MOCA-Peds Uses Scaled Scoring
Like the ABP’s proctored exams, MOCA-Peds is scored using a scale that ranges from 1 to 300, where 180 reflects the passing standard (i.e., minimum score needed to pass). Your score after four calendar years of participation in MOCA-Peds determines if your MOC Part 3 (Exam) requirement has been met in your current MOC five-year cycle.
What is Scaled Scoring?
The percentage of questions you answer correctly is easy to calculate but is fair only if all test takers receive the same questions. A scaled score adjusts your percent correct for the difficulty of questions that you received. Since each participant gets a unique set of questions in MOCA-Peds, the ABP uses scaled scoring to ensure no physician is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by receiving a relatively easy or difficult set of questions.
In short, scoring MOCA-Peds this way allows the ABP to ensure that each person’s score accurately reflects their performance, no matter which questions they received.
Every January, you will receive:
- A score for the previous calendar year broken down by quarter; and
- An interim exam score that includes previous years’ performance from your current MOC five-year cycle (if applicable). The interim exam score is provided to give you an idea of where you stand. While skipped quarters are reflected in your interim exam score, keep in mind that four quarters* will be removed from your final exam score.
Both scores are provided on a yearly basis because ABP psychometric staff uses a full year of data to determine a difficulty level for each question as part of the scoring process. The percent correct needed to get a scaled score of 180 or above will vary from person to person based on the difficulty level of the questions they receive. Generally, percent correct scores around 75% or higher are needed to receive a passing score.
* To provide additional flexibility because of the pandemic, those eligible to participate for MOC Part 3 (Exam) credit in 2020 will have up to two additional quarters removed from scoring if doing so would improve the final exam score.
Your Final Score
Your exam score after four calendar years (i.e., 16 quarters) of participation will be used to determine if your exam requirement has been met for the current five-year MOC cycle.
When final scoring occurs, your four lowest-scoring or skipped quarters will be automatically removed from your score, which means your final score can only go up or stay the same; it cannot go down.
Participants who do not pass MOCA-Peds after four years will need to take and pass a proctored exam by the end of the fifth year of their MOC cycle to maintain certification.
Detailed Performance Feedback
You can find performance information by quarter, year, and MOC cycle in the My Performance section of MOCA-Peds on the web. You can find detailed information broken down by content domain, performance (i.e., correct/incorrect), and confidence and relevance ratings. We encourage you to visit My Performance and/or your Question History before starting quarters 2, 3, and 4, as you will receive 15 repeat questions each calendar year. Repeat questions are selected based on your performance (i.e., correct/incorrect) and confidence and relevance ratings. Confidence and relevance ratings do not affect your score in any way but may influence which questions you receive in the future.
MOC Part 2 Points and CME
The score you receive for a given year will determine how many MOC Part 2 points you will earn. You can earn up to five (5) points a year per certification area. Points will be applied in January of the following year.
The ABP is not a CME provider, however you can apply for CME credit through the American Medical Association for the completion of an MOC cycle.
Unscored Questions
Throughout the year, you may notice that one or more questions in your Question History have been blocked. In these cases, questions marked correct will receive credit, but questions marked incorrect will not count against your score. Additionally, statistical analyses are conducted when yearly scoring occurs; a small number of questions may be removed if they do not meet standards for statistical validity.
You may also receive up to four “emerging topic” questions per year. These questions are for educational purposes only and are not scored. They will be marked in your Question History.
Have Questions?
If you have questions about MOCA-Peds scoring that are not addressed here, please email us at scoring@abpeds.org.
