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100+ Free ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Practice Questions

Pass your ABMDI Board Certification (Fellow) — F-ABMDI exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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In the Performance Section's evidence-listing task for a suspected drug-related death in a residence, which item is MOST likely to be missed by junior investigators and should be on a senior list?

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B
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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Exam

240

Multiple-Choice Items

ABMDI Board Certification page

5.5 hrs

Total Exam Time

ABMDI Board Certification page

4,000 hrs

Required Casework

ABMDI Board Certification page

70%

MC Passing Score

ABMDI Policy and Procedures

$500

Application + Exam Fee

ABMDI Board Fees page

45 CE

Hours per 5-Year Cycle

ABMDI Recertification page

3

Performance Scenarios

ABMDI Board Certification page

F-ABMDI is the advanced ABMDI tier above the D-ABMDI Registry. The 5.5-hour exam has a Performance Section (3 scene scenarios — narrative, interview questions, evidence list) and a 240-item multiple-choice section (up to 4 hours). Candidates need an Associate degree, 4,000 hours of ME/Coroner casework (2 years FT or 6 years PT), and authority to conduct or supervise scene investigations. Fees: $100 application + $400 exam, $50 retest per section, $50 annual maintenance, $250 recertification test. Recertification is every 5 years with 45 hours of approved continuing education.

Sample ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A senior investigator is dispatched to lead a complex multi-victim scene. According to OSAC ASB Std 037 and NAME guidance, what is the FIRST priority on arrival?
A.Begin photographing victims
B.Establish scene safety, jurisdictional authority, and a single point of incident command
C.Notify next of kin
D.Move bodies to preserve identification
Explanation: Per OSAC ASB Std 037 and NAME scene-investigation standards, the lead medicolegal death investigator must first confirm scene safety, establish jurisdictional authority (ME/Coroner control of the decedent), and integrate with the incident command structure. Documentation, family notification, and body movement follow only after authority and safety are secured. Premature photography or movement risks chain-of-custody and contamination challenges in court.
2A new investigator under your supervision arrives at a residential scene before you. What is the MOST important supervisory step you should take by phone before arrival?
A.Tell them to start interviews immediately to save time
B.Direct them to secure the scene, document arrival time and personnel, and avoid disturbing the decedent until you arrive
C.Have them complete the death certificate
D.Have them release the body to the funeral home
Explanation: As the senior on-call investigator, your first remote direction protects the integrity of the scene and the trainee's report. Securing the perimeter, logging time/personnel, and freezing the body in situ preserves evidence and ensures the case meets accreditation review. Premature interviews, certification, or body release without ME pathologist authorization undermine chain of custody and trainee competency development.
3During quality review you find that a junior investigator's narrative routinely uses lay terms such as 'big bruise on head.' Which corrective action best aligns with NAME and OSAC standards?
A.Replace the narrative without telling the investigator
B.Coach the investigator on standardized medical terminology (e.g., contusion location and size) and provide a reference template
C.Reassign the investigator to office duty
D.Remove the report from the case file
Explanation: NAME and OSAC promote standardized terminology and structured documentation. Effective supervision uses coaching and reference tools (anatomical regions, measurements in cm, color/age descriptors) rather than rewriting work silently or punitively removing personnel. Reports remain part of the record; corrections are issued as addenda with documented training.
4A body at a fire scene shows a cherry-red lividity pattern, soot in the airway, and a carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level of 62%. What does this combination MOST strongly support?
A.Post-mortem placement of the body in the fire (no inhalation)
B.Antemortem inhalation of carbon monoxide during the fire
C.Cyanide poisoning only, with no smoke exposure
D.Hypothermia
Explanation: Cherry-red lividity, soot in the airway, and elevated COHb (typically considered lethal in adults at >50%) together indicate the decedent was alive and breathing during the fire. Postmortem placement would not produce airway soot or significant COHb. Cyanide (from HCN) is a co-contributor in synthetic-material fires but does not by itself explain the COHb level.
5In a suspected fentanyl-related overdose, the laboratory reports the routine immunoassay is negative for opiates and fentanyl. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
A.Conclude the death is not opioid-related
B.Request targeted LC-MS/MS testing including fentanyl analogs (e.g., acetylfentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, nitazenes)
C.Re-test the same immunoassay
D.Sign the case as natural
Explanation: Routine immunoassays often miss novel fentanyl analogs and nitazenes due to limited cross-reactivity. CDC and SAMHSA guidance during the 2024-2026 overdose surge emphasizes confirmatory LC-MS/MS with expanded analyte panels. Re-running an insensitive screen or signing without confirmation risks a misclassified manner.
6Postmortem redistribution (PMR) is most pronounced for which class of drugs?
A.Highly water-soluble drugs with small volumes of distribution
B.Lipophilic basic drugs with large volumes of distribution (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, methadone)
C.Drugs metabolized only by the kidney
D.Inhaled anesthetic gases
Explanation: PMR is greatest for lipophilic basic drugs with large volumes of distribution (Vd > 3 L/kg), such as tricyclics, methadone, and many antipsychotics. After death, these drugs diffuse from tissue reservoirs back into central blood, falsely elevating heart-blood concentrations. Peripheral (femoral) blood and vitreous comparison are used to estimate the antemortem concentration more reliably.
7For PMI estimation in advanced decomposition, which forensic-anthropology resource is most associated with empirical taphonomy research used to model decomposition rates?
A.FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit
B.University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility (ARF / 'Body Farm')
C.NHTSA Crash Reconstruction Lab
D.CDC SDY Case Registry
Explanation: The University of Tennessee Knoxville Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), commonly called the Body Farm, produces the empirical taphonomy and ADD (accumulated degree day) data used by forensic anthropologists to estimate PMI in outdoor decomposition cases. Other listed agencies have unrelated missions.
8A body is found outdoors in early summer with active fly larvae (Calliphoridae) on the face. The lead investigator should:
A.Collect representative larvae in two portions — one preserved in 80% ethanol and one live for rearing — with temperature and habitat data
B.Discard the larvae because they are contamination
C.Use only adult flies for ID
D.Wait until autopsy and let the pathologist collect entomology samples without scene context
Explanation: Forensic entomology protocols require dual sampling: preserved larvae stop development for staging, while live larvae are reared to confirm species. Concurrent scene weather (ambient temp, sun/shade, habitat) is essential because development is temperature-dependent. Entomology evidence collected without scene context loses much of its PMI value.
9During an in-custody death investigation, the decedent was restrained prone with body weight on the upper back. Which mechanism is MOST commonly raised in expert discussion?
A.Cardiac tamponade from blunt impact
B.Positional and restraint asphyxia limiting thoracic excursion
C.Acute appendicitis
D.Anaphylaxis to OC spray
Explanation: Prone restraint with weight on the upper back limits diaphragmatic and thoracic expansion, producing positional/restraint asphyxia. Investigators must document restraint duration, position, body habitus, and concurrent stressors (struggle, stimulant intoxication). NAME and IACP guidance discourages prolonged prone restraint specifically because of this mechanism.
10Which professional position most accurately reflects the current scientific status of 'excited delirium' as a cause-of-death term?
A.It is a long-established ICD-10 diagnosis with clear postmortem findings
B.Major medical bodies (AMA, ACEP 2023, NAME) have moved away from the term as a cause of death because it lacks reliable postmortem criteria
C.It is the preferred cause of death for any agitated subject
D.It is only used in pediatric cases
Explanation: By 2023, the AMA, ACEP, and NAME formally moved away from 'excited delirium' as a cause-of-death diagnosis because it has no objective postmortem criteria and has been criticized for racial bias and use to obscure restraint-related deaths. Investigators document the underlying physiology (stimulant intoxication, hyperthermia, restraint) rather than relying on this label.

About the ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Exam

The F-ABMDI Board Certification is ABMDI's advanced tier for senior medicolegal death investigators who conduct or supervise scene investigations. The 5.5-hour examination has two parts: a Performance Section with three scene scenarios (narrative, interview questions, evidence list) and a 240-item multiple-choice section completed in up to 4 hours. Successful candidates earn the Fellow (F-ABMDI) designation.

Questions

240 scored questions

Time Limit

5.5 hours (Performance Section + up to 4 hours for 240 MC items)

Passing Score

70% on the 240-item multiple-choice section; pass required on Performance Section

Exam Fee

$100 application + $400 exam (paper/pencil option adds $50) (American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI))

ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Exam Content Outline

3 scenarios

Performance Section

For three death-scene scenarios, write a narrative scene description using medical terminology, draft witness/suspect interview questions, and list potential physical evidence.

240 items, up to 4 hours

Multiple-Choice Section

Advanced multiple-choice coverage of scene leadership, PMI, trauma, toxicology, pediatric death, mass-fatality response, testimony, QA, ethics, and ABMDI/NAME/OSAC standards.

How to Pass the ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 70% on the 240-item multiple-choice section; pass required on Performance Section
  • Exam length: 240 questions
  • Time limit: 5.5 hours (Performance Section + up to 4 hours for 240 MC items)
  • Exam fee: $100 application + $400 exam (paper/pencil option adds $50)

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI) Study Tips from Top Performers

1Read the ABMDI Policy and Procedures PDF cover to cover before drilling questions — it is the most authoritative source on eligibility, scoring, and conduct rules.
2Practice the Performance Section by writing timed narrative scene descriptions, witness/suspect question sets, and evidence lists for at least six mock scenarios.
3Study OSAC ASB Std 037 (scene investigation) and Std 038 (notification of next of kin) — these national standards drive many advanced scene-leadership items.
4Drill postmortem redistribution, vitreous vs blood toxicology, and fentanyl analog detection limits; advanced toxicology interpretation is heavily represented.
5Build a pediatric death checklist covering SUDI/SUDP/SUDC investigation, infant blunt force, child neglect death, and the CDC Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry.
6Complete FEMA ICS-200/300/400 and study DMORT, ESF-8, and MASS triage so mass-fatality questions become recognition rather than reasoning.
7Review Daubert, PCAST, and Frye standards plus voir dire patterns to handle expert-testimony scenarios and the ethics items that follow.
8Maintain an honest gap log: any item missed twice goes to a one-page flashcard until you score it correct under timed conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the F-ABMDI Board Certification?

F-ABMDI is the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators' advanced certification for senior death investigators. Holders earn the title Fellow of the ABMDI (F-ABMDI) and typically conduct or supervise medicolegal death scene investigations at a Medical Examiner or Coroner office.

How is the F-ABMDI exam structured?

The 5.5-hour examination has two parts. The Performance Section presents three death-scene scenarios in which the candidate writes a narrative scene description with medical terminology, drafts interview questions for witnesses or suspects, and lists potential evidence. The Multiple-Choice Section contains 240 items completed in up to 4 hours.

How is the F-ABMDI exam scored?

Candidates must pass both sections. ABMDI generally requires approximately 70% correct on the 240-item multiple-choice section, and the Performance Section is scored against a structured rubric. Specific cut scores are not publicly disclosed for every administration.

What are the eligibility requirements for F-ABMDI?

Candidates must currently be employed at a Medical Examiner/Coroner jurisdiction or equivalent federal authority and either conduct or supervise medicolegal death scene investigations. They need a minimum Associate degree and 4,000 hours of casework — accumulated within 2 years if full-time or within 6 years if part-time.

How much does the F-ABMDI exam cost?

Standard fees are a $100 non-refundable application fee and a $400 examination fee. Candidates who opt for the paper/pencil version pay an additional $50. Section retests are $50 each, capped at $200, and the annual maintenance fee after certification is $50.

How do I recertify F-ABMDI?

Recertification is every 5 years. Candidates must document continued ME/Coroner employment and scene-investigation responsibility (or show continued competency), sign an Ethics Statement, and submit 45 hours of approved continuing education. The recertification test fee is $250 when continued competency must be demonstrated by exam.

What continuing education does ABMDI accept?

ABMDI accepts continuing education approved by AMA, ANA, ABA, AAPA, ASCP, CAP, EMS authorities, FEMA, IACET, Pennsylvania State Police, Department of Homeland Security, and accredited post-secondary institutions. Audits begin six months before the certificate expiration date.

How is F-ABMDI different from the D-ABMDI Registry?

D-ABMDI Registry is the entry-level certification focused on routine scene investigation. F-ABMDI is the advanced tier and tests scene leadership, supervisory case review, expert testimony, mass-fatality response, and advanced trauma, toxicology, and PMI estimation. Most F-ABMDI candidates have held Registry status, but ABMDI does not strictly require it.

Is the F-ABMDI exam computer-based?

ABMDI administers the F-ABMDI examination as a proctored exam with a written Performance Section and a 240-item multiple-choice section. A paper/pencil option is available for an added $50; format details are confirmed during the application process.