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Does anyone know the details of these exams. Are they like the MCAT, timed, multiple tests, really hard...
How do they compare the real board exams?
How do they compare the real board exams?
NBME format
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Assuming you are talking about the "shelf" exams, right?
They are 125 questions, multiple choice, and you are given a set amount of time to finish. For example, I just took the Pharmacology, Pathology, and Intro to Clinical Diagnosis "shelf" exams last week. For each, we were given 2 1/2 hours (150 minutes) to complete the 125 questions. Most of the multiple choice exams have 5 responses to choose from. Some have more (a few had 8 or 9). Some required calculations (not many) and/or reviewing lab data. The lab normals are listed in the front and back cover.
On the Physio and Micro shelf exams, there are 25 additional supplemental questions you may be asked to complete. We had to do the Immunology supplement on the Micro shelf and were given an additional half-hour to complete those 25 questions.
These are written exams where you "bubble-in" your answers on an optical scan form. Step I is now computerized, so it's a slightly different "feel", if you will.
Are they hard? Well, that all depends on how much you've studied.
Seriously, the review books (BRS, Lippincott, etc.) are geared towards focusing in on the information that is tested on each. Personally, I've found the Lippincott review series (Biochem, Micro, and Pharm) to be spot-on in covering exactly what's tested.Hope that helps.
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Heh, I thought he was talking about the NBME's USMLE exams!
Must get sleep.... must get sleep!
Must get sleep.... must get sleep!
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Does anyone know exactly what the numbers you get back on the NBME tests mean. I got a 72 on the Biochemistry shelf exam a few months ago and the class average was about the same. Anyway, what exactly does the number mean. I'm pretty sure it's not a percentage as I don't think I got that many right, and I know it's not a percentile. Is it just some arbitrary number like an MCAT score? Anyway, I've got to take the Cell Biology and Histology shelf exam this Friday. It may determine whether I even pass the class or not!
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No one really knows except the NBME. The rumor is that there are only a few versions of each exam and that they are updated yearly. So, depending on your school, you get sent a particular exam. Everyone in your class takes the same exam, though.
The NBME is fairly secretive on exactly how the test is scored, and there's no real definitive way of verifying this.
Originally posted by orthoman5000
Does anyone know exactly what the numbers you get back on the NBME tests mean. I got a 72 on the Biochemistry shelf exam a few months ago and the class average was about the same. Anyway, what exactly does the number mean. I'm pretty sure it's not a percentage as I don't think I got that many right, and I know it's not a percentile. Is it just some arbitrary number like an MCAT score? Anyway, I've got to take the Cell Biology and Histology shelf exam this Friday. It may determine whether I even pass the class or not!
Don't worry, a 72 is a good score. The tests are geared so that the national average is 70 (I don't know where I read this before, but I believe the info is out there somewhere... again, the NBME is pretty secretive). Anything above a 70 is, therefore, above the U.S. national average. Most medical schools will only fail you if you get below a 60 (some have even lower fail scores).
As far as it being a percentage, I'm not sure. If personal experience is any guide, it likely is because when I walked out of the Behavioral Science "shelf", I felt like I'd done really well. Before the test was finished, I went back through and tried to figure out the ones that I was fairly certain I'd gotten wrong, as well as the ones that I knew for certain I'd gotten correct, and then calculate my score. It was very close to the actual score I got, which was an 88. Likewise, there are apparently "test" questions in various versions that the NBME rotates in, but don't count towards your score, which are used for statistical/future test purposes to see whether or not students get the material right. (Again, I read this somewhere... I can try to find it if anyone needs for me to try to corroborate this, i.e. don't completely take my word for it because no one except the NBME really knows how the test is administered and scored.)
You can Google to see what other institutions grading policy is with regards to the "shelf" exams. Some of them actually post their policies on their websites.
The USMLE is a different beast altogether and clearly the 3-point and 2-point scores do not reflect raw or percentage scores, respectively. For example, for any given Step I, you need only get between 55-60% of the questions correct to get the minimum passing score.
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O.K. speaking of NBME's after the test I just finished I really will have to do well on it in order to pass my Microanatomy class, so anyone have any study tips?
The policy of our microanatomy class at UAMS concerning the NBME is this. You determine the class average on all tests prior to the NBME (eg. 85%). Then you take the class average on the NBME (eg. 70 whatever that number really means). In this example everyone would receive a 15 point curve on their NBME, so the guy scoring an 88 on the NBME would actually get 103% of the points possible for the shelf exam and the guy scoring 60 on the NBME would get 75% of the points possible on the final exam. For our course the NBME counts for 15% of the final grade. So it looks for me to pass the class I have to get 83% of the points possible for the NBME (83=NBME score + curve).
So I guess I have my work cut out for me. Any ideas on how to study for this test?
I HATE HISTOLOGY
The policy of our microanatomy class at UAMS concerning the NBME is this. You determine the class average on all tests prior to the NBME (eg. 85%). Then you take the class average on the NBME (eg. 70 whatever that number really means). In this example everyone would receive a 15 point curve on their NBME, so the guy scoring an 88 on the NBME would actually get 103% of the points possible for the shelf exam and the guy scoring 60 on the NBME would get 75% of the points possible on the final exam. For our course the NBME counts for 15% of the final grade. So it looks for me to pass the class I have to get 83% of the points possible for the NBME (83=NBME score + curve).
So I guess I have my work cut out for me. Any ideas on how to study for this test?
I HATE HISTOLOGY
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There are mutliple versions of each shelf test. I think the school has the option of getting the same test for everyone, or rotating through the different tests with each rotation.
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Originally posted by orthoman5000
O.K. speaking of NBME's after the test I just finished I really will have to do well on it in order to pass my Microanatomy class, so anyone have any study tips?
The policy of our microanatomy class at UAMS concerning the NBME is this. You determine the class average on all tests prior to the NBME (eg. 85%). Then you take the class average on the NBME (eg. 70 whatever that number really means). In this example everyone would receive a 15 point curve on their NBME, so the guy scoring an 88 on the NBME would actually get 103% of the points possible for the shelf exam and the guy scoring 60 on the NBME would get 75% of the points possible on the final exam. For our course the NBME counts for 15% of the final grade. So it looks for me to pass the class I have to get 83% of the points possible for the NBME (83=NBME score + curve).
So I guess I have my work cut out for me. Any ideas on how to study for this test?
I HATE HISTOLOGY
i just took the histo miniboards today. THAt had to be the easiest exam i have taken since 9th grade...
...but our class exams were much harder..maybe that why it seemed so easy.get this book...histo and cell bio....an intro to path..by kierszenbaum...just read the pictures...and boxes. much better than BRS.
oh yeah...he is our professor too.
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I read some information on the NBME site today about the grading of the shelf exams. It looks like they set 70 as the National mean with a standard deviation of 8 points. So if you know a little basic statistics you should be able to figure out your national percentile from that information or at least a rough approximation.
