American Board of Surgery General Surgery Qualifying Examination

The American Board of Surgery General Surgery Qualifying Examination (ABS QE) is the written examination in the ABS certification pathway for surgeons completing general surgery residency. It assesses whether candidates can apply core surgical knowledge and clinical judgment across the breadth of general surgery; it is not a residency entrance test. Candidates generally take it after completing an eligible residency and meeting ABS application requirements. For 2027–2028 planning, check the American Board of Surgery for current eligibility rules, application steps, and exam scheduling information, as requirements and calendars may change.

The ABS QE is computer-based and uses multiple-choice questions to assess knowledge and decision-making across general surgery. Review anatomy and surgical approaches, preoperative evaluation, perioperative management, anesthesia, analgesia, fluid management, wound healing, infection prevention, and antibiotic use, alongside the broader clinical scope of the exam. Questions may require you to connect a presentation with diagnosis, operative planning, and postoperative care. Prepare with active recall and timed question sets, then review why each answer is right or wrong; simply rereading notes can leave gaps in applying knowledge to clinical scenarios.