NBME subject exam policies and procedures

Other Year 1 and Year 2 Examination Issues

Posting Exam Scores

Immediate draft scoring is available for most examinations. Official draft scores are posted to MYSOM after each written examination, consisting of a student's raw score, percentage, and items missed. Scores are posted no sooner than the afternoon of the second business day after the examination to allow for scoring, verification of results, and for students to complete required evaluations. Final scores are available after Course Directors and course faculty use available psychometric information and students' question citations to make decisions about whether to change the answer key.

Interpreting Scores

The percent score obtained on an examination(s) allows a student to ascertain his/her mastery of the material, and at the end of the course, to determine whether his/her performance is sufficient to pass the course. For a course with multiple examinations, a "danger" line of 70% is provided for each exam, whose purpose is to alert a student that continued performance at that level places the student at risk for failing the course. The danger line was developed using historical examination scores and is used to alert students, but should not be interpreted as the likely pass rate for the course.

Citing Examination Questions

Students are given one opportunity to identify examination questions which they feel are flawed or poorly written. At the completion of an examination, students may cite up to five questions for course directors and faculty to review as they make decisions to "drop" questions or to accept alternate answers. Ten minutes is allotted for citing questions at the end of the examination. Students are not permitted to contact individual faculty or course directors directly to lobby for changes to the answer key. Students taking make-up or remedial examinations cannot cite exam questions.

Requests for Hand Scoring of Examinations

Students who feel there is an error in their examination score my request a hand scoring of the examination by contacting the Director of Assessment. The hand scoring will insure that the electronic scoring has worked properly. Students are responsible for submitting an answer sheet that is complete and accurate.

In these cases, the hand scoring would confirm the student's score and that the electronic scoring worked as intended. The results of all objective examinations cannot be appealed, other than having the score verified through the hand scoring process. Students must report any testing irregularity at the time the examination is turned in to the proctors and prior to leaving the examination area.

Year 3 Examinations

There are three types of examinations, which the student may encounter while on required clerkships in the third and fourth year curriculum:

  • Oral, practical or objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) administered by the department or school.
  • Those that are written by School of Medicine faculty and are not returned because the faculty designates them as "protected" examinations.
  • Those that are "copyrighted" examinations developed by an external body and purchased for administration to medical students during the clerkship.
  • Unless specifically designated as an examination that will be returned to the student, written examinations during the clinical curriculum are either protected or copyrighted examinations. As such, the student has no right to retain these examinations, and possession of current copies of these examinations outside the testing room would violate School of Medicine Professionalism guidelines and University policy.

    All Year 3 Clerkships use the Subject Examinations available from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) as the written examination at the end of the clerkship. These examinations are the property of the NBME. They are scored by the NBME with results then reported to the School of Medicine. Because they are "copyrighted" examinations governed by NBME policies, students do not have the right to either retain or review them. For a fee, a student can request hand-scoring of a failed examination. Requests for hand-scoring should be directed to the Director of Assessment.

    Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

    Each Year 3 student, who has completed a minimum of 5 months of Year 3 coursework, participates in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) during Year 3. The OSCE is used to assess a student's clinical skills. The OSCE consists of a series of simulated clinical encounters during which students perform clinical tasks under the direct observation of faculty, proctors, and standardized patients. Examples of OSCE clinical stations include focused organ-system or regional examination; obtaining a history from a patient with a particular chief complaint; interpretation of x-rays, or other clinical data; construction of a management plan, writing a chart note, etc.

    The OSCE is graded to provide feedback about a student's clinical skills. The School of Medicine reserves the right to alter some, or all of a student's senior program based upon OSCE deficiencies. Participation in the OSCE, and the completion of any prescribed OSCE remediation, is a degree requirement. The MD degree may be withheld until all prescribed OSCE remediation is completed.