ABIM-SM Exam Information and Outline
Sleep Medicine
Syllabus Update Checked on: November 6, 2026
ABIM-SM Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the
official ABIM-SM exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap.
The information below reflects the 2026 syllabus defined by
ABIM.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
- Exam Format
- Up to 240 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions (about 40 unscored)
- Pediatric topics comprise about 15–20% across categories
- Normal Sleep and Variants (16%)
- Sleep-wake mechanisms and neurophysiology
- Scoring and staging
- Normal sleep across the lifespan; effects of sleep deprivation
- Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders (10%)
- Delayed/advanced phase, non-24-hour and irregular rhythm disorders
- Shift work disorder and jet lag disorder
- Insomnia (17%)
- Chronic insomnia in adults and children
- Insomnia related to behavior, medical conditions or drugs
- Short-term insomnia
- Central Disorders of Hypersomnia (12%)
- Narcolepsy types 1 and 2
- Insufficient sleep syndrome, idiopathic hypersomnia, Kleine-Levin syndrome
- Hypersomnia due to medical/psychiatric disorders or medications
- Parasomnias (7%)
- NREM-related and REM-related parasomnias
- Sleep-Related Movements (8%)
- Restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder
- Rhythmic movement disorder, bruxism, leg cramps, sleep myoclonus
- Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders (20%)
- Obstructive sleep apnea, adult and pediatric
- Central sleep apnea syndromes
- Sleep-related hypoventilation and hypoxemia disorders
- Sleep in Other Disorders (5%)
- Neurologic, psychiatric and other medical disorders
- Instrumentation and Testing (5%)
- Technical aspects of sleep devices, artifacts, electrical safety
- Study preparation, testing conditions, epidemiology and screening