Examinations
MOTE© Maintenance of Testamur in Echocardiography
MOTE© is an annual program that allows participants to maintain their Testamur status, replacing the NBE’s previous static ten-year recertification examinations (ReASCE, RePTE, and ReBasic PTE). The process is simple, flexible, and can be completed on mobile devices (app download required) or via Google Chrome.
Fees and Deadlines
| Enrollment Opens: | 11:00 AM EST on Monday, January 5, 2026 |
Price: 85 USD*
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| Enrollment Closes: | 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, November 19, 2026 |
NO EXCEPTIONS will be made beyond this deadline
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| Question Deadline: | 11:59 PM EST on December 31, 2026 | Questions will no longer be available to answer after this deadline. |
*For Testamurs within a preexisting 10-year cycle, you may enroll in MOTE free of charge.
Participation Requirement Categories:
Amnesty Opportunity – Testamurs who passed an NBE exam before December 31, 2014 :
Through December 31, 2027, NBE is offering a special Amnesty period for Testamurs with expired statuses. This limited-time opportunity allows you to reinstate your Testamur status simply by participating in MOTE – no need to retake the initial examination. After the amnesty window closes, the only way to regain Testamur status will be by sitting for the full examination again.
Testamurs who passed an NBE exam from January 1, 2015, through January 31, 2024:
NBE is honoring the original ten-year cycles. If your Testamur status is still valid, you do not need to participate in MOTE until January of the year after your expiration date.
Example: If your status expires on December 31, 2025, you would start MOTE in January 2026.
Testamurs who passed an NBE exam after January 31, 2024:
Beginning in February 2024, all candidates who pass an initial examination must enroll in and participate in MOTE starting the following January to maintain their status.
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The first year of participation is free.
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Starting in the second year, an annual fee of $85.00 will apply.
MOTE Enrollment Instructions
Enrollment in MOTE is a two-step process that must be completed each year before questions can be accessed: enrollment and activation.
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Enrollment – Create and complete a new application via your NBE profile by logging in at www.echoboards.org. This step ensures your annual participation is recorded and your NBE status is updated. You will need the following information to complete your enrollment:
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Up-to-date contact information in your NBE profile
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Documentation is not required to be uploaded for enrollment, but NBE reserves the right to request proof of eligibility.
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Activation – After enrolling, you must activate your aimeQED account, which is the platform where MOTE questions are completed.
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First-time participants: You will receive a welcome email with a link to activate your aimeQED account.
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Returning participants: If you have participated in a previous year, you will not receive a welcome email. Your aimeQED account will automatically reactivate by 10 AM Eastern Time the next day.
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- Once enrollment and activation are complete, your MOTE status can be viewed on your NBE profile and on NBE’s Physician Verification Search.
MOTE Question Portal
AimeQED is the platform where MOTE questions are completed. Access requires completing the two-step process first: enrollment through your NBE profile and activation of your aimeQED account.
If you have already completed both steps:
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Visit www.aimelearning.com using a Chrome browser, or
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Download the mobile app
Annual Enrollment Is Required
You must enroll in MOTE every year through your NBE profile before you can access any questions – even if you participated in previous years.
First-Time Participants:
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After enrolling via your NBE profile, you will receive a welcome email from donotreply@aimelearning.com by 8 AM ET the next day.
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This email contains instructions to activate your aimeQED account. You must complete activation before you can begin answering MOTE questions.
Returning Participants:
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You must still enroll each year by creating a new MOTE application through your NBE profile.
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You do not need to reactivate your aimeQED account. Access will automatically reactivate by 8 AM ET the day after enrollment.
Error Notes:
If you see one of the following errors when trying to log in to your aimeQED account, please review the information below:
“No questions available”
“You are not maintaining your MDT value”
These errors may appear if you participated in a previous year and logged into your aimeQED account before re-enrolling for the current year. Annual enrollment is required before you can access your MOCE/MOTE questions. Once you have re-enrolled, these errors will clear.
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Access to MOCE/MOTE in aimeQED will be unavailable from 12:00 AM on January 1 until enrollment reopens later in January. This downtime allows us to add new materials and improve the question-answering experience. During this period, you may see the same error messages noted above. Please be assured that your progress is safe and that you will be able to resume answering questions once you have re-enrolled.
Eligibility for MOTE Enrollment
Eligible physicians will have passed an initial NBE examination. Through December 31, 2027, NBE will allow physicians with expired Testamur statuses to enroll in MOTE without penalty. After this deadline, expired Testamurs must pass the initial examination again to regain a Testamur status.
Please see the additional MOTE enrollment requirement below:
- Testamurs must possess an active, unrestricted license to practice medicine
OR
- be enrolled and in good standing in a United States ACGME-accredited program
or equivalent.
Those who have passed an NBE exam AND achieved board certification status (NBE Diplomate) should instead enroll in Maintenance of Certification in Echocardiography (MOCE).
MOTE Question Format
MOTE was designed so that questions may be answered over time rather than all at once to promote continuous learning and knowledge retention. This enables personalized knowledge acquisition, assessment, and demonstration of proficiencies with minimal time commitment.
Content:
- 48 multiple choice questions available per year
- 12 questions will be released per quarter
- Any question left unanswered by December 31st will be marked incorrect
- A maximum of 12 questions may be answered per day
Content for MOTE is similar to the content outline generated for initial examinations. The questions have been developed to test only clinically relevant material in each category, prioritizing concepts that are commonly encountered in current state-of-the-art practice.
Requirements:
- You must complete enrollment by the enrollment deadline
- You must maintain an MDT value of 0.20 or higher
MDT Value Explained:
Measurement Decision Theory (MDT) estimates the probability that candidates are keeping their knowledge up-to-date based on their pattern of responses to questions. MOTE is not designed to be a pass-fail system, but rather to maintain in-depth knowledge and proficiency.
NBE requires an MDT value of 0.20 or higher to maintain an active Testamur status. When you first start MOTE, your MDT value will be set at 0.97. Whether using the web browser or mobile app to answer questions, you will be able to see your MDT value change in real-time as you answer questions.
Status Changes – What Happens if Requirements Are Not Met?
Testamurs who are required to participate in MOTE and do not meet the annual requirements by December 31 will move from “Active” to “Conditional” the following year.
If a Testamur fulfills the requirements while in Conditional status, their status will return to “Active” the next January.
If a Testamur fails to complete the requirements for a second consecutive year, their status will change to “Inactive.” Once Inactive, the only way to regain Testamur status is by taking and passing the initial examination again.
