Instructions for Administering the Anesthesia Knowledge Test Series

See below for AKT Examination Administration Instructions, or to download them, click here.


The following instructions apply to all examinations in the Anesthesia Knowledge Test (AKT) series developed and maintained by the Inter-Hospital Study Group for Anesthesia Education (IHSGAE).

Program directors, program coordinators, examination proctors, and all other program staff involved in purchasing, supervising, and/or administering any AKT examinations are required to maintain the security of the examinations and to ensure that the examinations are administered under the standard condition outlined in this document.

Proctors must directly observe the computer screen when examinees make their final exit from the examination. This is described in more detail below.

The Terms and Conditions for the AKT Examination series apply to all examinees, program directors, program coordinators, examination proctors, and any other program staff that are involved in the administration of any AKT exams. Failure to abide by the Terms and Conditions may result in a program or an examinee being excluded from participation in the AKT examinations.

The following terms and conditions apply to all examinations in the Anesthesia Knowledge Test series (AKT-1 Pre-Test, AKT-1 Post-Test, AKT-6, AKT-24). All examination materials, including all questions, are the sole property of the Inter- Hospital Study Group for Anesthesia Education. Any copying, reproducing, photographing, memorizing and later reproducing, or disseminating questions is strictly prohibited. The Inter-Hospital Study Group reserves the right to pursue any and all legal remedies available in the event of violation of these terms and conditions. Penalties may include withholding examination results, barring the examinee from participation in examinations offered by the Inter-Hospital Study Group, and reporting the violation to the examinee’s residency program director and/or certifying board.


Examination Access

Following purchase of AKT examinations from the PSI AMP Secure Portal, the program director or coordinator will receive one e-mail for each candidate for whom an examination was purchased. The e-mail will include a URL for the examination and the username and password for the candidate. DO NOT provide this information to the candidates until they have entered the proctored examination room.


Examination Administration

  1. The examination must be administered under the conditions described in the following paragraphs. The validity of the results is dependent on the administration to all examinees under the same standard conditions.

  2. Candidates should have appropriate advance notice of the date and time of the examination.

  3. Adequate time should be scheduled for the examination. The time allotted for the AKT-1 and 6 examinations is 2 hours, and for the AKT-24 examination is 2.5 hours. In addition, there must be additional time to launch the examination and complete the registration process. An additional 15 minutes should be adequate for this.

  4. Appropriate computer hardware and internet access are required to take the examination.

    1. Any type of computer hardware capable of internet access and able to run one of the acceptable browsers may be used to take the examination. Programs may allow examinees to use personal devices, provided that the conditions listed in these instructions are followed. Desktop, laptop, or tablet devices can be used, provided the devices meet the connection and browser requirements. Devices with very small display screens (e.g., phones) will be a disadvantage to the examinee and should not be used.

    2. The computer hardware must have persistent internet access (hardwired or wireless). The connection speed should be at least 768 kbits per second.

    3. Acceptable browsers/versions include Internet Explorer 9.0 and above, Microsoft Edge 12 and above, Firefox 7.0 and above, Chrome 14 and above, Safari 4.0 and above.

  5. The room where the examination is administered should provide adequate space for each examinee, have adequate light, ventilation, and temperature. The room should be quiet and free from distractions.

  6. There should be no distractions or interruptions during the examination period.

  7. A sign stating: Examination in Progress, Do Not Disturb should be posted on all entrances to the examination room.

  8. Cellphones, pagers, or other communication devices must be turned off or put into a silent mode.

  9. The examination is a closed-book examination. No references or resources of any kind may be used during the examination.

  10. A proctor is required throughout the examination to ensure that the appropriate conditions and exam security are maintained.

  11. In the paragraphs below, screen captures have been included as examples of what the examinees will see. While most of the examples are from the AKT1 Pre-Test, the screens for the other examinations will be similar. Where differences will be seen, the differences are described.

  12. When all examinees have all been seated in the examination room, the proctor should instruct them to open an appropriate web browser on the device they will be using to take the examination and to confirm internet access.

  13. The proctor should then distribute the URL, username, and password information to each examinee.

    1. Instruct the examinee to launch the examination by entering the examination URL into their browser. The first screen to display will confirm that the internet connection and web browser meet the requirements for the examination.