Free Practice Questions for ABMDI Board (F-ABMDI)

F-ABMDI is the advanced certification of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, available to experienced Registry Diplomates who demonstrate mastery of all aspects of medicolegal death investigation. Candidates who pass become a Fellow of the ABMDI (F-ABMDI) and are issued a certification number.

The 5.5-hour examination has two parts. The Performance Section presents three death-scene scenarios, 30 minutes each, in which the candidate writes a brief scene description using medicolegal terminology, develops at least ten questions to ask witnesses or suspects, and identifies at least five items of potential evidence. The Multiple-Choice Section contains 240 items completed in up to 4 hours and is divided into 8 content sections drawn from the ABMDI Advanced Skills List.

Investigating Specific Death Scenes; Investigating Multiple Fatalities; Investigating Atypical Death Scenes; Investigating Institutional Deaths; Demonstrating Leadership Skills; Demonstrating Legal Knowledge; Communication Skills; and Demonstrating Advanced Forensic Science Knowledge. These sections come from the Advanced Skills List included in the application packet and reproduced in Appendix H of the ABMDI Policy and Procedure Manual.

ABMDI reports pass/fail only. A separate cut score is preset for each section using the modified Angoff method, in which subject matter experts rate how many investigators with the required experience would answer each item correctly, and the candidate must pass every section. The testing agency does not report numerical scores, so there is no published overall percentage to aim for.

Candidates must currently hold ABMDI Registry Diplomate (D-ABMDI) certification in good standing for a minimum of six months, hold at least an Associate degree, be currently employed by a Medical Examiner/Coroner jurisdiction or equivalent federal authority with the responsibility to independently conduct or supervise medicolegal death scene investigations, and document a minimum of 4,000 hours of death investigation experience in the past six years.

The non-refundable application fee is $100 and the Board Certification examination fee with proctoring is $450. After certification the annual maintenance fee is $50. Retesting with proctoring costs $150 for one section, $250 for two sections, and $350 for three or more sections.

You retest only the sections you failed, and at least 30 days must pass between testing dates. A candidate has three attempts to pass the entire certification examination within an application cycle. After a third failure, a remediation process requires restarting the application in its entirety, accumulating additional death investigation experience, and using different practitioners to sign off before reapplying.

Recertification is every five years. You must document current ME/Coroner employment and scene-investigation responsibility or otherwise show continued competency, complete an Ethics Statement, and submit 45 hours of approved continuing education. The recertification administrative fee is $25, and candidates who must demonstrate continued competency by proctored examination pay a $250 recertification test fee.

ABMDI accepts continuing education approved by the AMA, ANA, ABA, AAPA, ASCP, CAP, Emergency Medical Services, FEMA, IACET, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Department of Homeland Security, and post-secondary institutions recognized by national educational accrediting agencies. College courses convert at five continuing education hours per credit hour, a published refereed article earns ten hours, and leadership activities earn one hour each up to five hours per cycle. Audits begin six months before the certificate expiration date.

The Registry certification is the entry-level credential and is scoped to the NIJ guide Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator and the 40 Fundamental Tasks of Medicolegal Death Investigation, tested in 240 multiple-choice items across 7 sections. Board Certification is the advanced tier, requires current Diplomate status, adds the written Performance Section, and tests the 46 tasks of the Advanced Skills List across 8 multiple-choice sections including multiple fatalities, atypical and institutional deaths, leadership, and advanced forensic science.

Yes. ABMDI examinations are computer based and proctored virtually using a live, remote proctoring service through an ABMDI subcontractor. The proctor verifies identity with a valid government-issued photo ID, and the testing room must be quiet, well lit, and free of unauthorized aids.