Concept, development, administration, and analysis of a certifying examination in echocardiography for physicians

In 1993, the American Society of Echocardiography appointed a committee to develop an objective examination in echocardiography. In 1995, a pilot of t his examination was administered, with operational examinations offered eac h year from 1996 to 1999. This report describes the development of the exam ination, including its underlying philosophy, the test itself, and the scor ing process, and includes results from the first 4 examinations. To date, 1 266 physicians have taken the examination, and roughly 60% of those have pa ssed. The number of echocardiograms performed or interpreted each week had the largest effect on examination scores; the effects of both the amount of training and the practice discipline were small but significant. The evolu tion of the original committee and new directions for the testing organizat ion are also discussed.