Physicians certified in 1985 or later must complete the recertification process to maintain their certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology. If a physician was certified prior to 1985, recertification is not required but may be done voluntarily. A physician who is clinically inactive may choose to maintain certification with a clinically inactive status. All Trustees of the Board must complete the entire recertification process during their tenure.

Recertification is valid for ten-year increments past the expiration date of the original certification or previous recertification, subject to Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Physicians are given three opportunities to recertify. For example, if a physician certified in 2003, he or she may sit for the examination in October 2010 (the first year of admissibility), 2011 or 2012. Regardless of which of these years the physician recertifies, his or her certificate will normally be valid for ten-year increments from the original certification date—2023 in the preceding example, subject to MOC.

Applications will be mailed in early December. The application is due by February 1. There is no longer an application fee for recertification but candidates must be current with payment of their Annual Certificate Fees.  Applications may be submitted with an additional $750.00 late fee until February 15, after which time no further applications will be accepted.

Practice logs are due March 15. Logs submitted after this will be assessed a $750.00 late fee until March 31, after which time no further logs will be accepted.

 CME documentation is due August 1.  Candidates who have not submitted an adequate number of CME credits by the August 1st deadline will be assessed a $200 late fee.

Candidates may schedule their exam with Pearson VUE in July 2013.  You will be notified by mail of the start date for registration.

Approved candidates may take their exam on either October 24th or October 25th 2013. 

Applications must be submitted on forms for the current cycle. Prior year forms are given for informational purposes only.  

To provide the Board with a notarized copy of a document, take the original document to a notary public. He or she will copy it and notarize the copy as a true copy of the original. Mail the notarized copy to the Board office; faxes or photocopies of documents will not be accepted.

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Handbook for Applicants for Recertification
Recertification Application
Practice Breakdown
CME Instructions
Peer Review labels template
Electronic Practice Log Instructions
RctPractice Log Template
Complications Narratives Instructions
Log Verification and Notarization Statement
Practice Log Instructions for Canadian Applicants
Pearson Testing Center Information and Tutorial

The format of the recertification examination changed beginning in 2011.  The examination will continue to be a four-hour, proctored, computerized examination administered annually at nearly 200 Pearson VUE testing centers located throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico in October each year. 

The examination will no longer consist of five modules covering the domains of urology, three of which are selected by the candidate.  It was replaced by a 100 question examination covering the domains of urology, with very few pediatric questions.  Pediatric questions remaining on the examination will relate to very common pediatric conditions.  Statistics from past examinations show that with the exception of the pediatric module, which very few examinees except pediatric urologists select, candidates selected nearly equally from the other four modules. 

The rationale for the change in format is to provide consistency with other ABU examinations, increase the psychometric validity of the examination, address the numerous complaints from Diplomates regarding the verification of which modules they selected on the examination, and eliminate concerns expressed by many Diplomates regarding whether the modules they selected were the ones that were scored.

The method used to determine a passing score on the Recertification Examination is based on criterion reference testing. Criterion reference testing uses a benchmark examination to establish a performance which all candidates must meet. Examinations are compared to the benchmark standard and the passing score varies according to the difficulty. The probability of passing remains constant, and the examination process provides a uniform opportunity to pass from one year to the next. In theory, all who take the examination could pass; there is no mandatory failure rate. On average, approximately 97% of candidates pass the exam.  

Any Diplomates certified before 1985 may undertake voluntary recertification. The voluntary candidate is required to fulfill all requirements of the process: application, licensure documents, peer review, practice log, CME documentation, and examination. Successful completion of the recertification process results in a "voluntary recertification" listing with the American Board of Medical Specialties. Regardless if a voluntary candidate passes or fails the recertification process, his or her original unlimited certificate remains in effect.

Physicians who are no longer clinically active may keep their certification active by completing all requirements for recertification, except submission of a practice log. Upon recertification, the physician must comply with MOC requirements except log submission. 

The clinically inactive Diplomate who wishes to apply for active status should contact the Board in writing. The recertification process must be initiated within 10 years of certification or recertification, or within 18 months following resumption of active practice of clinical urology.