American Board of Vascular Medicine Vascular Medicine Examination

View the ABVM Vascular Medicine Examination prerequsites in 1 chart.

a. ABVM Prerequisite Specifications

1. Licensure: Must possess a valid, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the jurisdiction of practice.
2. Board Certification: Hold current primary board certification (ABIM, AOBIM).
3. Meet the training requirements for vascular medicine.

b. Required Documents

1. Copy of valid, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the jurisdiction of practice.
2. Copy of current primary board certification (ABIM, AOBIM).
3. Provide documentation of training requirements for vascular medicine. *Sample Letter*
4. Fellowship certification if applicable.

The name on all supporting documentation must be consistent and must match the name under which you apply. If it does not, you will need to submit a name change request with legal supporting documentation (e.g., a copy of marriage/driver’s license)
with your application summary page and all other supporting documentation. Also, Documentation must be in English or accompanied by a notarized translation.

To apply, please follow these steps:

• Log in to MY APCA and choose the “Apply Online” option.
• Complete the online application form and submit payment. If you are a first-time Applicant, you are required to choose a prerequisite under which to apply.
• Gather the required supporting documentation.
• Submit your supporting documentation for receipt within 21 days of applying online. Review of your application can take up to five business days from receipt of documentation in the office. Please note, due to the increased volume during November, December and January the review of your application can take up to ten business days from receipt of documentation in the office.

Once we have reviewed your information, we will email you with either an Examination Confirmation Letter (ECL) or a request for additional documentation. When you receive the ECL, you may contact Pearson VUE to schedule an examination appointment during your eligibility period. The eligibility period will be listed on your ECL or check above to view the current ABVM Vascular Medicine examination administration dates.

If you are found ineligible to take the examination, your application will be partially refunded (less the USD processing fee per examination).

The ABVM Vascular Medicine Examination fee is $850 USD, which includes a $200 USD non-refundable processing fee.

If you take an APCA examination at an international test center (outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico), you will be charged an additional non-refundable $50 USD fee when you schedule your examination. This fee is subject to change without notice.

If documentation of requirements is missing or incomplete, a resubmission fee of $75 will be assessed.

The application checklist is a helpful, online tool that lets you track the status of your submitted application. To view it, log into MY APCA and visit the “Application Checklist” from the “Application Center” drop down menu.

Once we have reviewed your documentation, you can find out what documentation we accepted and what additional documentation we may still need by selecting “View Checklist.” If “View Checklist” is not available, it simply means we have not yet reviewed your documentation.

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.

You will be considered a re-applicant for the examination if you have previously been approved to sit for the examination.

To sit for the examination as a re-applicant, submit the application and payment; your application will automatically be approved.

You must wait 60 days to retake the ABVM Vascular Medicine Examination if you do not pass it.

If you need special accommodations, please select “Yes” for “Special 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 health care 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 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Special Accommodations Questionnaire​​, which must be submitted each time you apply for an examination.

For more information, visit Americans with Disabilities Act​.​

Once your application has been approved, an Examination Confirmation Letter (ECL) will be emailed to you so you may schedule an examination with Pearson VUE – APCA’s official testing vendor.

If you have not done so already, visit Pearson VUE to:

• Create a Pearson VUE account
• Search for seat availability
• Locate a test center
• Schedule an examination
• Contact Pearson VUE Customer Service

If you are taking the examination at an international test center (outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico), a $100 USD non-refundable fee and Value Added Tax (VAT) will be charged by Pearson VUE. All international scheduling fees and associated VAT will be charged at the time the examination is scheduled. The fees and associated VAT are subject to change without notice, and they are non-refundable.

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.

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. You will receive a cancellation email from Pearson VUE.

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:

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

We will refund your examination fee, less the USD 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.

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

• Check in with a Test Center Administrator
• Present one valid photo identification (ID); see Test Center Identification Requirements​
• Provide a digital signature
• Have your palm vein scanned
• 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 conduct 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.

The ABVM Vascular Medicine examination contains approximately 135 questions. Here are the content areas covered and the approximate distribution of the questions across the content outline:

ABVM Vascular Medicine Content Outline

Your score report will display and include performance feedback for these content areas.

After all of your diligent preparation and hours spent studying, here are a few valuable tips to help make your examination day a success:

• Double check that you know where the test center is before examination day and give yourself plenty of time to get there. Remember, you MUST arrive and register at least 30 minutes before the examination begins.
• Get a good night’s sleep before you take your examination. Being well rested and relaxed when you take your examination will help you concentrate.
• Bring one form of current and valid identification that complies with the test center identification requirements.
• Travel light. The only thing you can bring into the testing room is you. You can store your personal belongings — your car keys, watch, smartphone, purse, backpack, etc. — in lockers at the test center. The following items are not allowed in test centers: study materials, food, drink, visitors/guests, pets and children.
• Request a white board if you plan to jot down notes during the examination. Test centers are using white boards (rather than paper) in an effort to “go green.”

Good luck!

Even though we offer practice examinations and sample questions, we do not offer study materials for our examinations – but our sister organizations do. You can find materials at:

The Society for Vascular Medicine

Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine

Society for Vascular Ultrasound

American Society of Echocardiography

A patient with deep vein thrombosis of the subclavian-axillary veins undergoes catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy. Completion venogram suggests mild narrowing of the subclavian vein at the site of a cervical rib. Which treatment decreases the likelihood of recurrent thrombosis?

A. Primary Stent
B. Rib Resection
C. Angioplasty
D. Provisional Stent

(Key = B)

When running, an 18-year-old man has cramping in both calves that limits his ability to participate in football. Results of neurologic and musculoskeletal examinations are normal. Femoral, popliteal, and pedal pulses are normal. Ankle-brachial indices (ABI) are 1.1 bilaterally in the physician’s office. Which of the following diagnostic tests would be most appropriate?:

A. Repeat ABI with plantar flexion against resistance.
B. Perform runoff angiography.
C. Perform supine and upright segmental pressure measurements.
D. Perform supine and upright segmental Doppler waveform pulse measurements.

(Key = A)

The ABVM examinations evaluate the knowledge and skills you must demonstrate as a Vascular or Endovascular Professional. The primary test result is a PASS or FAIL decision. In addition, you will receive a scaled score, ranging from 300 to 700. A scaled score of 555 is required to pass all APCA examinations.

The scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers, nor is it built on a “curve” where a certain percentage of scores would pass and a certain percentage would fail. To learn more, visit Notification of Results and Scoring​​​.

Candidates who do not pass are invited to re-apply but must wait 60 days between attempts.

You can receive a score report at the test center once you complete the examination. Additionally, your score report will be available in your Pearson VUE account. The Pass or Fail results will then be posted to your secure MY APCA account within the next week.

Candidates receiving a confirmed passing score on all required examinations and meeting all other requirements will be awarded a certification, effective the date the final examination was taken. For information on the APCA scoring methods, visit Notification of Results and Scoring.

Candidates who do not pass are invited to re-apply but must wait 60 days between attempts.

You can request a score verification for a $35 USD fee, payable by check, money order or credit card. Score verification ensures that the computer counted the correct and incorrect answers appropriately, but it does not review the questions and answers.

You must submit the completed Exam Score Verification Form within 30 days of having taken the examination in question. The Exam Score Verification Form will be returned if incomplete, unsigned or unpaid.

When deciding whether to have your score verified, please consider that APCA examinations are scored electronically with a high degree of accuracy, and it is unlikely that verification will alter your original score