The next exam administration by World Sleep Society is scheduled for September 5, 2025 in Singapore. Applications to sit for this exam will open at least six months prior to the exam date.
Other sleep societies may also administer the International Sleep Specialist exam. Interested societies may inquire with World Sleep Society and submit the following application to administer the exam: Apply to administer the International Sleep Specialist exam.
Upcoming Exam in New Delhi, India
The Indian Society for Sleep Research is organizing an exam administration for April 14, 2024. Candidates can apply for the exam directly through ISSR. Applications are due February 28, 2024.
Apply for this exam administration through the official ISSR website at https://issr.in/world-sleep-society-exam/.
Upcoming Exam in Puncak Alam, Malaysia
Sleep Disorder Society Malaysia (SDSM) is organizing an exam administration for September 26, 2024 during the 2024 ASEAN Sleep Congress.
Please contact SDSM directly at [email protected] to apply for the exam. Find more information about the exam schedule and the ASEAN Sleep Congress at https://sleepsocietymalaysia.org/asean-sleep-congress-2024/
Previous Exam Administrations
In addition to the biennial exam administered directly by World Sleep Society, exams have recently been administered by the Indian Society for Sleep Research, Asian Society of Sleep Medicine, ASEAN Sleep Federation, and South East Asian Regional Academy of Sleep Medicine. Review the complete list of earlier exam locations.
Candidates
Eligibility criteria for taking the World Sleep Society sleep board examination are determined jointly between the local societies sponsoring the exam and the World Sleep Society examination committee. The section below provides information about expertise level that can be used for guidance. Individuals wishing to sit for the examination must provide their credentials to the local regional committee co-sponsoring the exam in conjunction with the World Sleep Society examination committee. These credentials should be presented for review 3-months (or more) prior to the examination date.
Criteria for Eligibility – Candidates must select one option to be eligible.
- Completed training of 6 months or longer in a full-time sleep medicine fellowship program at an accredited sleep center. (Please submit a copy of fellowship certification.)
- Completed training of 1 year or longer in a fellowship program, of which at least 50% consisted of sleep medicine training at an accredited sleep center. (Please submit a copy of fellowship certification.)
- At least 5 years of involvement in the clinical practice in sleep medicine, sleep education, or sleep research. For each of the 5 years, sleep medicine comprised at least 20% of the involvement. In addition, at least 5 hours of sleep medicine CME and 50 reported polysomnograms were completed every year. Please submit a letter of verification from the department head, division chairperson, or sleep medicine specialist to demonstrate eligibility. In addition, a logbook of cases, polysomnogram reports and CME activity should be kept and may be requested for review by the examination committee.
Exam Location
The location of each upcoming scheduled exam is listed on the World Sleep Society webpage. In addition to its posting on the web page, the exam’s exact address, date, and time will be sent by email to all individuals applying. If unforeseen major problems occur (for example, natural disasters, transportation strikes from and to location of exam, or local civil unrest), the exam will be postponed, the postponement will be announced on the World Sleep Society web site, and every effort to send this information to each candidate by e-mail.
NEW: Apply to administer the Sleep Specialist Exam through your Sleep Society.
Exam Description and Content
The exam contains all multiple-choice questions. The exam covers basic science, clinical science and clinical disorders related to sleep and its pathology. Candidates have up to 5 hours to complete the exam. On the day of the exam candidates will be provided with usernames and passwords to access the exam.
Examination Process and Grading
All other materials (i.e., bags, briefcases, backpacks, books, cellphones, etc.) are not allowed in the examination room. All such items must be put in secure containers before entering the examination room and will be retrieved upon exit. All exam tickets will be collected by the proctor once the exam is completed. Each examinee is provided a username. This username allows the grading to be conducted blind to the candidate’s identity. Members of the examination committee in charge of scoring the exam will only receive data identified by the username.
The exam committee will have a maximum of one month to score each exam. The exam committee will also statistically weight each question and based on this analysis may decide to nullify a question. Anonymous results of the exam will be provided to the executive committee of World Sleep Society that will approve the exam grades.
Results of the exam committee will be provided to the administrative director that will match the candidate-anonymous number to the identifying information. Each candidate will then be personally contacted by the administrative director of World Sleep Society by e-mail with the results. Candidates meeting or exceeding the passing criteria will receive a World Sleep Society certificate by email. World Sleep Society will publish the names of the World Sleep Society sleep medicine specialists.
Appeal Process
Any candidate may appeal the final pass/fail decision by sending an air-mail certified letter to the administrative director located at the World Sleep Society headquarters. The appeal will be reviewed by the executive committee with ad-hoc reviewers selected by the executive committee. A response will be provided within two months by certified mail to the candidate. No further appeal will be considered.