ABFM Family Medicine Blueprint

While no one can be sure exactly what questions and information will appear on the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) exam, the ABFM does provide a blueprint of exam content. This exam blueprint (shown below) contains a list of the categories of medicine that will appear on the exam, along with percentages, so that you can see approximately how much of the exam is devoted to each specialty. The ABFM exam contains the same content for certification and recertification candidates.

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ABFM recently updated its exam blueprint to ensure alignment with the current clinical practices of family physicians. Starting in 2025, all ABFM exams, including the one-day exam and longitudinal assessment, will follow the new blueprint, which is now structured around five domains of care instead of organ systems. This shift focuses on real-world clinical activities, ensuring that the exam content reflects the practical skills required by today’s family doctors.

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The new ABFM exam blueprint covers five key content areas reflecting the daily practices of family physicians:

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• Acute Care & Diagnosis: Questions based on outpatient scenarios, requiring correct diagnoses or initial treatment steps.
• Chronic Care Management: Covers ongoing management in ambulatory or long-term care settings.
• Emergent & Urgent Care: Focuses on urgent patient management decisions in emergency, hospital, or urgent care settings.
• Preventive Care: Addresses preventive services in outpatient settings.
• Foundations of Care: Includes statistics, health policy, health equity, and legal topics essential to patient care.