The optional Review Course is an opportunity for IFM Certification Program candidates to undertake a comprehensive review of current core knowledge. The optional Online Review Course (ORC) is a self-paced course composed of study guides, webinars, lectures and practice exams/quizzes to help you prepare for the written exam. It is not required, although it is strongly recommended.  

The Review Course is only open to candidates who are eligible to be a part of the upcoming testing cohort. 

The written exam is administered through Prometric Testing Centers. You may visit Prometric’s website here for more information. 

The Exam may be taken either in person or remotely. You will receive all the information you need prior to taking the exam in your testing cohort materials. For more information on our IFMCP certification process and requirements, click here. 

*Please note that Prometric continues to evaluate the open capacity status of testing centers in their global network. To help ensure the protection of both employees and test takers and to remain in compliance with governmental mandates and recommendations from the CDC and WHO, safety practices will be enacted throughout the testing process and will be dependent on local government guidelines. For more information on Test Center Policies, please click here for the latest Covid-19 Update. 

The case report is a structured PDF template that is based on the Functional Medicine Matrix and following the GOTOIT framework. Candidates receive access to the case report template upon payment of the $850 case report fee and verification of eligibility for the IFMCP written exam. Candidates enter assessment, treatment, and outcomes information into a personalized assigned template.   

Case reports are scored by IFM educators on a pass/fail basis. 

The case report must represent your critical thinking and ability to apply the principles of functional medicine to the benefit of your patient. Candidates are expected to justify and explain their rationales for treatments and interventions throughout the case. You must have sufficient initial assessment information to fill out a Timeline and Matrix, and enough follow-up data that the grader can see how you managed the patient. As such, the case you choose should be a patient: 

1. Who has/had chronic complaints 
2. With whom you are very familiar (You may NOT use yourself or a family member as your case study. Patient encounters must be conducted and documented within a clinical setting.) 
3. On whom you have gathered sufficient initial information 
4. For whom you have collected sufficient information on follow-up visits to present a full case 

A minimum of 4 visits over at least 12 weeks is required. Cases that do not meet minimum visit and length requirements will receive an automatic failure. Objective data, such as laboratory and imaging results, are helpful, but not absolutely necessary. However, the potential lab or imaging that you would consider, even if not ordered, is important to provide as it allows the grader to assess your thinking through the case. A case in which you co-managed the patient can be used, but your narrative should include these interventions and outcomes as well. 

You do not have to have a release from the patient to use the patient’s case. Avoid revealing any identifying information about the patient in your report. 

The written exam is composed of 200 multiple choice questions based on information presented at AFMCP and the six APMs.  Candidates have 4.5 hours to complete the examination. 

Pre and post course webinars, forum discussions, and supplemental material include useful information and are recommended for review; however, the written examination will not draw on these materials (unless stated otherwise). 

If a candidate does not pass one, or both of the two, testing components, then they would have an opportunity to remediate the score(s) they did not pass. For example, if a candidate fails the IFMCP written examination but passes the case report, or who fails the case report but passes the IFMCP written examination, they only need to remediate the failed component (that is, re-take the exam or re-submit a new case report). The passing score on the other testing component will stand. 

Any remediation process needs to be completed within the four years from the date your application was approved. IFMCP remediation testing fees will apply. Please contact IFM for the fee structure at ifmcp@ifm.org. 

Unfortunately, there is no CME provided for the case report, written exam or for the Online Review Course. 

The case fee is a one-time fee until the case has been submitted meaning it can roll with you to a later cohort. However, the exam fee is non-refundable and non-transferable to a different testing window.

Unfortunately, the case report and the written exam do have to be completed during the same testing window.

The IFMCP written examination is currently offered twice a year: typically once in spring and once in the fall. 

You can find current testing dates and deadlines online here.