ABA Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the ABA exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 ABA Exam Format at a Glance
📚 ABA Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample ABA Questions & Answers
1. When an anesthesiologist suspects a terminally ill patient's pain management is being under-treated due to provider opiophobia, the most ethical action is to:
Advocating for adequate pain control in terminally ill patients through appropriate channels is both an ethical duty and consistent with palliative care standards.
2. When performing an ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, between which muscle layers should the local anesthetic be deposited?
The TAP block targets the neurovascular plane between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles where the T10–L1 nerves travel.
3. During a laparoscopic procedure, end-tidal CO2 abruptly rises to 80 mmHg and SpO2 drops to 78% with decreased breath sounds on the left. The MOST likely cause is:
Trocar injury to the pleura during laparoscopy can cause pneumothorax, presenting with unilateral decreased breath sounds, rising ETCO2, and hypoxia.
4. Which principle underpins the ABA requirement that diplomates report impairment in a colleague?
Non-maleficence—preventing harm to patients—is the primary ethical basis for mandatory reporting of an impaired colleague.
5. What is the name of the clinical competency committee tool used by ACGME anesthesiology programs to assess milestone achievement?
The Anesthesiology Milestone Project provides a framework for programs to assess resident development across six core competency domains.
6. Which of the following best describes the significance of a STOP-BANG score of 5 or greater in a preoperative patient?
A STOP-BANG score ≥ 5 indicates high risk for moderate-to-severe OSA, warranting perioperative precautions such as continuous pulse oximetry and possible CPAP use.