Raw score of NBME Medicine Shelf?

[Tina Sheen]

We all know that a shelf is set at a mean of 70 with an SD of 7 or 8, but does anyone know what the average raw score is for the medicine shelf?

That is, what % of the 100 questions people get right to get a score of 70?

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[joe6102]

My school gives us a sheet with the raw score and percentile for each shelf, and it says the overall average is around a 74. Most of the shelves are 70, but med and peds have a national average of 74 for the class of '08.

 

[ANCAdoc]

The NBME now provides a table to schools to convert the standard score they compute to a percent-correct score, at least for the Years 1/2 basic science exams (http://www.nbme.org/PDF/2007subexaminfoguide.pdf).

They also publish the standard error of measurement for each examination. Wouldn't it stink if you "failed" a clerkship by a point or two if the SEM was in fact 1-3pts? (at IU they make you retake the test to pass if you score below some set level, generally between 60-65). Next time I take one of these exams, I am going to ask for the SEM just to see how large or small it might be.