- What OB-1T Certification Actually Is
- Who Issues It and How It Is Delivered
- Eligibility and Prerequisites
- The Two Required Components
- The Five Content Domains
- Pathology You Need to Recognize
- Fees, Windows and Retakes
- Validity and Renewal
- Who Benefits From It
- Sequencing Your Preparation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- OB-1T is the site's label for the POCUS Obstetrics/First Trimester Certification issued by the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy, part of Inteleos.
- You must pass two components: a Clinical Case Assessment of 7 simulated cases and a separate Peer Evaluation.
- Diagnostic Findings (36%) and Sonographic Findings (30%) make up 66% of the Clinical Case Assessment.
- The standard clinical fee is USD 150; the certification is valid for 5 years with a USD 50 renewal.
What OB-1T Certification Actually Is
OB-1T is the shorthand this site uses for the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Obstetrics/First Trimester Certification. It is a clinical credential for practicing healthcare professionals who use bedside ultrasound to evaluate early pregnancy: confirming an intrauterine pregnancy, recognizing ectopic or failing pregnancies, and documenting findings that guide urgent decisions.
One clarification matters up front. "OB-1T" is a retained site identifier, not an issuer-assigned exam code and not a post-nominal you would place after your name. The credential you earn is the issuer's first-trimester obstetrics POCUS certificate. If you have seen the same letters attached to unrelated credentials elsewhere, set those aside; everything here concerns first-trimester obstetric point-of-care ultrasound only.
The certification is also deliberately narrow. It is not an obstetric essentials credential, a second- or third-trimester credential, a maternal-fetal health specialty bundle, or a sonographer registry exam such as an RDMS OB/GYN pathway. It tests whether you can acquire, interpret, and act on first-trimester images at the point of care.
For related definitions, see our explainers on what OB-1T is, what OB-1T stands for, and the broader OB-1T certification overview.
Who Issues It and How It Is Delivered
The certification is administered by the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy, part of Inteleos. Assessment is delivered online through myPOCUS and its learning management system rather than at a physical testing center. Candidates agree to a confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement, so the actual case content is not something any legitimate preparation resource can reproduce.
The online format has a practical advantage: the issuer's FAQ permits you to stop and resume online assessments. Combined with the 90-day completion window described below, this gives you scheduling flexibility that a fixed-seat exam does not.
Eligibility and Prerequisites
This is a practice-based credential, so eligibility centers on what you actually do clinically. The core requirements are:
- Professional standing: a healthcare professional in good standing who is actively practicing in the relevant clinical area.
- Case experience: an attestation 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 a combined total of 25, not 25 of each approach.
- Peer evaluators: at least 2 healthcare-provider peers with an ultrasound clinical background who know your relevant scanning abilities.
- POCUS Fundamentals: required unless waived by an SPI examination passed within 5 years or a current qualifying ARDMS or APCA credential.
The Fundamentals relationship has one subtlety worth understanding. Fundamentals itself does not expire, but program policy requires you to earn your first content-specific certificate within 3 years of Fundamentals or reapply for Fundamentals. That is a progression rule, not a 3-year expiry of the Fundamentals credential, and it no longer applies once you have earned and appropriately maintained a content-specific certificate. For the full checklist, read our OB-1T requirements guide.
The Two Required Components
Many candidates assume this is a single exam. It is not. You must pass both of the following.
Component 1: Clinical Case Assessment
The Clinical Case Assessment consists of 7 simulated clinical cases. That figure is a case count, not a question count. Within the cases, you will encounter multiple-choice questions and interactive image-hotspot questions, where you identify a structure or finding directly on an ultrasound image. A fixed total number of questions, a numeric passing mark, and a credential-specific pass rate were not verified in the public sources reviewed, so be skeptical of any site that states them confidently. Our pages on the passing score and pass rate explain what can and cannot be said.
Component 2: Peer Evaluation
The Peer Evaluation assesses practical scanning ability through questionnaires completed by your peer evaluators. It has 7 evenly weighted criteria:
- Diagnostic Quality
- Gain
- Depth
- Views
- Measurement
- Pathology
- M-Mode
The first 2 completed peer questionnaires determine the peer result. This means your choice of evaluators matters: select colleagues who have genuinely watched you scan and can speak to your image optimization and technique. These seven criteria are not additional exam domains; they describe how peers rate your hands-on work.
The Five Content Domains
The issuer's content outline lists five weighted objectives for the Clinical Case Assessment. These weights total 100% for that assessment only, not for the whole two-component credential. Notice how heavily the exam favors interpretation over simple view recognition.
| Domain | Weight | Emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Domain 1: Standard POCUS Views | 7% | Acquiring and recognizing standard windows |
| Domain 2: Anatomical Features | 23% | Identifying normal early-pregnancy structures |
| Domain 3: Sonographic Findings | 30% | Describing what the image shows |
| Domain 4: Diagnostic Findings | 36% | Translating findings into a diagnosis |
| Domain 5: OB/First Trimester Pathologies | 4% | Recognizing named pathologic conditions |
Domain 4: Diagnostic Findings (36%)
The largest domain asks you to reach a conclusion, not merely describe an image. Expect to decide what a constellation of findings means for the pregnancy.
- Distinguishing a confirmed intrauterine pregnancy from a pregnancy of unknown location
- Separating possible pregnancy failure from definitive pregnancy failure
- Recognizing when findings are concerning for ectopic or heterotopic pregnancy
Domain 3: Sonographic Findings (30%)
This domain rewards precise image vocabulary and measurement discipline.
- Gestational sac, yolk sac, and embryonic or fetal pole characteristics
- Presence or absence of cardiac activity and how it is documented
- Free fluid, adnexal findings, and uterine contents
Domain 2: Anatomical Features (23%)
Hotspot questions make this domain tangible: you may need to click the correct structure on an image.
- Uterus, endometrium, cervix, and adnexa in both transabdominal and transvaginal planes
- Ovaries and the cul-de-sac as landmarks for free fluid
- Early gestational structures and their expected appearance
Domains 1 and 5 together account for only 11%, but do not neglect them: standard views underpin everything else, and the named pathologies feed directly into Domain 4 reasoning. Our complete domains guide goes deeper on each area.
Pathology You Need to Recognize
The issuer publishes a non-exhaustive list of pathology examples. Treat it as a minimum, not a ceiling:
- 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
Pay particular attention to the issuer's separate categories. Possible pregnancy failure and definitive pregnancy failure are distinct, and so are complete and incomplete pregnancy loss. A common preparation mistake is to collapse these into a single "miscarriage" bucket. The exam expects you to recognize what makes a finding merely suspicious versus diagnostic, because that distinction drives whether a clinician repeats the scan or acts.
Fees, Windows and Retakes
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard clinical certification fee | USD 150 (reductions offered for eligible countries) |
| POCUS Fundamentals (when required) | USD 125 |
| Combined initial issuer fees | USD 275 only when both must be purchased, excluding optional courses |
| Completion window | 90 days from purchase to finish both components |
| Renewal | USD 50 every 5 years |
The 90-day figure is an access and completion window, not a timed exam sitting or a practical-assessment duration. It is also not a course-hour requirement. You have 90 days to complete the case assessment and gather your peer questionnaires, so line up your evaluators early. See the OB-1T certification cost breakdown for budgeting detail and exam dates and scheduling for timing.
Retake rules
- You have 2 total content-specific assessment attempts before a 1-year waiting period applies.
- A 30-day wait follows an unsuccessful attempt.
- A retake application and fee are required; the retake fee amount was not verified, so check the issuer before planning.
- Apply for a retake within 90 days of failure. Any component you initially passed is retained for the first retake application.
That last point is encouraging: if you pass the case assessment but your peer result falls short, you do not necessarily repeat everything.
Validity and Renewal
The certification is valid for 5 years. Clinical renewal requires an attestation of active practice and good standing, the relevant knowledge check, and a USD 50 fee. Specialty-only professional-development points do not apply to this individual clinical certification, and the issuer's policy and maintenance pages differ on specialty point totals, so no such total belongs in your planning for this credential. Verify current requirements on the issuer's maintenance page before your renewal date.
Who Benefits From It
The credential suits clinicians who perform early-pregnancy ultrasound as part of their routine work. Typical roles include:
- Emergency physicians and emergency-department advanced practice providers evaluating pelvic pain and bleeding
- Obstetrics and gynecology clinicians using bedside ultrasound in clinic or triage
- Family medicine and urgent care clinicians who see early-pregnancy complaints
- Rural and resource-limited practitioners where formal imaging is not immediately available
Be realistic about career claims. No credential-specific pay increase is documented, and compensation depends on your role, employer, and setting rather than on this certificate alone. Treat the credential as evidence of verified competency that may support credentialing and privileging conversations. Our salary guide, jobs overview, and worth-it analysis take a role-based view.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Because the two components test different things, sequence your preparation around them rather than studying generically. Start your peer-evaluator conversations immediately, since their availability is outside your control. Then use the domain weights to allocate effort.
Anatomy and standard views
- Review normal uterine, adnexal, and cul-de-sac anatomy in both approaches (Domains 1 and 2)
- Confirm your 25-case attestation and secure two peer evaluators
Sonographic findings
- Drill sac, yolk sac, pole, and cardiac activity descriptions (Domain 3)
- Practice M-Mode documentation, gain, and depth adjustments
Diagnostic reasoning and pathology
- Work scenario-style cases on ectopic, heterotopic, molar, torsion, and loss categories (Domains 4 and 5)
- Separate possible from definitive pregnancy failure explicitly
Keep the full 90-day completion window in mind and avoid purchasing until your evaluators are ready. For deeper planning, see the OB-1T study guide, the cheat sheet, and our assessment of how hard the exam is. You can also try first trimester ultrasound practice questions on the main practice test site, and explore OB-1T training options.
Key Takeaway
Weight your effort toward interpretation. Two-thirds of the Clinical Case Assessment sits in Diagnostic and Sonographic Findings, so practice explaining what an image means, not just naming structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
It covers first-trimester obstetric point-of-care ultrasound: standard views, anatomy, sonographic findings, diagnostic reasoning, and named pathologies such as ectopic pregnancy and molar pregnancy. It does not cover second or third trimester imaging.
The assessment uses 7 simulated clinical cases, which is a case count rather than a question count. A fixed total number of questions was not verified in the public sources reviewed, so none is stated here.
Yes. Your 25 attested cases must include a combination of both approaches, but the requirement is a combined total of 25, not 25 of each.
It is valid for 5 years. Renewal requires an active-practice and good-standing attestation, the relevant knowledge check, and a USD 50 fee.
You may make 2 total content-specific attempts before a 1-year waiting period, with a 30-day wait after an unsuccessful attempt. Apply for a retake within 90 days of failure; a component you already passed is retained for the first retake application. The retake fee amount was not verified, so confirm it with the issuer.