10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The DABPM exam has 125 questions and runs 6 hours 40 minutes.
These 10 free DABPM questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Board Certification in Podiatric Orthopedics and Primary Podiatric Medicine blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
During a biomechanical assessment for recurrent forefoot overload, ankle dorsiflexion measures 2 degrees with the knee extended and 17 degrees with the knee flexed. The examiner maintains the hindfoot in neutral and prevents compensatory midfoot motion in both positions. Which finding best explains this change?
Correct answer: D - Isolated gastrocnemius contracture
A parent asks whether a healthy 7-year-old needs custom orthoses to prevent flat feet in adulthood. The child runs and plays without pain. Both arches flatten during standing but reappear when seated and on tiptoe. Ankle motion and the neurologic examination are normal. What advice is appropriate for this family?
Correct answer: A - Reassure them that corrective treatment is unnecessary and allow unrestricted play.
Wider shoes have not relieved a patient's pain beneath the second metatarsophalangeal joint. The second toe has begun drifting medially and no longer rests firmly on the floor. Dorsal translation of its proximal phalanx is greater than on the opposite foot and reproduces the plantar joint pain. Compression of the adjacent interspace does not reproduce symptoms. Which lesion accounts most directly for the instability?
Correct answer: C - Rupture of the plantar plate at the second metatarsophalangeal joint
Three weeks after sharply increasing running mileage, an athlete develops deep heel pain that now occurs during ordinary walking. Mediolateral compression of the calcaneus reproduces the pain; the medial calcaneal tubercle is not tender. Initial radiographs are negative, and impact activity has been suspended. Which study best evaluates the suspected early bone stress injury?
Correct answer: C - MRI of the hindfoot without intravenous contrast
A randomized trial enrolls 400 adults with healed neuropathic plantar ulcers. Over 12 months, recurrent ulcers occur in 24 of 200 patients assigned to a prevention program and 48 of 200 assigned to usual care. Follow-up is complete. Which statement correctly translates the point estimate into a number needed to treat?
Correct answer: B - Treat 9 patients for 12 months to prevent one additional ulcer recurrence.
An urgent-care surface swab from a plantar ulcer in a patient with diabetes grows MRSA. At follow-up, the ulcer is shallow and granulating, with no surrounding erythema, warmth, swelling, purulence, or deep tracking. Perfusion is adequate, and the patient feels well. How should the culture result affect treatment?
Correct answer: A - Continue local wound care and offloading without adding antibiotics.
On the morning after elective forefoot surgery, a 56-year-old with type 2 diabetes develops nausea, abdominal discomfort, and deep, rapid breathing. The patient took empagliflozin and metformin until the morning of surgery and has eaten little for 18 hours. Glucose is 176 mg/dL, beta-hydroxybutyrate 5.2 mmol/L, bicarbonate 12 mmol/L, arterial pH 7.23, lactate 1.1 mmol/L, and creatinine 0.9 mg/dL. Which process best explains this laboratory pattern?
Correct answer: B - Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis
A 61-year-old with diabetes and loss of protective sensation presents with a warm, swollen, mildly erythematous midfoot that is only slightly painful. The skin is intact, pedal pulses are palpable, and there is no fever. Initial radiographs show preserved alignment without fracture or destruction. MRI can be obtained in three days. What should be done at today's visit?
Correct answer: B - Begin knee-high immobilization and offloading while arranging MRI.
"I wear the boot outdoors, but take it off around the house," says a patient whose neuropathic plantar metatarsal-head ulcer has changed little after four weeks. The removable knee-high walker fits properly. The ulcer has minimal drainage and no infection; toe systolic pressure is 78 mmHg. The patient walks steadily in the device and can attend weekly follow-up. Which change most directly addresses the failure of offloading?
Correct answer: A - Convert the fitted walker into a nonremovable knee-high device.
Four hours after a foot crush injury, pain continues to increase despite analgesia and removal of the splint. The foot is tense, passive toe motion is markedly painful, and plantar sensation is deteriorating. Pedal pulses remain palpable. Blood pressure is 126/64 mmHg, and pressure in a symptomatic compartment is 46 mmHg. Which response appropriately integrates these findings?
Correct answer: D - The perfusion pressure difference is 18 mmHg; proceed with immediate surgical decompression.
The DABPM exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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