2026 In-Service/Self-Assessment Surgeons Exam (46020,46025,46022,46026,46028,46027)

The In-Service Examination is comprised of a question and answer examination, individual score sheet, normative table and post-exam rationales and references guide. The materials have been compiled by the ASPS In-Service Examination Committee along with the National Board of Medical Examiners® professional staff. All questions were reviewed and found to be objective and supported by appropriate review of the literature and align with evidence-based research. Content in this educational activity has been reviewed by peers and professionals to determine that the content is fair, balanced, and unbiased.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, the participants will be able to:

Identify the most up-to-date information on the core curriculum of plastic surgery
Self-assess base knowledge of the five clinical component areas
Establish a benchmark for areas of focus needing further concentrated educational efforts
Attend appropriate educational activities based upon self-assessment evaluation

This activity will address the following ACGME/ABMS Competencies:

Medical Knowledge
Patient Care and Procedural Skills

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons® (ASPS^®) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation
The ASPS designates this enduring material for 37.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™*. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

7.5 of the 37.5 credits have been identified as applicable to Patient Safety.

*Minimum passing score required.

Disclosure Policy
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) requires all instructors, planners, reviewers, managers and other individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships or affiliations. All identified conflicts of interest must be resolved and the educational content thoroughly vetted by ASPS for fair balance, scientific objectivity and appropriateness of patient care recommendations. ASPS also requires faculty/authors to disclose when off-label/unapproved uses of product are discussed in a CME activity or included in related materials. Disclaimer: All relevant financial relationships for planners, faculty, and others in control of content (either individually or as a group) are reviewed by the ASPS Continuing Education Committee and have been mitigated, if applicable.

The In-Service Examination is comprised of a question-and-answer examination, test review report, normative table and syllabus which includes questions, answers, and references. All questions were reviewed and found to be objective and supported by appropriate review of the literature and align with evidence-based research. Content in this educational activity has been reviewed by peers and professionals to determine that the content is fair, balanced and unbiased.

Overview of Your Exam/Self-Assessment

Section Number of Items

Comprehensive 50

Hand and Lower Extremity 50

Craniomaxillofacial 50

Breast and Cosmetic 50

Core Surgical Principles 50

Evaluation

Beginning in 2024, ASPS no longer supports the ability to download the exam questions or respective answer sheets, as a means to further protect the integrity of the In-Service Exam (ISE).

In our continuous efforts to safeguard the integrity of the In-Service Exam (ISE), the questions and answers to the exam will no longer be shared through the ACEPS site or via ASPS’ post exam materials. Recognizing the significance of self-study, ASPS will provide the rationales and references for use through a new tool, the In-Service Exam Rationales & References Study Guide.

By using the explanations and references to direct study, examinees will focus on fully understanding the concepts being covered – enhancing the ability to retain and recall information in practice. The goal of the exam is to enhance critical thinking and analytical skills, leading to a more effective and comprehensive learning experience.

We hope that the Rationales and References Study Guide will help you create a self-study tool that targets specific areas that need improvement, providing you with a deeper knowledge of the topics and offering the support of additional sources and materials for further reading and research. Please note that the ASPS In-Service Exam and its intellectual properties are copyright protected. No portion of the exam or its questions may be utilized without written permission from ASPS. All requests for use should be relayed to ASPS in writing for consideration.

ASPS In-Service Exam Committee

Writing 2026 In-Service Exam

Scott Lifchez, MD, Overall Chair

Devra Becker, MD, Overall Vice-Chair

Comprehensive

Hand and Lower Extremity

Craniomaxillofacial

Breast and Cosmetic

Core Surgical Principles

Umar Choudry, MD, Chair

Alexander Spiess, MD, Chair

Alexander Lin, MD, Chair

Thomas Fiala, MD, MBA, CPE, Chair

J. Gui Christiano, MD, FACS, Chair

Stephanie Bray, MD

James Butterworth, MD

Abigail Chaffin, MD

Manish Champaneria, MD

Angela Cheng, MD

Jared Davis, MD

Noopur Gangopadhyay, MD

Al Hassanein, MD, MMSc, FACS
Mary Lester, MD

Arash Momeni, MD

Marilyn Ng, MD
Joseph Ricci, MD

Farooq Shahzad, MD

Indranil Sinha, MD

Geoffrey Sisk, MD

Rheena Bhatt, MD

Christie Bialowas, MD

Avery Capone, MD

Andrew Chen, MD, FACS
Alexander Davit, III, MD
Ashish Francis, MD

Paul Ghareeb, MD

Steven Haase, MD

Randy Hauck, MD

Lydia Helliwell, MD

Amy Kite, MD

Amber Leis, MD, FACS

John Roberts, MD

Gary F. Rogers, MD

Simon Talbot, MD

Eric Wang, MD

Brian Andrews, MD
Jonathan Black, MD
Jesse Goldstein, MD

Matthew M. Hanasono, MD

Anand Kumar, MD

Kerry Latham, MD

Jonathan Lee, MD, MPH

Renata Maricevich, MD

Clinton Morrison, MD

Gregory Pearson, MD

Gary F. Rogers, MD

S. Alex Rottgers, MD

Anil Shetty, MD

Peter Taub, MD

June Wu, AB, MD

Alexander Anzarut, MD

Saied Asfa, MD, FACS

John Bauer, MD

Devra Becker, MD

Jeffery Flagg, MD

Amir Ghaznavi, MD

Lawrence Glassman, MD

Eric Halvorson, MD

David M. Kahn, MD

Sumesh Kaswan, MD

Christian Kauffman, MD

Michelle Lee, MD

Michele Manahan, MD, MBA, FACS

Cindy McCord, MD

Nicole Nemeth, MD

William Reynolds, MD

Sachin Shridharani, MD, FACS
Robinder Singh, MD

Dawn Wang, MD

Cindy Wu, MD

Richard Baynosa, MD

Michael Chu, MD

Julia Corcoran, MD
Kristopher Day, MD, FACS

Brian Gander, MD

Darrin Hubert, MD

Tara Huston, MD

Jeffrey Larson, MD

Suhair Maqusi, MD

Brett Michelotti, MD

Oren Mushin, MD

Lauren Nigro, MD

Christina Vargas, MD

Howard Wang, MD
Nicholas Webster, MD

Disclosures of all Chairs, Speakers, Authors, Moderators, Reviewers, Committee Members, and other appropriate individuals:

Brian Andrews, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: KLS Martin - Other - Financially Compensated
Saied Asfa, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Valley Health Plan-Credential committee - Board - Financially Compensated
Richard Baynosa, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Board of Directors and Immediate Past President, Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons, Associate Editor, Plastic Surgery News; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Allergan/AbbVie - Consultant - Financially Compensated, TelaBio - Consultant - Financially Compensated, RTI Surgical - Consultant - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Pfizer - Ticker: PFE - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No, United Health Group, Inc. - Ticker: UNH - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No, AbbVie - Ticker: n/a - Type: Consulting Fees, Food & Beverage - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Allergan - Ticker: n/a - Type: Food & Beverage - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes;
Devra Becker, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Board member: ACEPS, ASMS, FACE: section editor of journal; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Lazurite, LLC - Other - Not Financially Compensated, Push2Spin - Other - Not Financially Compensated;
Jonathan Black, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Stryker Corp - Consultant - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Stryker - Ticker: n/a - Type: Consulting Fees - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Stephanie Bray, MD, MS	AFFILIATIONS: ACPA - Program committee member, ACEPS - Program committee member;
James Butterworth, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Member of ASPS, ASRM, and ACEPS. Serve on committees in all of these plastic surgery organizations and serve on the executive committee of ASRM; INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS: Received the 2024 AFSH $5,000 resident and fellows fast track grant for an education study with cadavers;
Avery Capone, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Officer and part-owner, Shadyside Surgi-Center ambulatory surgery center; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Shadyside Surgi-Center, ambulatory surgery center - Officer - Not Financially Compensated;
Abigail Chaffin, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Chair, Subcouncil of State and Regional Societies ASP 2024-2025; Vice Chair, Subcouncil of State and Regional Societies ASP 2023-2024; Board of Trustees SESPRS June 2021-June 2024, Chair - Research in Education Committee of ACEPS, September 2024-present; Co-Chair - Research in Education Committee of ACEPS, 2021-2024; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Aroa Biosurgery - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Urgo Medical North America - Consultant - Financially Compensated;
Manish Champaneria, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Kerecis - Speakers Bureau Member - Financially Compensated, MiMedx - Speakers Bureau Member - Financially Compensated;
Angela Cheng, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Editorial board member for Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery and Aesthetic Surgery Journal-Open Access, Committee member for the WSRM (World Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery), Committee member on the Zamboni committee (visiting professor) for ASRM (American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery), Chair of the Communications Committee for ACEPS (American Council of Educators in Plastic Surgery), Committee member of the Research and Education Committee for AAPS (American Association of Plastic Surgery);
Julia Corcoran, MD	OTHER: Angel investment in private start up, Immersive Touch, which provides virtual surgical planning services - have received nothing in return for this investment to date;
Jared Davis, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Editor - Annals of Plastic Surgery, EPlasty; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Integra LifeSciences - Consultant - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: AbbVie - Ticker: ABBV - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No, ABBOT - Ticker: ABT - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Merck - Ticker: MRK - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Thomas Fiala, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Section Editor - Aesthetic Surgery Journal; Chair - Finance & Investment Committee, The Aesthetic Society, Chair - Cosmetic Section, In-Service Exam Committee, and member of L3E exam creation committee; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Dominion Aesthetics - Researcher - Financially Compensated;
Brian Gander, MD	AFFILIATIONS: ASSH, Member, ACEPS, Member; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Midwest Mobile Wound Care - Director - Financially Compensated;
Lawrence Glassman, MD	AFFILIATIONS: ASPS Chair Life-Long Learning Exercise in Aesthetic Surgery, ASPS In-Service Committee member Cosmetic and Breast (past Chair), past ASPS In-Service Committee overall Chair;
Brian Glatt, MD	AFFILIATIONS: NESPS Board of Directors;
Darrin Hubert, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery Foundation of Virginia board member / treasurer (non-profit founded with partner to help facilitate doing medical mission work), Physician Shareholder in Stony Point Surgery Center, an ambulatory surgery center in Richmond, VA; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Pacira, Inc. - Speakers Bureau Member - Financially Compensated, Mentor - Contractor - Financially Compensated;
Tara Huston, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Past President, Northeastern Society Plastic Surgeons; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Allergan - Consultant - Financially Compensated, RTI - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Integra - Consultant - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Allergan - Ticker: ABBV - Type: Consulting Fees - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
David Kahn, MD	AFFILIATIONS: The Aesthetic Society committee including the Program Committee, the Leadership development committee, and Vice-Chair of the Continuing medical education committee; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: The American Medical Foundation for Peer Review and Education - Contractor - Financially Compensated, Medical Review Institute of America - Contractor - Financially Compensated, Dane Street - Contractor - Financially Compensated, Maximus - Contractor - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: United Healthcare - Ticker: UNH - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes, Viking Therapeutics - Ticker: VKTX - Type: Stock - Options (all types), Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $5,001-$10,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Vertex Pharmaceuticals - Ticker: VRTX - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Eli Lilly - Ticker: LLY - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes, Novo Nordisk - Ticker: NVO - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes, PDS Biotechnology - Ticker: PDSB - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes, Pfizer - Ticker: PFE - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: Yes, Aquestive Therapeutics - Ticker: AQST - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Intuitive Surgical - Ticker: ISRG - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Christian Kauffman, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: RTI Surgical - Consultant - Financially Compensated; INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS: The Bucknell Geisinger Research Initiative; $93,230; Optimization and Patient Improvement Process for Specialty Pediatrics, such as Autism & Developmental Medicine and Cleft Management; PIs - Joseph Wilck, PhD and Cora Taylor, PhD; The Bucknell Geisinger Research Initiative; $19,922; Single point incremental forming for fabrication of patient-specific orbital floor implants; PIs - Elizabeth Mamros, PhD and Christian Kauffman, MD;
Kerry Latham, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Teach for AO and serve on the Board (travel and honorarium funded by DPS) - Board - Financially Compensated;
Amber Leis, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Axogen - Speakers Bureau Member, Checkpoint - Advisory Committee Member;
Mary Lester, MD	INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS: IU received an educational grant from Zimmer Biomet in the form of Anastomosis Training Kits valued at $3,460 on 7/5/23;
Michele Manahan, MD	AFFILIATIONS: AAPS, AMA, ASRM, The Aesthetic Society, MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, Baltimore City Medical Society, ACS, ACEPS, American Board of Plastic Surgery;
Cindy McCord, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Cigna - Director - Not Financially Compensated, EviCore - Director - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Novo Nordisk - Ticker: n/a - Type: No Compensation - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Pfizer - Ticker: n/a - Type: No Compensation - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Johnson &Johnson - Ticker: n/a - Type: No Compensation - Amount: $0-$1,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Arash Momeni, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: AxoGen - Consultant - Financially Compensated, RTI - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Gore - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Tiger Aesthetics - Consultant - Financially Compensated;
Marilyn Ng, MD	PUBLIC: Doximity - Ticker: DOCS - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Lauren Nigro, MD	OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Integra / DuraSorb - Speakers Bureau Member - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Integra/Durasorb - Ticker: n/a - Type: Payment for Speaking Engagement - Amount: $1,001-$5,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Gregory Pearson, MD	PUBLIC: Gilead - Ticker: GILD - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Amgen - Ticker: AMGN - Type: Stock - Shares (all types) - Amount: $10,001-$50,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Farooq Shahzad, MD	AFFILIATIONS: ASPS in-service exam committee: vice chair, ASPS curriculum development committee: vice chair, ASPS program committee, AAP section on surgery annual program committee;
Sachin Shridharani, MD	AFFILIATIONS: ASPS, ASAPS, ACS, NYSSPS, NYRSPS, ASJ, PRS, NESPS, PSRC; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Allergan - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Galderma - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Prollenium - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Raziel - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Apyx Medical - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Revance - Consultant - Financially Compensated; PUBLIC: Allergan - Ticker: AGN - Type: Consulting Fees, Payment for Speaking Engagement - Amount: $500,001-$1,000,000 - Relationship Ended: No, Apyx Medical - Ticker: APYX - Type: Consulting Fees, Payment for Speaking Engagement - Amount: $50,001-$100,000 - Relationship Ended: No;
Indranil Sinha, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Founder, InPrint Bio, LLC
Simon Talbot, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Massachusetts Society of Plastic Surgeons (Secretary), American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation (Treasurer), Brigham and Women's Hospital Physicians' Organization (Board Member), Case Reports in Plastic and Hand Surgery (Associate Editor); OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Six Therapeutics - Advisory Committee Member - Financially Compensated, Tissium - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Neuraptive - Consultant - Financially Compensated, Moral Injury of Healthcare - Director - Financially Compensated, Temple University - Researcher - Financially Compensated;
Eric Wang, MD	AFFILIATIONS: California Society of Plastic Surgeons - Nominating Committee, CSPSERF – Secretary, ASSH – Self-assessment exam committee, young members steering committee, courses and meetings committee, ASPS - Oral Board Review Course Faculty;
Cindy Wu, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Clinical Editor for the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum, In-Service Exam Writing Committee Member, Cosmetic Subcommittee; OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS: Allergan - Consultant - Financially Compensated;
June Wu, MD	AFFILIATIONS: Paid as an expert witness by Panitch Schwarze (law firm) in a patent infringement case - no relationship between this consulting work and work on the in-service committee; INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS: NIH (NHLBI), DOD

With the exception of those indicated above, the Chairs, Authors, Reviewers, Committee Members, Volunteers, and Staff involved with developing and producing the 2026 In-Service Exam have indicated that they have no conflicts of interest relating to the activity to disclose.

CME Committee/Staff: ASPS CME Committee reviewers/Education staff members have no relevant financial relationships or affiliations to disclose.

The management, discussion and recommended answers for this test represent the combined opinions of the authors and reviewers. They are not endorsed by nor do they constitute a standard of practice of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Prepared in cooperation with National Board of Medical Examiners.

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