Individuals who have passed all 4 CORE Exam modules and completed residency training are eligible to take the APPLIED Exam. The APPLIED Exam assesses the ability to apply knowledge in clinical scenarios relevant to the practice of general dermatology.
The 8-hour APPLIED Exam is offered at Pearson VUE Test Centers.
It consists of 200 questions, approximately divided across the Dermatology content areas as follows:
Medical Dermatology: 55%
Pediatric Dermatology: 15%
Surgical Dermatology: 15%
Dermatopathology: 15%
The subject matter is scrambled across the exam. The exam contains four 94-minute sections, each with 50 questions. There are three breaks during the exam: a 20-minute break between sections 1 and 2; a 60-minute break between sections 2 and 3; and a 20-minute break between sections 3 and 4.
All questions follow a multiple-choice format. Some items contain clinical images or photomicrographs. Virtual dermatopathology scans are not included on the exam.
For additional information about the APPLIED Exam, please refer to the Certification Pathway Information Center and the APPLIED Exam section of the Resident & Fellow FAQs.
