Certification Board of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CBCMR) Examination

All eligibility requirements must be completed prior to submitting a CBCMR application to APCA. Under no circumstances will an application with incomplete cardiovascular MR training be accepted. If documentation of other requirements is missing or incomplete, a resubmission fee will be assessed. All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a translation.

• Medical Licensure
• Board Certification
  • CBCMR Boar​​d Verification Attestation – Nuclear Medicine
  • CBCMR International Specialty Attestation​
• Alternate Board Pathway – ​Available through 2023. Closed to new applicants
  
• Formal Training/ Clinical Experience in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (MR)​
• Clinical CMR Experience Pathway- available through 2029​
• ​Continuing Medical Education​​
• Candidates who do not pass the CBCMR Examination

1. ​Log in to your MY APCA account.
2. Select Apply Online under the Application Center tab.
3. Select the appropriate certification examination under Physician Windowed Examinations.
4. Click on the green Apply Now button.
5. You will be required to attest that you have read, understand, and acknowledge the following:

• Confidentiality Agreement
• ​​APCA Application Agreement​
• ​APCA Compliance Policies​​​

Follow the prompts to complete and submit the application with payment.

Remember: you will need to upload your required supporting documentation during the application submission process so be sure to have the required documentation on hand.

Please Note: Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received as expeditiously as possible. The turnaround time may be several weeks depending on the volume of applications received and the completeness of the application and documentation.

Once you have successfully applied, your Examination Confirmation Letter (ECL) will be available via the Application Center tab from your MY APCA account. Access this information by:

Selecting MY Examinations

Click the Examination Confirmation Letter link under the Actions Available section. ​

Once you have your ECL, you may contact Pearson VUE to schedule an examination appointment. A website address and toll-free number are provided on your ECL to schedule your examination. Test centers are located in the U.S., Canada and many international locations. Examination appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis so please apply and schedule as early as possible.

If you are ineligible, you will be notified of your ineligibility and the reason(s) for that determination.​

​If you require testing accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please select “Yes” to the question that asks if you require testing accommodations in the application and submit the following along with your completed application:

An original copy of a letter dated within the past five years and typed on official letterhead from a qualified physician or healthcare provider who specializes in the disability. This letter must document the disability and its severity, describe the applicant’s limitation due to the disability and state exactly what accommodations are recommended. The letter must contain an original signature and the physician’s or provider’s credentials.

An original copy of a comprehensive medical evaluation/report of the diagnosed disability from the physician or health care provider, dated within the past five years.

A completed ADA Special Accommodations Questionnaire​,​ which must be submitted each time you apply for an examination.​

For more information, visit  Americans with Disabilities Act​.

​When you arrive at a test center, be prepared to:

1. Check in with a Test Center Administrator
2. Present one valid photo identification (ID); see Test Center Identification Requirements​
3. Provide a digital signature
4. Have your palm vein scanned​​​​​​​​
5. Take a test-day photograph

Note: The only thing that you can bring into the testing room is you. The test centers have lockers you can use to store personal belongings. Study materials as well as food and drink are prohibited in the test center. No visitors, guests, pets or children are allowed.

Important: Review APCA’s Examination Admission Compliance policies​ to ensure you are not refused admission at the test center and do not engage in unauthorized examination behavior.

Test centers will provide white boards for notes during the examination upon request.

If you need special accommodations, please select “Yes” for “Special Accommodations” in the application when you apply.​ ​

​To reschedule the date and time of your examination during your eligibility period, you must contact Pearson VUE (1-877-258-9220) at least 96 hours prior to the scheduled examination date and time. Candidates outside of North America should check pearsonvue.com/apca for regional telephone numbers.

To cancel an examination appointment, you must contact Pearson VUE (1-877-258-9220) and cancel the scheduled appointment no later than 96 hours prior to the scheduled examination appointment time. Candidates outside of North America should check pearsonvue.com/apca for regional telephone numbers.

To request a partial refund, you must wait 24 hours after canceling the appointment with Pearson VUE and then submit a cancellation/partial refund request no later than 96 hours prior to the last date of the eligibility period.

To submit this request:

1. Log in to your MY APCA account.
2. Visit “My Examination/Application Status” under “Application Center.”
3. Select the examination you wish to request a partial refund for.
4. Complete and submit the form.

We will refund your examination fee, less the processing fee per examination, unless we receive your request too late, you never schedule your examination or you do not keep your scheduled examination appointment. Then, the entire examination and processing fees are forfeited

If you are found eligible to take an examination, we will email you an Examination Confirmation Letter (ECL) within one to two days of application approval and you will be able to schedule your appointment at that time. The ECL will also be posted to your MY APCA account and will include your eligibility period to schedule and take your examination. ​

In 2017, CBCMR conducted its initial analysis of the practice to identify the tasks performed by physicians practicing cardiovascular MR and the knowledge required to perform these tasks. The purpose of this practice analysis is to ensure that the examination content accurately reflects the current practice of cardiovascular MR. To accomplish this, a carefully constructed survey is sent to a representative sample of physicians practicing within the profession. The results are analyzed by a cross section of experts in the field. The result is the following outline of knowledge areas upon which the examination in cardiovascular MR is based. Read the CBCMR Practice Analy​sis Summary Report​​​​.

The CBCMR certification examination contains approximately 160 questions. The CBCMR examination will cover the following content areas. All percentages are an approximate distribution of the questions across the content areas.​

CBCMR Certification Content Outline​ ​​
(Please click on “CBCMR Content Outline” for the detailed Content Outline in PDF-Printable format).​​​

Prepare for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) exams [10%]

• Review medical history, clinical information, and prior studies; consult with referring providers; and perform or direct pretest patient evaluation and education
• ​​Evaluate clinical indications considering appropriate use criteria
• ​Screen for contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast, stress testing, pharmacologic agents, etc.
• Select an appropriate protocol to answer the clinical question
• Ensure any implanted devices (e.g., implantable cardioverter defibrillator [ICD], pacemakers) are in magnetic resonance (MR) conditional modes

Select and perform appropriate protocols for specific clinical scenarios [17%]

• Morphology and function
• ​Viability and cardiomyopathy
• Stress examinations
• Tissue characterization (e.g., t1, t2, t2*) examinations
• Valvular examinations
• Examinations of the pericardium
• Examination of masses
• Examination of implanted devices
• Simple congenital defects (e.g., atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect)
• Complex congenital defects
• Coronary examinations
• Vascular examinations

Perform CMR exams [18%]

• Monitor patient during study
• ​Manage gating and recognize arrhythmias
• Oversee the activities of technologists/medical personnel according to institutional protocols
• Monitor scan quality and findings, and modify protocol as needed
• Troubleshoot scanning acquisition problems during study
• Follow safety guidelines (e.g., MRI safety, emergency situations, SAR)
• Administer contrast, pharmacologic agents, etc.
• Manage reactions to contrast, pharmacologic agents, etc.
• Understand MR physics
• Understand physics and principles underlying pulse sequences
• Understand MR scanner hardware/instrumentation
• Understand pulse sequences

Interpret CMR exams: normal and abnormal anatomy, function, and physiology [13%]

• Assess significant extracardiac and extravascular findings
• ​Recognize scan artifacts and distinguish from pathology
• Recognize normal variants and distinguish from pathology
• Assess cardiac function
• Assess cardiac chambers
• Assess native/artificial valves
• Assess pericardium

Interpret CMR exams: ischemic and nonischemic heart disease [19%]

• Assess for ischemia (stress testing)
• Assess ischemic cardiomyopathy and viability
• Assess nonischemic cardiomyopathy
• Assess dilated cardiomyopathy/noncompaction cardiomyopathy
• Assess iron-overload cardiomyopathy
• Assess amyloid cardiomyopathy
• Assess infiltrative cardiomyopathy
• Assess cardiac sarcoidosis
• Assess myocarditis
• Assess hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Assess arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

Interpret CMR exams: cardiac masses, congenital heart disease, and vascular disease [12%]

• Assess cardiac masses (e.g., tumor, thrombus)
• Assess for simple congenital defects (e.g., atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect)
• Assess for complex congenital defects
• Assess thoracic aorta
• Assess abdominal aorta
• Assess pulmonary artery
• Assess pulmonary veins
• Assess coronary anatomy/anomalies
• Assess vascular anatomy/anomalies

Supervise and/or perform post-processing tasks [11%] ​

• Supervise and/or perform quantification of morphology, volume, and function
• Supervise and/or perform quantification of velocity and flow
• Supervise and/or perform quantification of vessel sizes (e.g., aorta, main pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins)
• Supervise and/or perform quantification of perfusion
• Supervise and/or perform quantitative tissue characterization (e.g., T1, T2, extracellular volume [ECV])
• Supervise and/or perform quantification of iron (e.g., T2*)
• Supervise and/or perform quantitative late gadolinium enhancement (LGE)
• Supervise and/or perform three-dimensional post-processing (e.g., multiplanar reformat [MPR], maximum intensity projection [MIP])

The CBCMR certification examination tutorial​ demonstrates the look and feel of the CBCMR certification examination administered at Pearson VUE test centers. This demonstration is not intended to be a study tool for examination content and will not be available at the test centers. Please utilize the fast-forward, rewind and replay buttons to ensure you read each screen entirely and understand the entire demonstration. Please note that the video is a visual tool only and includes no audio.​

 1. What is cardiovascular magnetic resonance?

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), sometimes known as cardiac MRI, is a medical imaging technology for the non-invasive assessment of the function and structure of the cardiovascular system.

2. What is the cardiovascular MR certification and what is its purpose?

Certification provides practice-based standards against which members of the profession can be assessed. The purposes of the CBCMR Certification Program are as follows:

• To establish the domain of the practice of cardiovascular MR for certification
• To assess the level of knowledge demonstrated by cardiovascular MR specialists in a valid manner
• To encourage professional growth in, and enhance the quality of, the practice of cardiovascular MR
• To recognize formally individuals who meet the requirements set by CBCMR
• To serve the public by encouraging quality patient care in the practice of cardiovascular MR​

3. What is the contact information of the CBCMR?

1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600

Rockville, MD 20852

USA Telephone: +240.631.8151

Fax: +301.424.0875

Email: CBCMR@inteleos.org

4. What are the eligibility criteria to sit for the CBCMR certification examination?

All eligibility requirements must be completed prior to submitting a CBCMR application to APCA. Under no circumstances will an application with incomplete cardiovascular magnetic resonance training/experience be accepted. If documentation of other requirements is missing or incomplete, a resubmission fee will be assessed. All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a translation.​

• Medical Licensure
  
• Board Certification
• Alternate Board Pathway – ​available thro​ugh 2023​ 
• Formal Training/ Clinical Experience in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (MR)​
• Clinical CMR Experience Pathway- available through 2029​
• ​Continuing Medical Education​​
• Candidates who do not pass the CBCMR Examination​

Below you will find a full list of professional organizations that are referenced in the CBCMR eligibility requirements.

• American Board of Internal Medicine
• American College of Cardiology
• American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine
• American Osteopathic Board of Radiology
• European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging
• European Society of Cardiology
• Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
• The American Board of Nuclear Medicine
• The American Board of Pediatrics
• The American Board of Radiology​

Below are the pass rates for the CBCMR examinations:

2023
Passed: 89%

2022
Passed: 87%

2021
Passed: 85%

2020
Passed: 92%

2019
Passed: 92%