American Board of Clinical Chemistry

ABCC Certification Application

The American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC) certifies qualified specialists in clinical chemistry, toxicological chemistry, and molecular diagnostics.

February 2027 Examination Cycle

Application Period: August 17 – October 15, 2026
Exam Payment Deadline: January 28, 2027
Exam Day 1 – Part A Exams: February 24, 2027
Exam Day 2 – Part B and Molecular Diagnostics: February 25, 2027
Results Notification: March 2027

Certification Specialties

Clinical Chemistry The examination consists of Part A, Calculations and Problem Solving, and Part B, Analytical and Clinical Issues.

Toxicological Chemistry The examination consists of Part A, Calculations and Problem Solving, and Part B, Analytical, Toxicological, and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Issues.

Molecular Diagnostics The Molecular Diagnostics examination assesses recall and applied skills and consists of one examination part.

Before You Apply

1. Select a Specialty Applicants may apply for only one ABCC specialty during an application cycle.

2. Confirm Eligibility Review the doctoral degree, coursework, and professional experience requirements for the selected specialty.

3. Prepare Materials Gather transcripts, your CV, professional experience information, supporting documentation, and three references.

Complete application required: All required documents, three reference letters, the submitted application, and online payment must be received by the applicable deadline.

Eligibility & Education Requirements

Applicants must meet the doctoral degree and course-credit requirements for the selected ABCC certification specialty. Submitted materials are reviewed by the ABCC Credentials Committee.

Doctoral Degree Requirement

Applicants must hold an earned doctoral degree from an appropriately accredited university or college acceptable to the Board.

Eligible Degree Types	Not Eligible Under Current Requirements
PhD in a chemical, biological, or clinical laboratory science MD DO DPM	PharmD DCLS

Course Classifications

Classification	Subject Areas or Related Courses
Type A	Undergraduate or graduate courses in analytical, organic, inorganic, physical, or general chemistry, or biochemistry.
Type B	Undergraduate or graduate courses in toxicology, biology, molecular biology, medical genetics, genetics, microbiology, or immunology.
Type C	Undergraduate or graduate courses in materials science, computer science, or bioinformatics.

Required Semester Hours

ABCC Specialty	Minimum Course Requirement
Clinical Chemistry	At least 28 Type A semester hours and 2 Type B and/or Type C semester hours.
Toxicological Chemistry	At least 28 Type A semester hours and 2 Type B and/or Type C semester hours.
Molecular Diagnostics	At least 20 Type A and/or Type B semester hours, plus 10 additional semester hours from Type A, Type B, and/or Type C courses.

Official Transcripts

Applicants must arrange for official undergraduate and graduate transcripts to be sent from the issuing institutions to ABCC.

International Education

Applicants educated outside the United States or Canada must obtain a credential evaluation from an acceptable credential-evaluation agency at the applicant’s expense.

Credential evaluation requirements
The evaluation must confirm the degree, degree status, and U.S. equivalency and include institution and attendance information, completion date, a course-by-course breakdown, U.S. credit equivalency, and U.S. grade equivalency.

Professional Experience Requirements

Applicants must document professional experience in the specialty for which certification is requested. Experience must be obtained after conferral of the doctoral degree.

Standard Experience Pathway

Applicants must demonstrate five years of full-time professional experience, or equivalent part-time experience, in clinical chemistry, toxicological chemistry, or molecular diagnostics.

Acceptable Laboratory Settings

Professional experience must occur in a clinical laboratory that meets at least one of the following conditions:

Conducts non-waived testing under an active CLIA certificate;
Conducts non-waived testing in a CMS-approved CLIA-exempt laboratory; or
Conducts the equivalent of non-waived testing in a medical laboratory accredited by an ILAC-recognized organization to ISO 15189.

Required Experience Distribution

At least 24 months of the applicant’s professional experience must be distributed across the following categories:

Experience Category	Required Distribution
Clinical consultancy	50 – 70%
Technical oversight and laboratory workflow and operations	15 – 20%
Research, method development, and validation	10 – 20%
Quality assurance and regulatory oversight	5 – 10%

Professional Experience Narrative

Applicants must submit a descriptive paragraph addressing the following information:

Total years of relevant postdoctoral experience and current position;
Name, location, and CLIA certification ID, or equivalent accreditation information, for each applicable laboratory;
The work performed within each required experience category;
The amount of time or percentage of experience in each category; and
Confirmation that the cumulative experience meets or exceeds the 24-month distribution requirement.

Clinical consultancy
Clinical consultancy involves active and direct interaction and communication with patient-facing clinical care providers. It extends beyond performing clinical laboratory testing.

Exceptions to the Five-Year Requirement

Pathway	General Requirement
Fellowship Exception	Applicants participating in an eligible accredited postdoctoral training program may qualify for early admission when the applicable training, professional experience, education, and documentation requirements are satisfied.
Alternate Board Certification Exception	Applicants may use eligible doctoral-level certification from an ABCC-accepted alternative board together with at least 24 months of professional experience in the intended specialty and completion of the applicable education requirements.

Applicants using an exception: Review the complete ABCC Application Guidelines before applying. Requirements differ by specialty and exception type.

Prepare to Apply

Review the checklist below and prepare all required materials before beginning your ABCC application.

Deadline requirement: The completed application, supporting documents, three reference letters, and online payment must be received by the application deadline.

Application Checklist

Material or Action	What to Prepare
ABCC/ADLM Account	Applicants use their ADLM credentials to access the ABCC application system.
Curriculum Vitae	A current CV in PDF format.
Official Transcripts	Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
Credential Evaluation	Required when applicable for education completed outside the United States or Canada.
Professional Experience Narrative	A descriptive paragraph documenting your laboratory setting, total postdoctoral experience, and experience across all required work categories.
Laboratory Information	Laboratory name, location, and CLIA certification ID or equivalent accreditation information.
Experience Attestation	Attestation from a laboratory director qualified to direct non-waived testing in an applicable laboratory.
Three References	Contact information for three individuals who will submit current letters of recommendation.
Exception Documentation	Fellowship or alternate-board documentation when applying through an exception pathway.
Application Fee	Online payment of the non-refundable $500 application fee.

Reference Letters

Applicants must enter contact information for three references and initiate each recommendation request through the application portal.

Reference-status Reminder
Your application is not complete until all three reference letters have been submitted by the reference providers. Initiate the requests early enough to allow the writers to meet the application deadline.

Final Review Before Submission

Confirm the correct certification specialty is selected.
Confirm your chosen eligibility pathway is supported by documentation.
Verify that your CV is uploaded in PDF format.
Confirm official transcripts have been requested.
Check that all three reference letters have been received.
Complete the final confirmation agreement.
Submit the application and complete online payment.

Fees & Key Dates

Review the application fee, specialty examination fees, and published dates for the February 2027 examination cycle.

Application Fee

$500 USD
The ABCC application fee is charged for each submitted application and is non-refundable.

Examination Fees

Specialty	Part A	Part B	Total if Taking All Parts
Clinical Chemistry	$200	$200	$400
Toxicological Chemistry	$200	$200	$400
Molecular Diagnostics	One examination part		$400

February 2027 Examination Cycle

Milestone	Date
Application Opened	August 17, 2026
Application Closed	October 15, 2026
Exam Payment Deadline	January 28, 2027
Exam Day 1 – Part A Exams	February 24, 2027
Exam Day 2 – Part B and Molecular Diagnostics	February 25, 2027
Results Notification	March 2027

Application and exam fees are separate. Applicants pay the application fee when submitting an application. Approved candidates pay the applicable examination fee when enrolling for an examination period.

Application Process

Follow the steps below to prepare, submit, and complete your ABCC certification application.

Step 1: Select a Certification Specialty

Select Clinical Chemistry, Toxicological Chemistry, or Molecular Diagnostics. Applicants may apply for only one specialty during an application cycle.

Step 2: Confirm Your Eligibility Pathway

Determine whether you are applying through the standard professional-experience pathway, fellowship exception, or alternate-board certification exception.

Step 3: Prepare Supporting Materials

Prepare your PDF CV, education documentation, professional experience narrative, laboratory information, attestations, and any applicable exception documentation.

Step 4: Request Official Transcripts

Arrange for official undergraduate and graduate transcripts to be sent or uploaded into the portal.

Step 5: Initiate Three Reference Requests

Enter each reference provider’s information and initiate the email request through the application portal. All three letters must be submitted by their writers.

Step 6: Complete and Review the Application

Complete all required fields, upload the required documents, verify receipt of reference letters, and complete the final confirmation. The application may be saved as a draft before submission.

Step 7: Submit and Pay

Submit the completed application and return to the dashboard to complete payment of the non-refundable application fee.

Step 8: Credentials Committee Review

The ABCC Credentials Committee evaluates completed application materials to determine whether the applicant meets the requirements for admission to the selected examination.

Step 9: Candidate Notification

An applicant becomes a candidate after the Board confirms that the admission requirements have been met. Candidates are notified before the applicable examination period.

REVIEW APPLICATION GUIDELINES

ABCC Exam Information

In-Person Testing

Beginning with the February 2026 examination, ABCC examinations are administered only at in-person Kryterion testing centers. Remote online testing is not offered.

Examination Structure

Examination	Questions	Time
Clinical Chemistry Part A: Calculations & Problem Solving	30	3 hours
Clinical Chemistry Part B: Analytical & Clinical Issues	140	3.5 hours
Molecular Diagnostics: Recall & Applied Skills	120	3 hours
Toxicology Part A: Calculations & Problem Solving	30	3 hours
Toxicology Part B: Analytical, Toxicological & TDM Issues	130	3 hours

Registration Process

Eligible candidates receive an email notification before the examination period.
Submit the applicable examination payment using the process in the notification.
Create or access a free Kryterion Webassessor account using the same email address used in the ABCC application.
Select an available Kryterion testing center, examination date, and time.
Enter the voucher code supplied by ABCC and keep the confirmation email containing the test-taker authorization code.

Testing-Center Check-In

Arrival	Arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled examination.
Identification	Bring two current forms of identification. At least one must be a government-issued photo ID. Expired identification is not accepted.
Authorization Code	Bring the test-taker authorization code included in the registration confirmation email.
Personal Items	Personal items may not be taken into the testing area.

Testing Aids

An onscreen scientific calculator is available.
An onscreen periodic table is available.
Candidates may bring a nonprogrammable scientific calculator for inspection.
The test center provides five sheets of blank, unlined scratch paper.
All scratch paper must be returned to the proctor after the examination.

Breaks and examination time
Examinations are timed and do not include scheduled breaks. A candidate may use the restroom, but the examination timer continues to run and the candidate will not have access to personal belongings.

Changes and cancellations
Contact the testing center and notify ABCC at least five business days before the scheduled examination date when cancelling or rescheduling. Failure to provide the required notice may result in forfeiture of the examination fee.

Exam Eligibility & Reapplication

Approved candidates must successfully complete all required examination parts within the ABCC eligibility period and permitted number of attempts.

Three-Year Eligibility Period

The eligibility period begins with the examination period immediately following approval of the application. The candidate must pass all required examination parts within that eligibility period.

Passing and Attempt Requirements

Requirement	Rule
Eligibility duration	Three years beginning with the examination period immediately following candidate approval.
Attempts per examination part	A maximum of two attempts for each examination part within an eligibility period.
End of eligibility	Eligibility ends after three years or after the candidate fails an examination part twice, whichever occurs first.
One specialty at a time	Candidates may be eligible for only one ABCC specialty during an active eligibility period.

Examination parts do not transfer. Examination parts passed during one eligibility period do not carry forward to a new eligibility period. A reapplicant must satisfy all applicable examination requirements in the new eligibility period.

Reapplication After an Unsuccessful Examination Period

If a candidate does not successfully complete the examination requirements within the eligibility period or fails an examination part twice, the candidate must reapply to participate in future ABCC examinations.

Reapplication Item	Requirement
Number of reapplications	Reapplication after unsuccessful examination completion may occur only once per specialty.
New application and fee	A new online application and application processing fee are required.
Interval between periods	At least one examination sitting must elapse between eligibility periods.
References	Three current reference letters must be requested and submitted again.

Reapplication After Initial Application Denial

Applicants denied because they did not meet an education or professional experience requirement may reapply when the applicable requirements have been met and can be documented.

Contact & Help

Contact the ABCC Administrator for questions about application requirements, supporting documents, application status, exam registration, accommodations, or examination procedures.

American Board of Clinical Chemistry

900 Seventh Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20001

Email: ABCCAdministrator@myadlm.org

Helpful Resources

Application Guidelines	Review education, professional experience, reference, exception, and reapplication requirements. VIEW APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Exam Guidelines	Review in-person testing requirements, registration, testing aids, check-in procedures, and eligibility rules. VIEW EXAM GUIDELINES

Application support
Include your full name and selected ABCC specialty when contacting the ABCC Administrator about an existing application.

Administrator Login

Application Fee

Amount:	$500.00 USD

ABCC application fee is $500 USD for each application submitted and is non-refundable. Please note, an individual may only apply to a single specialty area per application cycle. Please note that a candidate eligible for a specialty will not be eligible to sit for a different specialty until they have completed the necessary requirements and examinations for the first specialty.

Exam Fee

Exam Fee: Variable by Speciality

Eligible test takers will be notified 4-6 weeks prior to each exam cycle for registration to the next exam period. Eligible test takers are not required to register for and sit for an exam during each cycle. However, eligible test takers must successfully pass all parts of their respective specialty within their 3-year eligibility period.

Clinical Chemistry:	$200 USD Per Exam Part
Toxicological Chemistry:	$200 USD Per Exam Part
Molecular Diagnostics:	$400 USD (Only One Exam Part)

Key Dates

Application periods occur twice a year, typically in March-May and August-October. Exam periods also occur twice a year, usually in late February and late August.

Current Exam Cycle

Application Open:	March 9, 2026
Application Close:	May 7, 2026
Exam Payment Due:	July 24, 2026
Exam Day 1 (Parts A):	August 26, 2026
Exam Day 2 (Parts B and Molecular):	August 27, 2026
Results Notification:	September 2026

Current Application Cycle Open

Application Open:	August 17, 2026
Application Close:	October 15, 2026
Exam Payment Due:	January 28, 2027
Exam Day 1 (Parts A):	February 24, 2027
Exam Day 2 (Parts B and Molecular):	February 25, 2027
Results Notification:	March 2027

Contact Us

American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC)
900 Seventh Street, NW Suite 400
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 857-0717
Email: ABCCAdministrator@myadlm.org