get certified in
Sports Medicine
Certification Exam
Dates & Fees | |
Exam Dates | Summer Exam: July 8 – 12, 2025 Fall Exam: November 10 – 18, 2025 (Offered twice each year) |
| Application Window | Summer Exam: February 3 – 11:59 p.m. on May 28, 2025 Fall Exam: July 7 – 11:59 p.m. on October 8, 2025 |
| Application Fee* | $470 |
| Exam Fee* | $1,745 |
What is Sports Medicine?
Sports Medicine is a clinical subspecialty concerned with physical fitness, and the diagnosis and treatment of injuries sustained in sports activities.
How This Subspecialty Works
Person or Entity | Responsibility |
| Physician Candidate |
|
| American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) |
|
| American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) | Develops and adminsters the SPM Certification Exam |
Eligibility Criteria
Initial certification eligibility criteria for Sports Medicine:
- Be certified by ABEM, AOBEM, or ABIM
- Be actively participating in ABEM’s continuing certification process or the AOBEM Osteopathic Continuing Certification (OCC) Program
- Successfully complete an ACGME-accredited Sports Medicine fellowship of at least one year as specified in the eligibility criteria
- Fulfill the ABEM Policy on Medical Licensure
- Comply with the ABEM Policy on Board Eligibility for Subspecialty Certification
- Complete and submit an application to ABEM. Check your ABEM Portal to see if you are pre-qualified and able to apply.
Exam Content
Visit the ABFM website for the exam outline, schedule, and tutorial.
Certification Process
Apply
Application process:
- Complete the current-year application form, which will be available inside your ABEM Portal once your eligibility is established.
- Pay the application and exam fee*. These are paid at the same time as part of your application form and once you submit the form you are considered registered.
- An application review will be completed when all information is received.**
- ABEM notifies physicians regarding whether their application has been approved.
If you do not currently have application access or you do not have an ABEM account, and believe you are eligible to pursue certification, you can request application access using the application request form.
*The application fee covers admin processing and cannot be refunded.
**Incomplete applications will be closed in February of the following year. If your application gets closed but you still wish to apply, you must be eligible and submit a new application.
Scheduling
ABEM forwards your examination authorization to the ABFM who will contact you with information on how to schedule your exam appointment.
Results & Scoring
Exam results are released by the ABFM to ABEM. Once we receive them, we’ll email you your results and post them on your ABEM Portal.
