American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Background
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is a professional association of medical doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the United States. It has a membership of over 49,000[1] and represents 90 percent of U.S. board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists.[2]
Members are referred to as fellows and use the post-nominal letters FACOG to indicate their status. To become a fellow, candidates must pass a two-part exam given yearly. The first part is a written exam, which must be taken the first year the candidate is eligible. The second part is the oral exam, taken the year after the written exam is passed. The oral boards are based on a collection of a year's worth of cases known as the "case list". Many doctors feel an incredible level of stress associated with this period of time; some put their practices on hold to allow enough time to prepare adequately. Some aspects of each section of the exam change from year to year, requiring candidates to be in touch with ACOG and one another for advice and guidance.
An entire industry has arisen from the desire of candidates to receive coaching and review materials before testing.