ABD Dermatology Board Certification Practice Test
Build your confidence for ABD Dermatology Board Certification. Practice the concepts, understand the answers, and strengthen your knowledge one question at a time.
Try a sample questionExam overview and details
Dermatology board certification covering inflammatory skin diseases, skin cancer, cosmetic dermatology, dermatopathology, and procedural dermatology. Administered by American Board of Dermatology. Key domains include Medical Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Pediatric Dermatology and Surgical Dermatology. The exam consists of 200 questions over 376 minutes.
Sample Questions
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A biopsy from a persistent patch on the buttock shows epidermotropism of atypical lymphocytes with cerebriform nuclei and Pautrier microabscesses. Immunostains show CD4 predominance with loss of CD7. Which diagnosis is most likely?
A 43-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis develops fever, neutrophilia, and sudden painful edematous plaques on the face and arms. Biopsy shows dense dermal neutrophils without vasculitis. Which diagnosis is most likely?
A 63-year-old man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia has tense hemorrhagic bullae on sun-exposed hands and a negative porphyrin screen. Biopsy shows subepidermal blistering, and salt-split skin localizes IgG to the dermal floor. Which antigen is implicated?
During excision on the lower leg, a patient develops tremor, tinnitus, circumoral numbness, and a metallic taste after a large volume of lidocaine with epinephrine. What complication is most concerning?
A 45-year-old man has orange-red scaling plaques on the scalp and trunk, follicular keratotic papules on the dorsal fingers, waxy palmoplantar keratoderma, and islands of sparing within erythroderma. Which diagnosis is most likely?
Exam insights and study advice
Board certification is not merely a credential; it is a public attestation of a physician's dedication to expertise and patient safety. It assures patients, colleagues, and healthcare institutions that a dermatologist has met nationally recognized standards for knowledge and practice. In the real world, this translates to more accurate diagnoses, evidence-based treatment plans, and the ability to manage complex and rare dermatologic conditions. It establishes a foundation of trust and is often a prerequisite for leadership roles, academic appointments, and participation in advanced clinical trials or specialized care networks.
What this exam covers
Use the published domain weights to plan your study. Practice results do not predict your certification exam score.
01Medical Dermatology
This domain covers medical dermatology topics, representing 55.0 percent of the entire evaluation. It focuses heavily on clinical management, therapeutic interventions, and clinical diagnosis of various common and complex skin conditions.
02Dermatopathology
This domain covers dermatopathology topics, representing 15.0 percent of the entire evaluation. It focuses heavily on microscopic analysis, laboratory evaluation, and pathologic interpretation of skin biopsy specimens and tissue samples.
03Pediatric Dermatology
This domain covers pediatric dermatology topics, representing 15.0 percent of the entire evaluation. It focuses heavily on skin disorders and congenital conditions affecting infants, children, and adolescents during their developmental stages.
04Surgical Dermatology
This domain covers surgical dermatology topics, representing 15.0 percent of the entire evaluation. It focuses heavily on procedural techniques, operative safety protocols, and skin surgery interventions performed by practicing specialists.