Find a Lawyer Get Certified FAQ's Forms Exam Guides Newsletter Links Board Members Contact Specialization Profiles Home

Social Security Disability Law Exam Review

Subject Matter Covered

(A) Title II and Title XVI of the Social Security Act;

(B) Federal practice and procedure in Social Security disability cases;

(C) Medical proof of disability;

(D) Vocational aspects of disability;

(E) Workers' compensation offset;

(F) Eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid;

(G) Eligibility for Social Security retirement and survivors benefits;

(H) Interaction of Social Security benefits with employee benefits (e.g., long term disability and back pay);

(I) Equal Access to Justice Act; and

(J) Fee collection and other ethical issues in Social Security practice.

Nature of Examination

The exam will be 6 hours in length, split between a morning session from 9 a.m. to noon and an afternoon session from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The examination will consist of a mixture of multiple choice questions, short answer questions and essay questions. See information about each year's examination.

Study Guide

The following are suggested for study:

1) Title II and Title XVI of the Social Security Act

2) The Equal Access to Justice Act

3) Social Security Regulations, particularly Subparts J and P of Regulation No. 4 (procedure and determination of disability) and Appendices 1 and 2 to Subpart P (the listings and "grid"regulations)

4) Dictionary of Occupational Titles

5) Social Security Training Materials on Earnings Records and Determining Insured Status -- available through this website as PDF files.

In general, an attorney with the experience needed to take the examination would probably have sufficient medical knowledge to answer the questions on the examination that require medical knowledge. If an attorney wishes to study for questions that require medical knowledge, the following may be helpful.

6) The Merck Manual

7) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM IV-TR), published by the American Psychiatric Association

8) A dictionary of medical acronyms, such as M.F. DeLong, Medical Acronyms, Eponyms and Abbreviations (4th edition).