One of the requirements of the multi-component Emergency Medicine Continuous Certification (EMCC) program of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) is that ABEM-certified physicians be tested on the contents of a variable number of designated emergency medicine-related articles each year. This component of the EMCC is entitled "Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment" (LLSA).

Eligibility to take the 10-year ABEM recertification exam (now termed the "continuous certification [ConCert] exam) is dependent upon the passage of a variable number of LLSA tests.

• The yearly LLSA reading lists are posted on the ABEM website approximately one year before their associated LLSA test. The corresponding LLSA test are posted on the ABEM website the following April. Each test will remain online for three years, after which the test and its corresponding reading list will be retired and will no longer be available.
  
  
• The LLSA tests are open-book, online exercises. There is no need to complete the test in one sitting. Tests are scored immediately upon submission. If a passing score is achieved (at least 85%), the physician has the option of printing out a certificate of completion and emailing the certificate to one or more email addresses.
  
  
• Physicians will have up to three opportunities to pass an LLSA test.
  
  
• As of January 1, 2011, the fee for each LLSA test is $100.

For more information about the ABEM Continuous Certification program, visit the ABEM website at www.abem.org.