------------- - **Reading without testing:** Follow a review chapter with questions on that domain, then record the decisions you still miss. - **Practicing only familiar complaints:** Use your domain log to schedule neglected topics before another cardiology block. - **Confusing speed with readiness:** Compare timed accuracy with untimed accuracy; a large gap calls for more section-length practice. - **Overinvesting in one hard item:** Mark it, make your best selection, and return only if time remains within the section. - **Borrowing oral-exam habits:** Answer the specific multiple-choice task instead of constructing an entire case presentation. Key Takeaways: what to do this week ----------------------------------- - Map your question bank to the current AOBEM Part I content outline. - Complete one timed 50-question mixed section and log both misses and time pressure. - Schedule two targeted review sessions for your highest-yield weak domains. - Confirm your registration details and book a remote-platform check well before exam day. Put the plan to work -------------------- Start with one mixed block, not a perfect study calendar. Its results will tell you what to study next; repeating that test–review–retest cycle will make your remaining preparation more precise. Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- ### How should I pace a 50-question AOBEM Written Part I section? You have 60 minutes. Practice reaching about question 25 by minute 30, and leave time to revisit marked items before submitting the section. ### Should I study pediatric emergency presentations if pediatrics is not a separate blueprint category? Yes. Study pediatric presentations within the applicable system-based domains; the absence of a separate category does not mean pediatric cases are excluded. ### Can I return to a previous section after a break? No. Once you submit a section and move on, its answers are final. ### Is a hospital computer suitable for the remote-proctored written exam? Do not assume so. The AOA warns that work or hospital computers may not support the required secure browser; complete its technical check in advance. References (5) ------------------ 1. 1. [ AOBEM, Emergency Medicine Written Exam: format, content outline, and scoring ](https://certification.osteopathic.org/emergency-medicine/certification-process-overview/specialty-certification-process/written-exams/) [↩](#cite-ref-1-1 "Back to text") 2. 2. [ certification.osteopathic.org/emergency-medicine ](https://certification.osteopathic.org/emergency-medicine/) [↩](#cite-ref-2-1 "Back to text") 3. 3. [ AOBEM, Emergency Medicine Certification Process: oral examination ](https://certification.osteopathic.org/emergency-medicine/certification-process-overview/specialty-certification-process/oral-exams/) [↩](#cite-ref-3-1 "Back to text") 4. 4. [ AOA Board Certification, Remote Proctored Exams: candidate preparation ](https://certification.osteopathic.org/remote-proctored-exams/) [↩](#cite-ref-4-1 "Back to text") 5. 5. 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