The TL;DR on the ABIM LKA
What is the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment?
Launched in January 2022, the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA) is a more flexible and less intensive option for maintaining your ABIM board certification status. (To learn more about ABIM board certification, check out our resource page.)
In short, instead of sitting for the traditional 10-year MOC exam, LKA participants choose when and where to answer assessment questions, find out in real-time if they were right or wrong, and receive a rationale and references to provide context and enhance learning.
According to ABIM, more than 25,000 physicians in their “MOC exam due year” have enrolled in the LKA so far this year, choosing it 4 to 1 over the traditional, 10-year MOC exam.
If you’d like to join, be quick about it! The last day to enroll in the LKA for 2022 is June 30th!
How Does the LKA Work?
The LKA follows a 5-year cycle in which you answer assessment questions covering the entire field on an ongoing basis. You’ll receive regular feedback on how you’re performing and as long as you meet the LKA participation requirement and any other MOC requirements, you’ll continue to be considered (and publicly reported) as Board Certified for your entire 5-year LKA cycle.
The LKA uses the same MOC blueprint as the 10-year exam. Here’s a link for the Cardiovascular Disease MOC Blueprint and one for the Internal Medicine MOC Blueprint.
Once you’ve enrolled in the LKA, you’ll be offered a series of 30 questions to answer every quarter, totalling 600 questions in 5 years (30 questions x 20 quarters = 600 questions). You can choose to not open up to 100 out of the 600 total questions over the 5-year cycle, just make sure you answer at least 500 questions correctly.
The questions are open book. For the majority of questions, you will receive feedback immediately after responding to each question. For a small portion of pre-test questions, immediate feedback is not provided. Correct answers earn you MOC points, which will be awarded and added to your ABIM Physician Portal quarterly.
At the end of the 5-year cycle, a determination will be made as to whether you met the performance standard.
How do I Enroll in the LKA?
In order to register for the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment, you must be in an eligible specialty and due for an MOC assessment this year. But remember, the last day to sign up for 2022 is June 30th!
Note: Due to the demands of COVID-19, ABIM announced that physicians with a MOC requirement, including assessments, attestations, or points due in 2020 and 2021, will have until 12/31/22 to complete them. So, if you had a MOC assessment due in 2021, and your specialty is covered by the LKA, sign up by June 30, 2022, and you’re good to go!
The LKA is currently available in 12 specialties.
The LKA requires substantially more items compared to the traditional, 10-year MOC exam and won’t be available in certain specialties (Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology and Transplant Hepatology) because there are fewer physicians maintaining certification in these highly specialized areas. Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology will not be available at launch but will be revaluated for 2024.
Eligible and ready to sign up? Just head over to your online ABIM Physician Portal, log in, and register.
There is an ABIM Physician Portal app available for Apple and Android that purports to provide an easy way to keep up with your MOC program requirements and track deadlines. However, the reviews on it have been iffy, so we can’t give it a full-throated recommendation.
Need more information? Here’s an FAQ on LKA from ABIM, here is a link to the ABIM’s LKA microsite, and here’s a link to our resource page on ABIM certification, in general.
What’s a passing score on the LKA?
You’ll receive feedback during your LKA cycle on how you’re doing, including how well you are performing relative to the performance standard. A summative decision is made at the end of the 5th year.
If your score meets or exceeds the performance standard, you can continue with the LKA, and you will continue to be considered board certified. Failure to meet the performance standard does not result in loss of certification, however, you must pass the traditional, 10-year MOC exam the following year to remain certified.
How do I prepare for the LKA?
Knowledge to Practice has several courses to help physicians prepare for initial board certification and maintenance of certification in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine.
If you’re doing the MOC in Cardiovascular Medicine, consider CurrentMD Cardiology
CurrentMD Cardiology is our flagship, all-in-one CME/MOC platform to stay current with our renowned faculty on evidence-based guidelines and emerging research. CV Updates takes the same world-class education as our Cardiology Board Review course but presents content in a more flexible format.