Boards Academy › American Board of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology APPLIED Exam Library
Standardized Oral Examination and Objective Structured Clinical Examination: the oral boards and the practical stations. One page per topic, written at exam length. Tier 1 topics are written first.
212topics mapped
107Tier 1 (day-one) topics
5pages written
17systems
Exam skills and answer structure
- T1Handling the mid-case complication
- T1How the SOE is scored: the four attributes
- T1OSCE day: stations, timing, who is in the room
- T1Structuring an answer in 45 seconds
- T1The additional-topics block: three minutes per topic
- T1Using the 20- and 10-minute stem review
Airway
- T1Anticipated difficult airway and the ASA algorithm
- T1Aspiration of gastric contents
- T1Awake fiberoptic intubation: topicalization and sedation
- T1Cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate
- T1Laryngospasm
- T1Rapid sequence induction and full stomach
Cardiovascular and cardiac anesthesia
- T1Aortic stenosis
- T1Cardiac tamponade, including post-cardiac surgery
- T1Central venous access and its complications
- T1Intraoperative cardiac arrest
- T1Intraoperative hypotension: differential and management
- T1Perioperative hypertension
Thoracic and respiratory
- T1COPD and reactive airway disease
- T1Double-lumen tubes and bronchial blockers
- T1Intraoperative bronchospasm
- T1One-lung ventilation and hypoxemia
- T1Pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax
- T1Postoperative mechanical ventilation and weaning
Neuroanesthesia and neuromuscular
- T1Delayed emergence
- T1Malignant hyperthermia
- T1Neuromuscular blockade, monitoring and reversal
- T1Peripheral nerve injury and positioning
- T1Raised intracranial pressure: evaluation and reduction
- T1Spinal cord injury and autonomic hyperreflexia
Obstetric anesthesia
- T1Fetal heart rate tracings and emergent delivery2026
- T1General anesthesia for cesarean delivery
- T1High or total spinal
- T1Neuraxial labor analgesia and its complications
- T1Obstetric hemorrhage: previa, accreta, atony
- T1Physiologic changes of pregnancy
Pediatric and neonatal
- T1Neonatal physiology and resuscitation
- T1Pyloric stenosis
- T1The child with an upper respiratory infection
- T1Tonsillectomy and the bleeding tonsil
- T1Tracheoesophageal fistula
- T2Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Regional anesthesia and acute pain
- T1Epidural anesthesia and the test dose
- T1Interscalene block and its complications
- T1Local anesthetic systemic toxicity
- T1Neuraxial blocks and anticoagulants (ASRA)
- T1PCA and multimodal analgesia
- T1Spinal anesthesia: dosing, spread, hypotension
Critical care, resuscitation and trauma
- T1ACLS adapted to the operating room
- T1Anaphylaxis under anesthesia
- T1Arterial blood gas and acid-base interpretation
- T1Fluid management: crystalloid, colloid, goal-directed
- T1Hyperkalemia
- T1Hypokalemia and whether to delay surgery
Endocrine, renal, hepatic and metabolic
- T1Adrenal insufficiency and stress-dose steroids
- T1Chronic kidney disease and the dialysis patient
- T1Cirrhosis and the patient with liver disease
- T1Diabetes mellitus and perioperative glucose
- T1Morbid obesity and bariatric surgery
- T1Pheochromocytoma
Pharmacology, equipment and physics
- T1Anesthesia machine checkout and intraoperative failures
- T1Capnography: waveforms and sudden loss of ETCO2
- T1Choosing an induction agent
- T1Opioids and postoperative respiratory depression
- T1Succinylcholine: indications and contraindications
- T1Temperature monitoring and intraoperative hypothermia
Ambulatory, non-OR and special populations
- T1Ambulatory anesthesia and discharge criteria
- T1Laparoscopy and pneumoperitoneum
- T1Postoperative nausea and vomiting
- T1The elderly patient and postoperative delirium
- T2Anesthesia in MRI and remote locations
- T2Bone cement, tourniquets and hip fracture
OSCE: communication and professionalism
- T1Communication with other professionals and conflict
- T1Disclosing a peri-procedural complication or error
- T1Ethical issues: DNR, capacity, surrogates, refusal
- T1Practice-based learning and QI projects
- T1Treatment options and informed consent
- T2Ethical principles reference (ASA guidelines)
OSCE: interpretation of monitors
- T1Monitor atlas: perioperative cardiac events
- T1Monitor atlas: perioperative respiratory events
- T1The monitors and echo station: format and timing
- T2Monitor atlas: other perioperative and peripartum events
- T2Monitor atlas: quantitative NMB and fetal heart rate (2026)2026
- T2Monitor atlas: ventilator modes and loops
OSCE: echocardiography and POCUS
- T1Basic valvular lesions on 2D and color
- T1Lung ultrasound: pleura, A/B-lines, effusion, pneumothorax
- T1Pericardial effusion and tamponade
- T1The 11 TEE views
- T1The 5 POCUS cardiac views
- T1Ventricular function and wall motion
OSCE: application of ultrasound
- T1Femoral, adductor canal, popliteal sciatic
- T1Interscalene, supraclavicular, infraclavicular, axillary
- T1POCUS image acquisition: probe positions and Doppler sectors
- T1The ultrasound application station: format and tasks
- T1Transversus abdominis plane
- T1Vascular access: IJ, femoral, radial, cubital fossa
OSCE: airway management (from 2027)
- T2Airway station: exam, algorithm, device choice (2027)2027
- T2VL, SGA, FOB, lung isolation, cricothyroidotomy, exchange catheter, jet ventilation2027