- What This Credential Is (and Is Not)
- The One-Page Fact Grid
- Eligibility and Prerequisites at a Glance
- Two Components, Both Must Pass
- Domain Weights and Where the Points Are
- Sonographic Findings: The 30% Block
- Diagnostic Findings: The 36% Block
- Published Pathology Examples
- The Seven Peer Evaluation Criteria
- Fees, Windows, Retakes and Renewal
- A Domain-Ordered Review Schedule
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Diagnostic Findings (36%) and Sonographic Findings (30%) together make up 66% of the Clinical Case Assessment.
- The assessment uses 7 simulated clinical cases, with multiple-choice and interactive image-hotspot questions; it is not a 7-question test.
- You must pass both the case assessment and a Peer Evaluation; the first 2 completed peer questionnaires decide the peer result.
- Complete both components within 90 days of purchase; the standard clinical fee is USD 150.
What This Credential Is (and Is Not)
This cheat sheet covers the POCUS - Obstetrics - First Trimester (OB-1T) credential: the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Obstetrics/First Trimester Certification offered through the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy, part of Inteleos. "OB-1T" is the identifier this site uses for the program; it is not a post-nominal you are awarded after passing, and it is not an issuer-assigned exam code.
The scope is the standalone first-trimester clinical certification. It is not the OB Essentials template, not a second- or third-trimester credential, not the Maternal Fetal Health specialty bundle, and not a sonographer registry exam. If you want the broader orientation first, start with What Is OB-1T Certification? and then return here for the compressed review.
The One-Page Fact Grid
| Item | What to Remember |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy (Inteleos) |
| Delivery | Online, through myPOCUS and its learning management system |
| Assessment | 7 simulated clinical cases (multiple-choice plus image-hotspot questions) |
| Second component | Peer Evaluation of practical abilities |
| Pass rule | Both components must be passed |
| Completion window | 90 days from purchase |
| Standard fee | USD 150 (reductions for eligible countries) |
| Fundamentals fee, if required | USD 125 (USD 275 combined initial issuer fees) |
| Validity | 5 years |
| Renewal | Attestation, knowledge check and USD 50 |
Two items are deliberately absent from the grid: a fixed total question count and a numeric passing mark. Neither appears in the public sources reviewed, so treat any number you see quoted elsewhere with suspicion. For a fuller discussion of what is and is not known, see OB-1T Passing Score 2026 and OB-1T Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Eligibility and Prerequisites at a Glance
The issuer expects you to be a healthcare professional in good standing and actively practicing in the relevant clinical area. The checklist is short but easy to get wrong:
- Case attestation: attest that you performed and participated in the interpretation of at least 25 obstetrics/first-trimester POCUS cases within the preceding 2 years.
- Scanning mix: those 25 cases must include a combination of transvaginal and transabdominal scanning. The requirement is not 25 cases of each approach.
- Fundamentals: POCUS Fundamentals is required unless waived, either by an SPI examination passed within 5 years or a current qualifying ARDMS/APCA credential.
- Peer evaluators: provide at least 2 healthcare-provider peer evaluators with an ultrasound clinical background who know your relevant scanning abilities.
Two Components, Both Must Pass
Clinical Case Assessment
The case assessment is built around 7 simulated clinical cases. Within the cases, expect multiple-choice questions and interactive image-hotspot questions, where you identify or mark structures or findings on an image rather than choosing a letter. The "7" is a case count, not a question count, so do not plan around a seven-question test.
The issuer allows you to stop and resume online assessments, and you must agree to a confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement. That means no sharing of case content, and it is also why legitimate prep resources use original teaching scenarios rather than recalled items.
Peer Evaluation
The Peer Evaluation is a separate component assessing practical scanning abilities. The first 2 completed peer questionnaires determine the peer result, so choose evaluators who have watched you scan recently and can speak to specific skills. Brief them on the criteria listed later in this article.
Key Takeaway
Do not treat the Peer Evaluation as a formality. A candidate can know the case material cold and still be delayed if the first two completed peer questionnaires are weak or slow to arrive, so recruit and brief your evaluators early.
Domain Weights and Where the Points Are
The five domains are the official weighted objectives for the Clinical Case Assessment only. Their weights total 100% of that assessment, not of the entire two-component credential. The source is the issuer's OB/First Trimester Content Outline, a one-page PDF with no printed revision date.
| Domain | Weight | Review Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Domain 1: Standard POCUS Views | 7% | Quick refresh |
| Domain 2: Anatomical Features | 23% | Solid foundation |
| Domain 3: Sonographic Findings | 30% | High |
| Domain 4: Diagnostic Findings | 36% | Highest |
| Domain 5: OB/First Trimester Pathologies | 4% | Targeted recall |
The arithmetic is the whole strategy: Diagnostic Findings (36%) plus Sonographic Findings (30%) equals 66%. Roughly two-thirds of the case assessment rewards interpreting what you see and deciding what it means. For a domain-by-domain breakdown, see OB-1T Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Standard POCUS Views (7%) and Domain 2: Anatomical Features (23%)
These two domains are the grammar of the exam. If you cannot name what you are looking at, the higher-weighted domains fall apart.
- Know the standard transabdominal and transvaginal windows and what each can and cannot show in early pregnancy.
- Recognize uterine and adnexal anatomy, including ovaries and the relationship of the pelvic structures.
- Identify early gestational anatomy as it appears in the first trimester.
- Be ready for image-hotspot items that ask you to locate a structure directly on the image.
Sonographic Findings: The 30% Block
This domain is about describing what is on the screen. Think observation before conclusion: what is present, where is it, and what are its features.
Domain 3: Sonographic Findings (30%)
Candidates must be able to describe the appearance of early pregnancy structures and abnormal findings in precise terms.
- Location of a gestational sac relative to the endometrial cavity, and what structures are visible within it.
- Presence or absence of expected early features at the stage the case describes.
- Free fluid and adnexal findings, described in terms of where they are and how they look.
- Cardiac activity assessment, including how M-mode documents it (M-mode is also one of the Peer Evaluation criteria).
- Image-quality judgment: whether gain, depth and view are adequate to support a finding.
A useful habit is to separate the sentence "I see X" from the sentence "therefore Y." Domain 3 rewards the first sentence; Domain 4 rewards the second.
Diagnostic Findings: The 36% Block
The largest domain asks you to move from findings to a clinical interpretation. This is where careful categories matter most.
Domain 4: Diagnostic Findings (36%)
Given a simulated case, decide what the findings mean and which diagnostic category fits.
- Distinguish an intrauterine pregnancy from an ectopic pregnancy and recognize when the picture is still indeterminate.
- Recognize the possibility of heterotopic pregnancy, even when one intrauterine gestation is clearly seen.
- Separate "possible pregnancy failure" from "definitive pregnancy failure." The issuer lists these as distinct categories, so do not collapse them.
- Separate complete from incomplete abortion by what remains in the uterine cavity.
- Differentiate single from multiple intrauterine gestation, and early pregnancy from a possible pregnancy that cannot yet be confirmed.
Published Pathology Examples
Domain 5 carries only 4% of the case assessment, but the issuer's published pathology list is a useful vocabulary checklist for every other domain. The list is explicitly non-exhaustive, so treat it as a minimum:
- Complete abortion
- Definitive pregnancy failure
- Early pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Heterotopic pregnancy
- Incomplete abortion
- Single and multiple intrauterine gestation
- Molar pregnancy
- Ovarian torsion
- Possible pregnancy failure
Notice that "complete abortion" and "incomplete abortion" appear alongside "definitive pregnancy failure" and "possible pregnancy failure." These are separate published entries. When you build flashcards, make one card per issuer category rather than merging them into a generic "miscarriage" card.
The Seven Peer Evaluation Criteria
The Peer Evaluation scores seven evenly weighted criteria. They do not add to the five-domain count; they belong to a separate component:
- Diagnostic Quality
- Gain
- Depth
- Views
- Measurement
- Pathology
- M-Mode
Evaluators with an ultrasound clinical background will be looking at practical habits: optimizing gain and depth, obtaining the right views, taking measurements correctly, recognizing pathology, and documenting cardiac activity with M-mode. Before you send questionnaires out, run through your own scanning against these seven items. Clinical video submissions that appear on the shared outline apply only to specialty certifications, not to this standalone clinical certification.
Fees, Windows, Retakes and Renewal
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Initial fee | USD 150 standard; eligible-country reductions are offered |
| Fundamentals (if required) | USD 125; USD 275 combined initial issuer fees, excluding optional courses |
| Completion window | Both components within 90 days of purchase (an access window, not a timed sitting) |
| Retake limits | 2 total content-specific attempts before a 1-year waiting period |
| Wait after a failed attempt | 30 days |
| Retake application | Required, with a fee (amount not verified); apply within 90 days of failure |
| Retake carry-over | An initially passed component is retained for the first retake application |
| Validity | 5 years |
| Renewal | Active-practice/good-standing attestation, knowledge check, USD 50 |
The retake carry-over rule is worth remembering: if you pass the Peer Evaluation but miss the case assessment, the passed component is retained when you apply for the first retake. For full cost context, including what is optional, see OB-1T Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. Scheduling questions are covered in OB-1T Exam Dates 2026.
If you are weighing the credential against your career plans, keep expectations role-based. The public sources do not support a credential-specific pay increase, so treat any salary figure you see attached to this certification as unverified. The balanced discussion is in Is the OB-1T Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and OB-1T Salary Guide 2026.
A Domain-Ordered Review Schedule
Because the weights are so lopsided, order your review by weight and by dependency, and keep the 90-day purchase window in mind when you decide when to buy. A four-week sequence that follows the domain structure:
Views and Anatomy (Domains 1 and 2)
- Review standard transabdominal and transvaginal windows.
- Practice labeling pelvic and early gestational anatomy on images.
Sonographic Findings (Domain 3)
- Practice describing findings before naming a diagnosis.
- Review M-mode documentation of cardiac activity.
Diagnostic Findings (Domain 4)
- Work case scenarios that force a category choice.
- Drill possible versus definitive pregnancy failure and complete versus incomplete abortion.
Pathology Vocabulary and Peer Prep (Domain 5)
- Run through the published pathology list.
- Brief your peer evaluators on the seven criteria and confirm they will respond promptly.
For a fuller plan and tactics, see the OB-1T Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for an honest read on difficulty, How Hard Is the OB-1T Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026. When you are ready to test yourself on case-style items, the OB-1T practice test site offers original scenarios in this format, and you can compare your results against the domain table above to see which block needs work.
Frequently Asked Questions
The public sources describe 7 simulated clinical cases, each with multiple-choice and interactive image-hotspot questions. A fixed total question count was not verified, so the 7 should be read as a case count, not a question count.
Diagnostic Findings at 36% and Sonographic Findings at 30%, together 66% of the Clinical Case Assessment. Standard POCUS Views (7%), Anatomical Features (23%) and OB/First Trimester Pathologies (4%) make up the rest.
No. You attest to at least 25 first-trimester POCUS cases in the preceding 2 years, and those cases must include a combination of transvaginal and transabdominal scanning. It is 25 cases total, not 25 of each approach.
A 30-day wait follows an unsuccessful attempt, and you must submit a retake application and fee within 90 days of the failure. Two total content-specific attempts are allowed before a 1-year waiting period, and a component you already passed is retained for the first retake application.
The certification is valid for 5 years. Renewal requires an active-practice and good-standing attestation, the relevant knowledge check and a USD 50 fee. For the broader picture of what the credential is and where it fits, see OB-1T Certification and What Is OB-1T?.