This guide will help you prepare for the ABHP certification examination. However, use of the Guide by itself will not be adequate preparation for the exam. Successful candidates usually start their preparation months before the test. Preparation should include a careful review of health physics fundamentals and then, with equal vigor, review of applied aspects of health physics in several of the specialty areas. The suggested study references in Section 7 will help guide you. Joining either a formal or informal study group (particularly those that continue over a period of months) can assist you by forcing a systematic review of various topics and by exposing you to the knowledge of people expert in subjects with which you are not familiar.

The Board warns against approaching the exam in a casual fashion. We find that most unsuccessful candidates did not prepare adequately. In contrast, the successful candidates have usually planned and followed a comprehensive study program. After past exams, the Board has asked candidates about some of the factors contributing to their degree of success on the exam. The Board noticed that the single most important attribute of successful candidates was the amount of time spent studying for the examination. On average, those questioned claimed to have spent an average of 300 hours in study.

Because candidates' credentials are reviewed carefully, the Board feels that all applicants declared eligible to take the examination have the potential to pass. You can avoid the disappointment of poor performance by recognizing from the start that the exam will be a rigorous test of your professional knowledge. Your grade will represent, for the most part, the thoroughness of your preparation.

Now that you know the key to good performance on the examination, the Board wishes you success in achieving certification.