NBME Grading

[clinic]

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I know that students do consistently better on NBME's later in the year just because they know more. But is the NBME curved more for someone who takes a exam in September versus someone who takes it in May?

 

[metallo]

I'm not positive, but I don't think the curve is different. My school posts the data that the NBME sends for each exam, etc., and in addition to the school average vs. national average and a few other stats, there is actually a breakdown of scores by quarter. The average score for students who take the exam later in the year tends to be 2-3 points higher.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

I think I heard that it's curved for each quarter.

 

[Deferoxamine]

I don't really see why they would curve it. Surgery is surgery, whether you take it in September or June.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

I don't really see why they would curve it. Surgery is surgery, whether you take it in September or June.

Because having certain rotations before it makes the test a bit easier, as there's some medicine on it. So, if surgery's your first rotation as opposed to you having it after IM, it can be more difficult.

 

[Deferoxamine]

Because having certain rotations before it makes the test a bit easier, as there's some medicine on it. So, if surgery's your first rotation as opposed to you having it after IM, it can be more difficult.

But how on earth would they make it fair for everyone?

Let's say you're taking Surgery as your third rotation of the year. Well, let's say the girl sitting next to you just finished Medicine and you haven't taken Medicine yet. She gets those Medicine questions on the Surgery shelf correct and you only get 1 or 2 right from just guessing. Not to mention the medical schools that began their rotations 2 months before you did... so their kids taking Surgery when you are also have another 2 months of clinical work over you. Is it fair then to have this Surgery shelf basically curved AGAINST you because it's later in the year, and well, you know, you should've just gotten this extra Medicine clinical info from your Psychiatry and Ob/Gyn rotations? That's not fair to you at all.

So at what point does curving become "fair"? It doesn't. That's why I have a feeling they just take the full year's-worth of data, grade your test, and decide where on that scale you fit... regardless of whether it's your first rotation or last rotation of MS3.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Well, at our school we take the shelf at the end of the rotation. So, everyone taking the surgery shelf at the same time has had the same stuff. Maybe it's a school-specific policy; I don't know. But, I have heard others say their's have been curved as well.

 

[tacrum43]

I think I heard that it's curved for each quarter.

I have heard this too.

 

[penguin24]

I think I heard that it's curved for each quarter.

Wow, I never heard that. I just thought you had to suck it up if you had a hard rotation first. The first shelf is usually the lowest-scoring b/c ppl are not used to the tight time constraints of the shelf test as opposed to their M1/M2 exams where we have boat-loads of time.

 

[njshibby]

Wow, I never heard that. I just thought you had to suck it up if you had a hard rotation first. The first shelf is usually the lowest-scoring b/c ppl are not used to the tight time constraints of the shelf test as opposed to their M1/M2 exams where we have boat-loads of time.

The NBME score report they send to schools has the percentiles divided by quarter for the raw scores for the purpose of schools modifying their curve. I saw the psych one and there was a pretty significant difference as the year progressed.