Pediatric Dermatology Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts

Scope Check: Which Credential This Sheet Covers

This cheat sheet covers one credential only: the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) Pediatric Dermatology subspecialty certification. It is not the pediatric module of the general dermatology CORE exam, not AOBD certification, and not a continuing-certification assessment. If you want the conceptual background first, see What Is Pediatric Dermatology Certification? and the broader overview at Pediatric Dermatology Certification.

Everything below is drawn from ABD's published fellowship-curriculum, FAQ, calendar, and policy pages. Where the ABD has not published a number, such as an initial-exam passing score or domain weights, this sheet says so rather than guessing.

The Exam at a Glance

The practical implication of the dates is simple: the 2026 application window is closed, so anyone reading this in the fall of 2026 is planning for a future administration. For scheduling mechanics, read Pediatric Dermatology Exam Dates 2026. For the full fee picture beyond the exam itself, see Pediatric Dermatology Certification Cost 2026.

Eligibility Snapshot

ABD's fellowship-training page sets the gate. A candidate needs:

• An unrestricted US or Canadian medical or osteopathic license.
• Primary ABD dermatology certification.
• At least one year of ACGME-accredited pediatric dermatology fellowship completed after general dermatology training.
• For candidates without a prior postgraduate pediatric residency year, at least 80% of fellowship time devoted to clinical pursuits.

Board eligibility normally extends five years after fellowship. That five-year window is worth writing on a sticky note if you are doing a research-heavy fellowship and might delay the exam. A fuller walkthrough lives in Pediatric Dermatology Requirements 2026, and the training pathway itself is discussed in Pediatric Dermatology Training.

The 15-Heading Curriculum Map

ABD's fellowship curriculum page lists eight Clinical Core Curriculum headings and seven Didactic Curriculum headings. They are reproduced here as fifteen domains. One caution carries through this entire sheet: these are unweighted preparation-curriculum topics. They are not published initial-exam objectives, they do not establish an official count of exam domains, and they do not promise exhaustive coverage of the test. Treat them as a map of what a pediatric dermatology fellow is expected to have experienced and learned, then convert that into knowledge you can be tested on. The companion piece Pediatric Dermatology Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 15 Content Areas goes deeper on each heading.

Disease Topics the ABD Lists Explicitly

Within the curriculum, the ABD names a long list of disease categories. This is the single most useful checklist on the page for a content review:

• All forms of dermatitis
• Papulosquamous diseases
• Bullous diseases
• Viral, bacterial, and fungal skin infections
• Skin infestations
• Drug reactions
• Genodermatoses
• Developmental anomalies
• Neonatal skin disorders
• Disorders of cornification
• Hair and nail disorders
• Acne
• Skin malignancies
• Connective tissue diseases
• Granulomatous diseases
• Vascular anomalies
• Melanocytic lesions
• Psychocutaneous disease
• Child abuse
• Skin signs of systemic disease
• Photosensitivity disease

Where the pediatric flavor shows up

Several of these categories deserve extra attention because their pediatric versions differ from what you saw in adult-focused training:

• Neonatal skin disorders and developmental anomalies: distinguishing benign transient neonatal eruptions from conditions that need urgent workup.
• Genodermatoses: recognizing the cutaneous clue that points to a syndrome, then knowing which organ systems to screen.
• Vascular anomalies: separating tumors from malformations, knowing which warrant treatment or imaging, and connecting laser therapy to the right lesion types.
• Child abuse: recognizing patterns that raise concern and the mimics that do not. This category is explicitly named in the curriculum, so do not skip it.
• Skin signs of systemic disease: the dermatologist as diagnostician for rheumatologic, metabolic, and oncologic conditions presenting in childhood.

For a structured approach to retaining all of this, the Pediatric Dermatology Study Guide 2026 pairs well with this sheet.

Diagnostic and Procedural Topics

The ABD curriculum also expressly lists hands-on diagnostic and procedural content. These supporting topics do not create additional official exam domains, but they are fair game as the "what would you do next" stem in a vignette.

These map neatly onto Domain 7 (Pediatric Dermatologic Surgery), Domain 8 (Laser Surgery), and the diagnostic reasoning tested under Domain 12 (Pediatric Dermatology).

Reading the Pass-Rate Numbers Correctly

The pass-rate data for this exam rests on very small cohorts, and the source detail matters. Here is what ABD publishes:

Do not treat the 23 total candidates for 2024 as the first-time denominator. The 22-candidate figure on the live first-time-results table is the first-time cohort, and the difference reflects total versus first-time test takers. With cohorts this small, a single result moves the percentage noticeably, so avoid over-reading year-to-year changes. For a fuller discussion, see Pediatric Dermatology Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and How Hard Is the Pediatric Dermatology Exam?

After You Pass: Continuous Certification

Older ABD pages still describe a ten-year certificate with additional subspecialty CertLink modules. ABD's explicit 2026 Verification for Credentialers policy supersedes that: certification is continuous, with no end date, conditional on participating in continuing certification. Here is what that participation looks like:

• Maintain your primary dermatology certification and an unrestricted US or Canadian license.
• Participate in CertLink, which delivers 13 new questions per quarter, with one quarterly sabbatical allowed per year. There is no extra subspecialty question requirement.
• Complete one practice-improvement activity every five years.
• Pay the USD 150 annual fee, which covers all ABD certificates.

The five-year assessment cycle evaluates performance after four years, and the fifth year serves as a holiday or catch-up year depending on results. That cycle is not a fixed certificate expiration term. Also note that beginning January 2026, separate CME totals no longer need to be reported to ABD, although state or other CME obligations remain your responsibility.

Salary Context Without the Hype

The only compensation figure verified for this article comes from the Society for Pediatric Dermatology's 2025 Pediatric Dermatology Physician Compensation Report (dated October 14, 2025). Table 9.1 reports a median base compensation of USD 342,500 for its full-time new-hire subgroup of 22 respondents. Read that carefully: it is a snapshot of a small subgroup, not a national salary for all pediatric dermatologists, and it does not demonstrate that certification causes a pay premium.

If you are weighing the credential financially, combine this with the fee and ongoing-cost details in Pediatric Dermatology Salary Guide 2026, the decision framework in Is the Pediatric Dermatology Certification Worth It?, and the hiring landscape in Pediatric Dermatology Jobs. Typical employers for this subspecialty include children's hospitals, academic medical centers, and pediatric-focused dermatology practices.

Scheduling the Curriculum Around the Domains

Rather than a generic weekly template, sequence your review so each phase builds on the one before it. The order below follows how the domains depend on each other.

Use the main practice test site for timed question blocks, and revisit domain-level gaps afterward. If you want a bigger-picture plan, the study guide expands on pacing and review cycles.

Frequently Asked Questions