sick and missed shelf
- Thread starter jojo100
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Nothing. You have to make it up. Hopefully they can arrange it in the next few days before they return all the testing materials. If that's not the case, you'll probably have to take it on a shelf make-up day at the end of the year.
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I haven't had to miss a shelf due to illness, but I did have a death of a close family member in the week before one of my shelf exams requiring I leave school for a few days. I notified the course director and appropriate administrators as soon as I was aware of the situation and they allowed me to make-up the shelf on an alternate test date a few weeks into my next rotation. I would stress the importance of appropriate documentation by following your school's policy to the letter.
My understanding based on how it works at my school is that NBME subject exams may only be given on certain dates determined by the NBME, however there are a number of them. There are generally dates between the normal testing cycle at the end of clerkships so it does allow for make-up examinations.
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This happened to me, unfortunately. I was allowed to retake it, but my next rotation started the week after and our school doesn't allow us to retake a shelf during another rotation, so I had to wait until after my next rotation ended (during winter break). I passed the makeup exam without any problems, and I'm told that it won't appear in my Dean's letter or transcript since I passed, but your school's policies could vary.
Were you sick and missed it or did you take it and fail it the first time?
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I was sick.
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Just reread my earlier post and realized why you asked, jojo100. I just mistyped when I said I "retook" the exam. I should have just said I made up the exam. The same policy applies at my school for taking shelf exams outside a rotation whether you are sick or fail... you can't take them during another rotation and have to wait for a break in your schedule. Fortunately, I was just sick and passed on my first attempt (7 weeks later!).
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Do you even have to ask. This is SDN. Human things like that do not
happen to the posters on here 😉
