- 2026 AOBPMR Exam Calendar
- Registration Windows & Deadlines
- Remote Proctoring with MonitorEDU
- Eligibility Timing Before Exam Day
- Exam Day: Format, Domains, and Scoring
- Sequencing Part I and the Part II Oral Exam
- OCC Longitudinal Assessment Calendar
- Building a Domain-Based Study Schedule
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The October 15, 2026 AOBPMR Part I Written Exam is remotely proctored via MonitorEDU.
- Registration for this administration ran April 15-September 15, 2026, and is now closed.
- Part I is 100 multiple-choice questions in four hours; passing score is 500 on a 200-800 scale.
- A $225 late fee applies to each applicable exam when candidates miss the regular deadline.
2026 AOBPMR Exam Calendar
If you're preparing for Certification in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation through the American Osteopathic Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AOBPMR), the calendar matters as much as the content. This page focuses specifically on the Part I Written Exam for initial certification - not the ABPMR examination and not the AOBPMR renewal assessment, which run on entirely different timelines and rules.
The written examination administered on October 15, 2026 is delivered remotely under proctored conditions. Candidates who registered for this window sat for a 100-question, four-hour exam from a private location rather than a physical test center. As of this writing, registration for the October 15, 2026 date has closed, so the practical value of this article is twofold: understanding exactly how the 2026 cycle worked so you can plan the next one, and confirming which deadlines already passed if you're verifying your own registration status.
Registration Windows & Deadlines
For the October 15, 2026 written exam, AOBPMR structured registration in three stages:
- Registration opened: April 15, 2026
- Regular deadline: August 15, 2026
- Final (late) deadline: September 15, 2026, with a $225 late fee applied
That gives candidates roughly a four-month window from opening to the regular deadline, with an additional month available at extra cost. Missing the September 15 final deadline means missing the administration entirely - there is no walk-in or day-of registration option for this remotely proctored exam.
Key Takeaway
Treat the regular deadline, not the final deadline, as your real target. Registering by August 15 avoids the $225 late fee and gives you more runway to confirm your technology setup before test day.
Because these dates shift year to year, always verify current-cycle dates directly against AOBPMR's published schedule before finalizing travel, work coverage, or study plans. For a broader breakdown of every fee attached to this credential - written exam, oral exam, and late charges - see PM&R Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Remote Proctoring with MonitorEDU
The October 15, 2026 Part I Written Exam is proctored remotely through MonitorEDU, AOA's designated remote-exam platform. This changes how you should think about "exam day" logistics compared to a traditional test-center administration.
AOA's remote-exam preparation guidance specifies several requirements candidates must satisfy well before the scheduled date:
- Installation and testing of the MonitorEDU secure browser
- Completion of PARADIGM practice-platform system checks to confirm compatibility
- A compatible computer plus a separate mobile device (used for camera positioning/monitoring, per MonitorEDU protocol)
- A private, quiet room free of prohibited materials or interruptions for the full four-hour block
Because the environment and equipment checks are graded pass/fail before you're admitted to the exam, treat them as a non-negotiable part of your prep timeline - not an afterthought squeezed in after content review.
Eligibility Timing Before Exam Day
Registration deadlines are only half the timing puzzle. AOBPMR eligibility rules also constrain when you can sit for Part I in the first place. To register, a candidate generally needs:
- An accepted medical degree or qualifying ECFMG certificate
- Completion of an AOA-approved internship where applicable
- Completion of an AOA-approved or ACGME-accredited PM&R residency - or being within three months of completion on examination day, verified by the residency program director
- Satisfaction of the board's documentation and ethics requirements
The written-exam page separately notes that DO applicants completing ACGME (rather than AOA-approved) residency training must also secure AOA approval. If your residency completion date falls close to an exam administration, confirm the "within three months" language applies to your specific timeline before you register - this single detail determines whether you can sit for the October date or need to wait for the next cycle.
For the full breakdown of who qualifies and how documentation gets verified, see PM&R Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Exam Day: Format, Domains, and Scoring
On exam day, candidates face 100 multiple-choice questions across a four-hour window. Passing requires a scaled score of 500 on a 200-800 range. AOBPMR publishes a 92% pass rate, but that figure is a five-year aggregate for first-time, board-eligible examinees - not a single-year statistic, so don't treat it as a prediction for any one administration. A deeper look at how that number is constructed is available in PM&R Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Content is organized into four domains with published percentage ranges. Knowing these weights helps you allocate study hours proportionally instead of spreading effort evenly across topics that don't carry equal exam weight.
Domain 1: Rehabilitation of Brain, Spinal Cord/Muscle, and Connective Tissue Disorders (27-31%)
The largest domain on the exam. Expect heavy coverage of neurologic rehabilitation, spinal cord injury management, and myopathic/connective tissue conditions.
- Prioritize this domain first given its top weighting
Domain 2: Interventional Therapeutics: Spine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Pain (25-29%)
Spine intervention, OMT technique and indications, and pain management principles combine here - together the second-largest share of the exam.
- Review OMT indications alongside interventional spine procedures rather than separately
Domain 3: Prosthetics, Orthotics, Sports Medicine, Orthopedic/MSK Disorders, Occupational-Industrial, Return to Work, and Assistive Devices (24-28%)
A broad, practical domain spanning device prescription, orthopedic and musculoskeletal diagnosis, and occupational/return-to-work decision-making.
- Group prosthetics and orthotics study with assistive device content since they're tested together
Domain 4: Special Populations (16-20%)
The smallest domain by weight but still worth roughly one-fifth of the exam - don't skip it in favor of the larger domains.
- Allocate proportionally less time here, but still schedule dedicated review
For a full walkthrough of each domain's subtopics and how they interrelate, see PM&R Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas. If you're weighing how demanding this exam actually is relative to your background, How Hard Is the PM&R Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and PM&R Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass go deeper on scoring mechanics.
| Item | Part I Written Exam | Part II Oral Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | $750 | $750 |
| Late Fee (if applicable) | $225 | $225 |
| Format | 100 MCQs, 4 hours | Oral evaluation |
| Delivery (Oct 15, 2026 date) | Remote via MonitorEDU | Separate scheduling process |
| Eligibility Prerequisite | Residency complete or within 3 months | Completed residency + active licensure |
Sequencing Part I and the Part II Oral Exam
Timing your exams correctly matters because AOBPMR requires candidates to pass Part I before attempting Part II. The Part II Oral Exam carries its own separate $750 fee, and oral eligibility additionally requires a completed residency and active licensure. Final board certification then requires AOA approval on top of passing both exams.
Practically, this means your 2026 planning shouldn't stop at October 15. Once you receive Part I results, you'll need to schedule Part II eligibility documentation, licensure confirmation, and a separate registration and fee cycle. Building in buffer time between the two exams - rather than assuming back-to-back scheduling - reduces the risk of a documentation gap delaying your oral exam date.
OCC Longitudinal Assessment Calendar
Once certified, diplomates move into Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC), which governs the ten-year primary certification term. Since 2021, the traditional decennial high-stakes exam has been replaced by a longitudinal assessment model - a different calendar entirely from the initial Part I Written Exam, and worth understanding early so it doesn't catch you off guard.
- New primary certificants get one full calendar year before entering the registration and assessment sequence
- Beginning in 2026, all 30 untimed annual questions are released together via the AOA Learning Portal rather than in quarterly batches
- Assessments close November 30 each year
- Passing requires an 80% cumulative grade over three years; a second attempt is available seven days after an unsuccessful first try
- Annual assessment fee is $200, with a $50 late registration fee
- For the 2025-2027 CME cycle, diplomates need 75 CME credits (including 18 Category 1-A) plus one Practice Performance Assessment module or quality-improvement attestation per three-year cycle, alongside active licensure
Building a Domain-Based Study Schedule
With the registration calendar and exam-day mechanics clear, the remaining question is how to use your prep window efficiently. Rather than a generic weekly template, anchor your schedule to the four published domain weights so time spent roughly mirrors point value on exam day.
Domain 1 Deep Dive
- Brain, spinal cord/muscle, and connective tissue disorder rehabilitation - the largest single domain at 27-31%
Domain 2 Deep Dive
- Interventional spine therapeutics, OMT, and pain management at 25-29%
Domain 3 Deep Dive
- Prosthetics, orthotics, sports medicine, orthopedic/MSK, occupational-industrial, and assistive devices at 24-28%
Domain 4 + MonitorEDU Checks
- Special populations at 16-20%, plus completing PARADIGM system checks and MonitorEDU browser setup
Full Review & Timed Practice
- Mixed practice questions across all four domains under a simulated four-hour, 100-question timed condition
Practice under realistic timing constraints is especially important given the remote-proctoring format - you want the four-hour pacing and question-navigation experience to feel routine before October 15 itself. Run timed practice sets on our practice test platform to build that pacing instinct, and revisit PM&R Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts during your final review week for fast recall of high-yield facts across all four domains.
Key Takeaway
Allocate study time in rough proportion to domain weight: more hours on Domains 1 and 2, moderate hours on Domain 3, and a focused but shorter block on Domain 4.
If you're still deciding whether pursuing this certification fits your career plans and timeline, Is the PM&R Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and PM&R Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis cover the practice and employment context, while the main practice test site offers domain-tagged question sets to pair with this calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Registration for that administration opened April 15, 2026, with a regular deadline of August 15 and a final deadline of September 15. Both deadlines have passed, so registration for this specific date is closed.
A $225 late fee applies to each applicable examination when you register between the regular and final deadlines. Missing the final deadline entirely means you cannot sit for that administration.
The October 15, 2026 administration is remotely proctored using MonitorEDU. Candidates test from a private location using a compatible computer and mobile device after completing PARADIGM system checks.
Eligibility allows candidates to sit for the exam if they have completed their AOA-approved or ACGME-accredited PM&R residency, or are within three months of completion on exam day, with verification from the program director.
Annual assessments close November 30. Diplomates need an 80% cumulative grade over three years to pass, with a second attempt available seven days after an unsuccessful first try, for a $200 annual fee ($50 late fee if applicable).
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