NBME physiology Shelf exam

[fernj1975]

I just got my physiology shelf exam grade and it was a 71, I?m sort of depressed and disappointed since I really though I had a good comprehension of the material. I was wondering if anyone knows what is the national average and if this grade can eventually hamper my ability to match in a good residency (I?m planning of doing orthopedic surgery). I also read somewhere that these are retired step 1 questions, is this true? Thanks for your feedback.

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[Renovar]

Your USMLE step 1 is going to be a lot more telling for your orthopedic aspirations. I dont know what grading scale policy your school has on those preclinical shelf (my school only use some clnicals in some 3rd year rotations), but i'd imagine for physio that is probably roughly national average, maybe slightly below. Shouldn't your dean's office or course director have that information? You should inquire about that if you are truly worried.

But I wouldn't. Just focus on doing as well as you can, study as hard as you can on step 1. Score below 230 will give you essentially zero chance of an orthopedic interview.

 

[Skip Intro]

I wouldn't worry about it. That's not too bad of a shelf score, actually, especially on the Physio shelf which is probably the hardest one. My physio shelf was ALL endocrinology. Step I was all kidney (at least my version) as far as physio goes. (And, fortunately I spent a lot of time getting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system down-pat while studying for Step I because there were about 15 (I'm not exagerrating) questions on that alone!!)

Anyway, according to the NBME, 70 is set as the "national average" for shelf exams. The SD is 8. So, you did above average.

If you don't want to take my word for it, here's what Texas Tech University has to say about the matter (and, they should know!):

The NBME reports to us a scaled score between 40 and 100 with the average set at 70. These numbers don't correlate with any other scoring system including the USMLE Step I scores, so don't even try to make sense out of it. The two important scores are the national average of 70 and the failing score of 58 (determined by the NBME as 1.5 standard deviations below the mean).

http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/courses/biochem/1Lowdown.html

-Skip

(P.S. My "shelf" scores, and I took 10 shelf exams during my first two years of school, ranged from 64 to 86 averaging at about 74. I just took Step I last Friday. Trust me, you cannot - I repeat - CANNOT study enough for Step I. Good luck. I'll let you know, at least in this case, if my "shelf" scores and my Step I score correlated.)

 

[fernj1975]

Thanks for the very helpful information, I have take 5 shelf exams so far (Gross anatomy, Biochemistry, Histology & Cell Biology, Neuroanatomy and Physiology). I definitely found the physiology shelf the hardest by far, and the Histology the easiest. I was concerned since physiology is according to upper classmen a very important class for step 1. Good luck on your step 1 score.