Benefits of holding the ABN Diplomate Status
The examination procedure is intense and demanding. Granting of the ABN Board Certification Diplomate Status signifies an advanced level of competency as a clinical neuropsychologist. Candidates who have successfully completed the oral examination are encouraged to participate in an extensive examiner-training program and become active in the ABN certification process. A meeting of the ABN membership is held annually.
Continuing Education for Board Certified Neuropsychologists is supported and recorded for ABN Diplomates.
Directory of American Board of Professional Neuropsychology
A current directory of all successfully orally examined diplomates is available. This directory contains detailed listings of each diplomate's services, sub-specialties, ages served, and geographic locations. For additional information please contact:
Michael Raymond, Ph.D., Executive Director
Phone 570 826-3771
E-mail: mraymo@allied-services.org
Application Information
The Standard Option will require:
- Application to ABN which can be downloaded from this web site. (Contact Dr. Marie Volbrecht for application information.)
- Passing scores obtained on the multiple choice examination.
- Submission of two work samples , no older than 1 year from the date of the application. One of the submitted work products must be a comprehensive neuropsychological examination report , with the option for the second to include submission of a scholarly article published in a peer reviewed journal (focussing on neuropsychology primarily) , or a book chapter or published cognitive test measure. The candidate may also submit a second work product consisting of an example of neuropsychological intervention or supervision of a trainee. Should a candidate not pass the first work sample submission, a second work sample submitted must be a different case(s).
- Oral Examination
Senior Member Option
Neuropsychologists who have practiced for at least 15 years following licensure may be eligible for a senior application and examination process, as this allows for more flexible criteria for eligibility and modifications of the practice sample requirements.
- Psychologists who already belong to a neuropsychology specialty board that meets or exceeds the requirements proposed by the APA for recognition of specialty boards are eligible for the ABN diplomate.
The Senior Option will require:
- Application to ABN which can be downloaded from this web site. (Contact Dr. Marie Volbrecht for application information
- Passing scores obtained on the multiple choice examination and case vignette response.
- Submission of one work sample , no older than 1 year from the date of the application.
- Oral Examination
Each applicant will be assessed 50% of the usual fee for the various stages of examination.
Senior Option Comparison with Standard ABN Application
Standard Application
Application Fee: $315.00
Work Samples: 2 work samples or 1 work sample and 1 scholarly publication that exemplifies the applicant's professional work (i.e., published text or published test(s)
Multiple Choice Exam: All new applicants must take and pass the 100 item multiple choice examination
Oral Exam: 1 hour on Ethics, 1 hour on the applicant's work style
Exam Fees (Multiple Choice and Oral): $500.00
Senior Option
Application Fee: $157.50
Work Samples: 1 work sample or 1 scholarly publication that exemplifies the applicant's professional work (i.e., published text or published test(s)
Multiple Choice Exam: All new applicants must take and pass the 100 item multiple choice examination
Oral Exam: 1 hour on Ethics
Exam Fees (Multiple Choice and Oral): $250.00
Application Package - (Click on the links below to download the forms and directions)
[ABN Application]
[Application Directions]
[Reference Form]
[Senior Option Application]
Submission of completed application including: documentation of training and professional experience in neuropsychology; a written response to a professional neuropsychology issue question; the names of three endorsers (two must be neuropsychologists); and receipt of the standard endorser forms. Primary weight is given to the application. If someone is weak in an area, he/she will be advised early in the process and specific recommendations will be offered.
Applications and information about the application process can be downloaded (see the links above). Additional information can be requested from:
Marie Volbrecht, Ph.D. Email: marie_volbrecht@hotmail.com
Applications Coordinator
Written Examination
The Multiple Choice Examination consists of 100 questions comprising General Knowledge in the field of Neuropsychology. See ABN MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAMINATION DEVELOPMENT section below for details on the exam.
The Multiple Choice Examination is required for all applicants. Information about the written examination should be requested from:
John Meyers, Ph.D.
E-mail: jmeyersneuro@yahoo.com
To help facilitate the completion of the ABN Multiple Choice (MC) exam, several approved testing sites have been established. Please consult the list of sites and find one that you can travel to, and then contact the individual at that site to set up a specific time and date for the exam. If you would like to set up an alternate testing site, you can do so under the following conditions. 1) The proctor for the exam is an ABN member in good standing and 2) the proctor is willing to follow the guidelines for proctoring the exam. Alternative site proctors must call Dr. Meyers (712-251-7545) and discuss the proper guidelines for proctoring the exam.
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ABN MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAMINATION DEVELOPMENT
Questions Item Selection:
The ABN written examination is intended to assess general knowledge in clinical neuropsychology. Previously ABN had utilized an essay written examination but with changes in certification of health care professionals it was decided to develop a multiple choice format examination to replace the essay examination. Work on the ABN multiple choice test conceptually began in 2003 and data collection started in 2004. Test questions were submitted in multiple-choice format by board certified neuropsychologists who were also board examiners. The authors of specific multiple choice questions provided citations supporting their questions and the citations were checked to assure accuracy. A subgroup of five board certified examiners were also trained in question writing based on Measurement and Assessment in Education (Reynolds, Livingston, and Willson, 2008). A body of questions was examined, and there was discussion, debate, re-wording, and clarification of the questions submitted based on the expert judgment of the reviewers. Some multiple choice questions were dropped as being inappropriate to the purpose of the assessment.
Initial Standardization of Question Pool:
The set of multiple choice questions was then administered to a group of 30 ABN board certified neuropsychologists. Multiple choice questions that failed to discriminate among levels of neuropsychology knowledge were eliminated. For example, if all of the ABN board certified neuropsychologists answered a given question correctly, it was eliminated as being too easy. Conversely, if a majority of the ABN board certified neuropsychologists failed to answer a multiple choice question correctly, then the multiple choice question was eliminated as being too difficult. The multiple choice questions remaining after elimination of non-discriminating items were then revised, when necessary, to improve clarity of communication using the Measurement and Assessment in Education item writing training, and a final pool of 317 multiple choice questions was kept.
Survey of Important Training and Clinical Knowledge Areas:
A survey instrument was developed and pilot tested on the ABN board and then sent to the membership of ABN. The survey assessed the areas of clinical importance in clinical neuropsychology based on the Houston Training Guidelines conference. The survey involved ratings typically used in developing certification examinations (Henderson, 1996). Respondents were asked to rate the importance of particular knowledge areas in the practice of clinical neuropsychology, the frequency in which these areas are used, and the potential harm that was possible if these knowledge areas were inappropriately applied. From summarization of these ratings, the relative weighting of the number of questions needed in each area was determined. Ratings were as follows:
1. Neuroanatomy 11%.
2. Neurological disorders 12%.
3. Psychiatric disorders 12%.
4. Neuroimaging 9%.
5. Neuropathology 11%.
6. Neuroscience 10%.
7. Neurochemistry 7%.
8. Psychometrics 13%.
9. Brain behavior relationships 15%.
Using these weightings, questions from the remaining item pool were then assigned to each of the nine assessment areas. Questions that did not fit clearly into any of the assessment areas were not assigned. A pool of 200 questions were then kept using these weightings.
Assignment to Form A or Form B
The 200 items were then administered to 25 practicing board certified neuropsychologists. These 25 neuropsychologists were administered all 200 questions, and the passing frequency for each multiple choice question was calculated. These data were used to divide the test into two 100 item forms (A and B) where each of the individual knowledge areas (1 through 9) were approximately equally weighted across both forms of the exam and with the overall pass rate between the two forms was generally equivalent. Thus, two 100-item exams were established. Next the pass frequency of each question within each of the Knowledge domains was calculated.
Knowledge Area Form A Form B
Neuroanatomy 198 192
Neurological Disorders 182 189
Psychiatric Disorders 207 211
Neuroimaging 165 179
Neuropathology 162 167
Neuroscience 197 206
Neurochemistry 110 113
Psychometrics 236 235
Brain Behavioral Relationships 255 252
A paired samples t test revealed that none of the individual knowledge areas were significantly different (p. = >.05) in their scores on Form A vs. Form B. Performance overall on Form A vs. Form B showed a correlation of .99 (p= <.001) between the two forms. Therefore the two forms are considered to tap the same basic knowledge areas with about the same level of item difficulty in each knowledge area.
Following this step, both forms of the multiple choice exam were then administered to an additional 50 board certified neuropsychologists who took the multiple choice exam for normative purposes. The performance of each question was carefully scrutinized to ensure that each question was in fact representative of basic neuropsychological knowledge consistent with the level of knowledge generally found at the board certification level. A passing score on either Form A or Form B was established as a correctly answering 70% of the questions on the test.
Updating the Multiple Choice Exams:
Additionally, multiple choice questions that were submitted and completed the screening process were kept in a separate database so that additional questions can be added to the exam process as needed or as changes in the field of clinical neuropsychology warrant. Each additional multiple choice item will be subject to the same statistical procedures as the items currently in Forms A and B. Psychometric item weighting procedures will be used to ensure equivalent difficulty levels with previous forms of the examination. At each ABN board meeting reports are made that include new data on the validation of the exam, and any issues related to questions that are no longer relevant are reviewed by the ABN board. The written examination committee assesses the statistical properties of each of the exam questions on a yearly basis to identify whether any questions need to be changed, updated, dropped, or replaced. In addition, periodic surveys (every 3-5 years) of board certified neuropsychologists will be conducted to determine the proper weighting of content areas in clinical neuropsychology.
References:
Henderson, J, P. (1996) Job Analysis. In Certification: A NOCA Handbook
Edited by A. H. Browning, A. C. Bugbee and M. A. Mullins, Washington, DC: The National Organization for competency Assurance (NOCA)
Reynolds, C.R., Livingston, R. & Willson, W. (2008) (2nd Ed.) Measurement and Assessment in Education Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Merrill
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Examination Administration Information
Exams are also given during the NAN annual conference. The exam date is usually on Friday (check with Dr. Meyers, (jmeyersneuro@yahoo.com) for specific date and time for the exam. Exams can also be taken at the annual ACPN conference, usually held in March, check with Dr. Meyers (jmeyersneuro@yahoo.com for specific dates and times for the exam.
It is the Examinee's responsibility to contact Dr. Meyers (jmeyersneuro@yahoo.com) and inform Dr. Meyers of the date and time of the examination. Dr. Meyers will send an exam to the site proctor to have waiting for you on the pre-arranged exam date.
When you, the examinee, arrive for the exam at the pre-arranged date and time; the proctor will provide you a quiet room with no reference materials. You will have 1 hour (60 minutes) to complete the exam. When you are finished with the exam, return it to the proctor. Results of the exam will be emailed to you typically within two weeks.
Approved ABN Testing Sites.
California:
John Knippa, Ph.D.
1650 Ximeno Avenue
Ste 230
Long Beach, CA 90804
562-494-3633
Email: DrJEK@aol.com
Robert W. Elliott, Ph.D., ABN, ABPP (Cn,Sc)
Aerospace Health Institute
5777 West Century Blvd., Suite 1645 B
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-545-6400
Fax: (310) 939-7065
Email: drbobusc@gmail.com
Alice Ruzicka, Ph.D., ABN
Neuropsychological Services of Santa Clara Valley
19040 Cox Avenue, Suite 5
Saratoga, CA 95070
408-255-6872
Email: alice.ruzicka@gmail.com
Florida
Barry M Crown, Ph.D., FACPN
7800 Red Road, Suite 310
South Miami, FL 33143-5544
305-665-0771
FAX: 305-665-9246
E-mail: bmcrown@barrycrown.com
Sue Antell PhD, ABN
551 NW 77th St.
Suite 207
Boca Raton, Florida, 33487
Email: seantell@forensicneuroscience.net
Maryland
Arthur MacNeill Horton Jr., Ed.D., ABPP. ABN
5903 Lone Oak Drive
Bethesda MD 20814
301-530-3417
E-mail: drmachorton@hotmail.com
Michigan
Bradley G. Sewick, Ph.D., ABN, CCM
26555 Evergreen Road, Suite 830
Southfield, Mi 48076
248-350-3640
FAX: 248-350-1216
E-mail: bsewick@att.backberry.net
Minnesota/ North Dakota
Rodney A. Swenson, Ph.D., ABN
1220 Main Avenue, Suite 100
Fargo, ND 58103
701-297-7588
FAX: 701-364-2256
E-mail: rod@neuropsychnd.com
North Carolina
Richard A. Berg, Ph.D., FACPN
5010 Randall Parkway
Wilmington NC 28403
910791-5719
FAX: 910-799-8180
E-mail: richard.berg@yahoo.com
Pennsylvania
Michael J. Raymond, Ph.D., ABN
John Heinz Institute of Rehab Med
150 Mundy Street
Wilkes barre, PA 18702
570-826-3771
E-mail: mraymo@allied-services.org
South Dakota
Marie Volbrecht, Ph.D.
Neuropsychology Consultants LLC
1500 W. 51st, Suite 105
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
605-271-4492
FAX: 605-271-4495
E-mail: marie_volbrecht@aol.com
Texas
Joan Mayfield, Ph.D., ABN
9735 Windham Drive
Dallas TX 75243-2320
214-820-9808
E-mail: joann@baylorhealth.edu
Virginia
Scott W. Sautter, Ph.D., FACPN
Hampton Roads Neuropsychology
780 Lynnhaven Parkway, Suite 340
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-498-9585
FAX: 757-468-1685
E-mail: DrSautter@TheMemoryClinic.com
Work Samples
Those applicants successfully completing the application screening process will then be asked to submit two work samples (or the alternatives noted above) that will be reviewed by a different panel of examiner/reviewers. The applicant is strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Thomas McLaren prior to organizing and submitting work samples (423-294-1463).