NBME subject examinations are achievement tests in a broad sense, requiring medical students to solve scientific and clinical problems. Although students’ performance on the examinations will reflect the learning specific to their course and clerkship experiences, their test scores will also reflect educational development resulting from their overall medical school experiences. These examinations are constructed to be appropriate for a broad range of curricular approaches.
The NBME provides subject examinations in the basic and clinical sciences for the purpose of assessing the educational achievement of individuals in specific subject areas. These examinations may be provided to medical schools and other institutions with a legitimate interest in the education of physicians or other health professionals. The subject exams are used at virtually all LCME-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada, many osteopathic medical schools, and approximately 25 international schools in the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Subject examinations are primarily designed for use as final examinations after courses, clerkships, or other units of instruction. Scores achieved on NBME subject examinations cannot be used by examinees for credit toward the examination requirements for medical licensure in the United States.
NBME subject examinations are intended to complement other sources of information about the educational progress of medical students. The examination results should be interpreted in light of other available information. Likewise, curriculum evaluation cannot be based on examination results alone. The quality of teaching can and should be evaluated by frequent peer observation and student feedback, not inferred solely from the level of test scores. Medical school faculty and administration should not view the results of NBME subject examinations as the beginning and end of evaluation.
