AMWA-MWC Exam Format | AMWA-MWC Course Contents | AMWA-MWC Course Outline | AMWA-MWC Exam Syllabus | AMWA-MWC Exam Objectives

Exam Code: AMWA-MWC
Exam Name: AMWA Medical Writer Certified
Type: Online, proctored exam
Duration: 2.5 hours
Number of Questions: 125 multiple-choice questions
Passing Score: 70% (minimum)

1. Gathering (16% of content)
- Determine purpose of document
- Identify context for document
- Identify target audience
- Assess needs
- Identify knowledge gaps
- Select appropriate output type (eg, publications, regulatory documents, continuing medical education materials, patient education)
- Identify appropriate outlet (eg, target journal, other print media, web)
- Apply effective processes to gather information
- Conduct a literature search (eg, PubMed/ MEDLINE)
- Elicit information from collaborators and stakeholders (eg, interview researchers, statisticians, clinicians, patients, regulators, thought leaders)
- Identify other relevant sources (eg, websites, databases, data outputs, clinical guidelines)
- Identify relevant writing guidelines, instructions, and ethical standards (eg, journal instructions for authors, grant application instructions, regulatory requirements)
- Identify relevant document models and templates
- Identify necessary forms and supporting materials (eg, permission to reprint, disclosures, copyright)

2. Evaluating (19% of content)
- Evaluate collected information with regard to
- content (ie, quality and relevance, level of evidence)
- audience (ie, appropriate and relevant to needs)
- context (ie, credibility of sources and suitability for purpose)
- Perform fact or data check
- Identify inconsistencies in data or other content presented
- Conduct critical review of a draft
- Assess quality of writing (eg, clarity, readability, usability, logic, organization, consistency)
- Provide constructive criticism
- Provide options for solutions
- Craft appropriate queries
- Evaluate representation and description of data
- Recognize ethical considerations with respect to self and others (eg, conflict of interest, disclosure, authorship, plagiarism, duplicate publications)
- Evaluate for completeness, fair balance, and absence of bias
- Determine appropriate levels of editing (eg, proofreading, microediting, macroediting)
- Implement best approach to resolve issues (eg, author disagreements, scope change, unexpected delays)

3. Organizing (19% of content)
- Determine correct organization of a document (eg, IMRAD)
- Identify and prioritize key elements of content
- Structure content to communicate message
- Develop an outline
- Apply templates and guidelines to documents (eg, CONSORT, ICMJE, FDA, ICH, PRISMA, ACCME, HIPAA, health literacy)
- Determine structure of tables and figures to best communicate data
- Determine which references to cite in a document
- Comprehend processes of developing and disseminating documents (eg, news releases, publications, grant and regulatory submissions)
- Design project work plan
- Determine deliverables
- Develop timeline
- Recognize roles, responsibilities, and processes
- Track progress and status of a project
- Determine process for tracking changes and version control
- Recognize and apply appropriate software and technology to use in developing a document

4. Interpreting (19% of content)
- Comprehend relevant medical and scientific content
- Understand terminology
- Understand concepts (eg, cellular and molecular level, organism level, and population level)
- Understand study design (eg, clinical trial, case control, longitudinal study)
- Understand statistical concepts (eg, P value, CI, power)
- Interpret clinical and numerical data
- Derive key messages
- Determine inferences, implications, or clinical relevance
- Synthesize and integrate information
- Revise or repurpose existing content
- Comprehend review processes (eg, peer review, grant review, regulatory review)
- Respond to reviewers’ comments
- Interpret feedback from reviewers
- Determine appropriate responses

5. Presenting (27% of content)
- Present the message logically and coherently (ie, tell the story)
- Retain the intended meaning of source materials or original document
- Communicate scientific content appropriately
- Communicate statistical content appropriately
- Develop clear, concise prose
- Write an abstract (eg, for presentation or publication) or executive summary
- Tailor prose to the audience
- Build logical and science-based arguments
- Apply proper mechanics
- Apply rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Apply proper word usage (general and medical), correct nomenclature, and nondiscriminatory language
- Construct effective sentences
- Construct effective paragraphs (eg, topic sentences, transitions, repetition of key terms)
- Apply techniques for cohesion between paragraphs and sections
- Apply principles of proofreading
- Apply basic principles of design and layout (eg, document, slide, poster, web)
- Apply principles of visual presentation of data (eg, tables, figures)
- Write document to adhere to standardized formats, guidelines, instructions, and ethical standards