The Examination
The subject content of the certifying examination reflects the knowledge, skills, and attitudes deemed essential for the competent practice of lipidology. The content will follow along with the outline of topics listed below and the approved Core Curriculum in Clinical Lipidology. This curriculum identifies and defines areas of knowledge important to the delivery of quality care and serves as a basis for the content of the certification examinations in Clinical Lipidology. The core curriculum is comprised of the information deemed as the most relevant clinical information for a practicing lipid specialist or lipidologist.
In general, the exam will focus on the biochemistry and metabolism of lipoproteins and the genetics, diagnosis and management of dyslipidemia and the metabolic syndrome as well as the fundamentals of vascular biology. The content of the exam is updated bi-annually by the ABCL Examination Review Committee.
The 4-hour examination is constructed at the upper level of difficulty and consists of approximately 225-250 multiple-choice questions:
The following is the existing breakdown of question content by areas of Lipidology:
| 20% | Pharmacologic therapy |
| 14% | Genetic Disorders |
| 11% | Nutrition and non-pharmacologic therapy |
| 10% | Risk assessment and NCEP Guidelines |
| 10% | Lipoprotein metabolism |
| 10% | Epidemiology and clinical trials |
| 10% | Metabolic syndrome |
| 10% | Vascular Biology |
| 5% | Special Populations |
The exam will be a proctored event and specific criteria have to be met in order to sit for the exam See Eligibility Criteria.
The ABCL exam is only offered to licensed physicians in the US and Canada. If you are an allied health professional or a primary care physician seeking basic competency certification, please visit the Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology website at www.lipidspecialist.org.