Study guide
1.5 The Advanced Skills List: The Official 46-Task Blueprint
ABMDI Board Certification Fellow
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1 Chapter 1: Performance Section Mastery & Medicolegal Scene Documentation
1.1 Board Exam Architecture, Scoring, and the Performance Section 1.2 Professional Scene Narrative Drafting & Medical Terminology 1.3 Strategic Investigative Interviewing for Witnesses and Suspects 1.4 Physical, Biological, and Trace Evidence Identification & Prioritization 1.5 The Advanced Skills List: The Official 46-Task Blueprint
2 Chapter 2: Legal Framework, Jurisdiction, and Interagency Coordination
2.1 Medicolegal Systems in the United States & Statutory Authority 2.2 Jurisdictional Boundaries & Federal Interagency Liaison 2.3 Accreditation Standards (NAME, ANAB/ISO 17020, IAC4MR) & Office Operations 2.4 Health Information Privacy (HIPAA § 164.512(g)), Public Records, and Subpoenas 2.5 Reviewing a Death Certification: Cause, Manner, and the Certifier’s Role 2.6 Unique Case Problems and Soliciting Legal Opinions
3 Chapter 3: Scene Leadership, Command Structure, and Processing Protocols
3.1 Incident Command System (ICS) Integration & Scene Leadership 3.2 OSAC ASB Standard 037 Protocols & Scene Security Management 3.3 Forensic Photography, Oblique Lighting, 3D Laser Scanning & Mapping 3.4 Search Methodologies, PPE Tiers & Cross-Contamination Controls 3.5 Masqueraded and Staged Death Scenes 3.6 Media-Sensitive Deaths and Public Information Management
4 Chapter 4: Postmortem Changes, Taphonomy, and PMI Estimation
4.1 Early Postmortem Changes: Algor, Livor, and Rigor Mortis Kinetics 4.2 Decomposition Chemistry, Autolysis, Putrefaction & Specialized Taphonomy 4.3 Forensic Entomology, Insect Succession & ADH/ADD Calculations 4.4 Forensic Anthropology, Skeletal Recovery & Biological Profiling
5 Chapter 5: Mechanical Trauma: Blunt, Sharp, and Ballistic Injuries
5.1 Blunt Force Trauma: Abrasions, Contusions, Lacerations & Skeletal Fractures 5.2 Sharp Force Trauma: Incised, Stab, Chop Wounds & Defensive Patterns 5.3 Firearm Injuries, Range of Fire Determinations & Terminal Ballistics 5.4 Motor Vehicle, Pedestrian Strike & Transportation Incident Dynamics 5.5 Explosion and Blast Injury Deaths
6 Chapter 6: Asphyxial, Environmental, and Thermal Deaths
6.1 Asphyxial Deaths: Hanging, Ligature/Manual Strangulation & Positional Asphyxia 6.2 Drowning Mechanisms, Submersion Injuries & Aquatic Recovery 6.3 Fire Deaths, Inhalation Injuries, COHb/Cyanide & Heat Alterations 6.4 Environmental Extremes: Hypothermia, Hyperthermia, High/Low Voltage Electrical & Lightning Deaths 6.5 Weather-Related and Natural-Disaster Deaths
7 Chapter 7: Forensic Toxicology, Specimen Protocols, and Natural Deaths
7.1 Postmortem Specimen Collection Sites, Anticoagulants & Chain of Custody 7.2 Postmortem Redistribution (PMR), Vd & Toxicological Pharmacokinetics 7.3 Opioids, Fentanyl Analogs, Novel Psychoactive Substances & Screening Limits 7.4 Sudden Unexpected Natural Deaths: Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular & Pulmonary 7.5 Deaths from Therapeutic Complications and Medical Misadventure 7.6 Deaths from Infectious Causes and Public Health Reporting
8 Chapter 8: Pediatric, Infant, and Vulnerable Population Investigations
8.1 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID/SUDI) Protocols & CDC Doll Re-enactment 8.2 Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), Non-Accidental Skeletal Injuries & Scalds 8.3 Elder Abuse/Neglect, In-Custody Deaths & Excited Delirium/Restraint Analysis 8.4 Deaths in Extended Care Facilities and Group Homes 8.5 Deaths Caused by Animals and Postmortem Animal Activity
9 Chapter 9: Mass Fatality Management, Ethics, and Expert Testimony
9.1 Mass Fatality Incidents, DMORT Operations & DVI Scientific Identifications 9.2 Family Assistance Centers, Antemortem Records & OSAC ASB Std 038 Next-of-Kin Notifications 9.3 ABMDI Code of Ethics, Supervisory QA Audits & Investigator Resiliency 9.4 Medicolegal Testimony & Evidence Admissibility 9.5 Leadership: Mentoring, Correcting Deficiencies, and Personal Performance Standards 9.6 Serology, Bloodstain Pattern, and Tool Mark Evidence Collection
1.5 The Advanced Skills List: The Official 46-Task Blueprint
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
The 240-item multiple-choice section is divided into 8 content sections that correspond to lettered groups A through H of the ABMDI Advanced Skills List, a 46-task inventory published in Appendix H of the Policy and Procedure Manual.
Board candidacy requires current ABMDI Registry Diplomate certification in good standing for a minimum of six months, at least an Associate degree, current ME/Coroner or equivalent federal employment, and 4,000 hours of death investigation experience in the past six years.
ABMDI credits experience at defined rates: each on-call hour counts as 0.25 hours to a 2,500-hour cap, a natural death with no scene investigation counts as 1 hour, a non-natural death with no scene investigation as 2.5 hours, and a death with a scene investigation as 5 hours.
Fees are a $100 non-refundable application fee, a $450 examination fee with proctoring, and a $50 annual maintenance fee; retesting costs $150 for one section, $250 for two, and $350 for three or more.
The application and examination must be completed within 12 months or the file becomes inactive and fees are forfeited.
Last updated: September 2026
1.5 The Advanced Skills List: The Official 46-Task Blueprint
Most candidates study for the Board examination by re-reading forensic pathology texts. That is necessary but not sufficient, because roughly a third of the multiple-choice sections are not pathology at all — they are leadership, legal knowledge, and communication. The blueprint is published, and studying it is the difference between covering the exam and covering your favorite parts of the exam.
The 240 multiple-choice items sit in 8 content sections , and ABMDI states plainly that "these sections are based on the Advanced Skills List included in your application packet." That list is reproduced as Appendix H of the ABMDI Policy and Procedure Manual . It contains 46 tasks distributed unevenly across the eight lettered groups.
- The Blueprint, Group by Group
- Group A — Investigating Specific Death Scenes (15 tasks)
The largest group by task count, and the one candidates already know best. It runs: drug-related deaths; child deaths; motor vehicle deaths; blunt force deaths; firearms deaths; fire deaths; asphyxia deaths by hanging ; asphyxia deaths by drowning ; mechanical asphyxia deaths; chemical asphyxia deaths; sharp force injury deaths; electrocution deaths; deaths by therapeutic complications ; deaths involving police action ; and toxicological deaths (poison).
Note that ABMDI splits asphyxia into four separate tasks. Note also the two that investigators most often skip in self-study — therapeutic complications and police action deaths — both of which are covered later in this guide.
Group B — Investigating Multiple Fatalities (3 tasks)
Deaths in plane, train, and auto crashes; weather-related deaths; and bomb-explosion deaths. The exam treats weather events as a multiple-fatality problem, not merely as environmental exposure of one decedent.
Group C — Investigating Atypical Death Scenes (4 tasks)
Masqueraded deaths; media-sensitive deaths; deaths by animals ; and deaths from infectious causes . This group is entirely absent from most commercial prep material, which is exactly why it rewards deliberate study.
Group D — Investigating Institutional Deaths (2 tasks)
Deaths in custody (wards of the state) and deaths in extended care facilities (nursing homes, group homes).
Group E — Demonstrating Leadership Skills (4 tasks)
Demonstrate professionalism by positive role modeling and mentoring; assume responsibility to recognize and correct deficiencies in procedures and policies; maintain high personal performance standards; and demonstrate positive professional interactions with coworkers and colleagues.
Group F — Demonstrating Legal Knowledge (5 tasks)
Solicit legal opinions; demonstrate knowledge of legal procedures; demonstrate knowledge of unique case problems; review a death certification ; and recognize agency jurisdiction.
Group G — Communicating Skills (3 tasks)
Demonstrate interviewing skills; demonstrate report writing skills; and counsel families regarding autopsy findings and address concerns.
Group H — Demonstrating Advanced Forensic Science Knowledge (10 tasks)
Collect data or material for odontology , anthropology/archeology , toxicology , entomology , serology , ballistics/firearms , and tool marks ; conduct postmortem identification ; collect trace evidence (latents, alternative light); and collect data or material using advanced photography .
Every task in Group H is phrased as collect — the exam tests what the investigator does at the scene and in the morgue to preserve material for a specialist, not the specialist's own interpretive methods.
- Group Section title Tasks
- A Investigating Specific Death Scenes 15
- B Investigating Multiple Fatalities 3
- C Investigating Atypical Death Scenes 4
- D Investigating Institutional Deaths 2
- E Demonstrating Leadership Skills 4
- F Demonstrating Legal Knowledge 5
- G Communicating Skills 3
- H Demonstrating Advanced Forensic Science Knowledge 10
- Total 46
Task count is not item count. ABMDI does not publish how many of the 240 items fall in each section, and because each section carries its own cut score, a section with few tasks still has to be passed on its own terms. A candidate who neglects Group D because it holds only two tasks can fail the whole examination on those two tasks.
Eligibility: The Prerequisites That Actually Gate the Exam
- Requirement Standard
- Prior certification Current ABMDI Registry Diplomate certification, in good standing at least six months
Education At least an Associate degree from a post-secondary institution recognized by a national educational accrediting agency
Employment Current employment by a Medical Examiner/Coroner jurisdiction or equivalent federal authority , with responsibility to independently conduct or supervise medicolegal death scene investigations
Experience Minimum 4,000 hours of death investigation experience in the past six years
Two details cost candidates their application. First, the Diplomate prerequisite is not satisfied by having once held Registry certification — it must be current and must have been in good standing for six months at the time of application. Second, ABMDI states that applicants in reserve positions do not qualify as currently employed unless they are currently activated.
Full-time ME/Coroner employment reaches 4,000 hours in about two years; part-time investigators have the full six-year window. Hours are credited on a published schedule:
- Each on-call hour = 0.25 hours , to a maximum of 2,500 hours
- Investigation of a natural death with no scene investigation = 1 hour
- Investigation of a non-natural death with no scene investigation = 2.5 hours
- Investigation of a death with a scene investigation = 5 hours
Degree verification is a diploma copy or a letter from the Registrar's office. Transcripts are not required.
The Application Packet
The Board Certification packet contains the Application Form (which includes the Code of Ethics), the Employment Verification Form, and three separate reference forms : a Forensic Science Specialist Reference Form , an Administrator/Supervisor Reference Form , and a Law Enforcement Reference Form . These are not generic letters of recommendation, and the three sources are not interchangeable.
A negative reference fails the prerequisites outright and requires a one-year wait before submitting a new application with new materials.
There is a 12-month limit on completing the application process and scheduling the examination. Miss it and the file becomes inactive; the application fee is forfeited and the process restarts.
Fees and Retesting
- Item Fee
- Board Certification application (non-refundable) $100
- Board Certification examination with proctoring $450
- Retest with proctoring — one section $150
- Retest with proctoring — two sections $250
- Retest with proctoring — three or more sections $350
- Annual maintenance after certification $50
- Recertification administrative fee (every five years) $25
- Recertification test fee, if competency must be shown by exam $250
The $400 figure that circulates in study groups is the Registry examination fee, not the Board fee. Confusing the two is a reliable marker that a study resource has not been checked against the current fee schedule.
Retest pricing follows directly from the per-section cut-score model: you pay by the number of sections you failed, because you only retest those sections. Candidates have three attempts within an application cycle before remediation is required.