Registration will open 3 months prior to exam date.
This exam can be started at any time between 11:00 and 14:00 CET, depending on slot availability.
Exam
Eligibility
The EAPC written examination is open to all healthcare professionals involved in preventive cardiology:
- physicians in training
- registered physicians currently in practice (including but not limited to cardiology, internal medicine, primary care)
- registered nurses and allied health professionals
EAPC Certification is not a compulsory or regulatory certificate of competence or excellence. Individuals' rights to report and sign clinical studies in individual countries remain to be defined by national laws and regulations.
Exam format
The EAPC examination is a multiple-choice written examination in English.
The examination is divided into two parts of 70 questions each.
- The first part of the exam is open to all
- The second part of the exam is restricted to physicians (in training or in practice)
Each part is run over 90 minutes with a 10-minute break.
Questions are designed to assess the candidate's knowledge:
- Based on a clinical scenario
- Five options with only one single best answer
- No negative marking
Questions are drawn from the entire spectrum of preventive cardiology reflecting the EAPC Core Curriculum for Preventive Cardiology, including primary care and risk factor management, secondary prevention and rehabilitation, sports cardiology and exercise and population science and public health.
Exam date and delivery
The EAPC examination is usually delivered once a year, using an online proctoring system (CYIM/ProctorU®).
This provides candidates with the safety and convenience of an online platform, while retaining the integrity and quality of an on-site supervised exam.
The online format of the EAPC exam is:
- Accessible anywhere in the world
- Taken on the candidate’s own device (computer only) and monitored by a human proctor online through ProctorU®
More information is available.
Exam preparation
The EAPC exam is designed to test a wide range of preventive cardiology knowledge aligned with the EAPC Core Curriculum for Preventive Cardiology.
There is no single source from which all questions are developed, and candidates are encouraged to read widely, including but not limited to:
- EAPC consensus and scientific statements
- ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines relevant to cardiac prevention
- The ESC Textbook of Preventive Cardiology
- The ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine
- EAPC Key Reference Library
- EAPC How-to Articles
Candidates are also encouraged to follow the certification track that has been defined within the programme of the ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024.
Test yourself with the sample below
Exam results
The passing score of the exam is established using referenced methodologies, that are widely used in certification. The passing score links the score required to pass the exam to the minimum level of knowledge required for preventive cardiology practice.
Following the exam, psychometric analysis of the questions is conducted and items that do not meet psychometric standards are removed from the exam. In addition, any items that have been flagged during the exam administration are reviewed and if these items are deemed to be defective for any reason they are removed from the exam.
Results are subjected to multiple levels of verification prior to being reported to candidates.
Examination results are communicated to candidates in the 8 weeks after the examination.
Candidates will receive an email containing their results letter on the date of the release of the results. Successful candidates for the exam will also receive a certificate of completion of the written exam.
Candidates’ results are also made available through the candidate’s My ESC account.
Appeal
ESC/EAPC aims to deliver examinations of the highest quality and provide the best level of service for all candidates. To ensure that all candidates are assessed fairly, there is a procedure to allow candidates to appeal against their exam results.
More information is available.
Policies for online proctoring examinations
For more information, please refer to the ESC online proctoring examination terms and conditions.
Logbook
Once candidates have passed the exam, they can then apply for the logbook part of the programme to prove their practical experience in the preventive cardiology field. No late submissions will be accepted and, if the deadline is not respected, the candidate will have to repeat the exam in order to apply for certification.
Eligibility
The EAPC logbook part of the programme is accessible to all successful candidates to the exam (physicians and nurses or allied health professionals).
Access to the logbook platform is granted to candidates only after having successfully passed the written exam.
Requirements
Candidates are required to provide evidence of their clinical experience.
Candidates must provide the following documents:
- A signed supervisor letter, usually the Director of the Department
- A logbook of 150 cases
- Logbook cases should refer to all EPAs from the EAPC Core Curriculum. The breakdown (minimum and maximum number for each EPA) can be identified in the "Case Categories" tab of the logbook template.
To properly fill in your logbook, please look carefully at the tutorial below.
Logbook regulations
Not complying with the below regulations will result in the logbook being returned to the candidate for modification and as such, delay the grading process.
- The application must be submitted in English. Any document in local language must be accompanied by a translation.
- The application must not include any patient data, in order to comply with GDPR regulations.
- The application must be submitted no later than 2 years after having received the exam results.
- Cases included in the logbook must have been collected within a period of 24 consecutive months - these 24 months, as a maximum, can be taken anytime from 2 years before up to 2 years after the exam date.
- Each patient may be present only once in the logbook. It is not allowed to add multiple studies of the same patient.
Candidates are not asked to submit the full reports, although they may be requested by the EAPC graders and EAPC certification committee. Thus, candidates are asked to keep this information available.
Supervisor
The supervisor should be EAPC certified or alternatively Head of Department. The candidate doesn’t need to upload any documentation regarding the supervisor’s qualifications. The supervisor should be the person supervising the candidate’s work, possibly the person that taught the candidate how to perform the procedures and should be experienced in the field. The supervisor needs to provide a letter of support and also sign off on the logbook, certifying the accuracy of the application content and that the candidate had done all the procedures listed in the logbook.
Logbook results
As soon as the logbook is compliant with the requirements, the application is sent for grading to members of the EAPC Certification Committee. Graders may require additional information from the candidate in order to provide their grading.
Results are sent by email within 3 months of submitting the e-Logbook. Please note that some delay in the grading can occur due to the high volume of applications received throughout the year.
Appealing the logbook
Candidates who fail to the logbook part may raise an appeal.
More information is available.
Extension requests
There is a two-year window to complete the logbook part of the programme. In exceptional circumstances, candidates may request an extension to submit their application.
To ensure the process remains fair and robust, extensions will generally only be given in the following circumstances: parental leave, less than full-time work or illness of the candidate.
Extension requests must be accompanied by a signed letter from your supervisor briefly explaining the situation and stating the duration of the extension required. Requests cannot be considered without this letter. The request must be submitted before the deadline.
Please note that extension requests are not guaranteed and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the certification committee.
Contact us to submit such requests and further information.
Certification result and list of certified candidates
Candidates will be granted certification in preventive cardiology once they have completed the two parts of the programme (exam and logbook). The certification is valid for 5 years after which the candidate must apply for recertification to keep the certification valid.
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