The Post-Licensure Assessment System (PLAS) is a joint activity of the NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The PLAS was developed to assist medical licensing authorities in assessing physicians who have already been licensed. The PLAS provides:
Resources for Clinical Competence Assessment
The PLAS provides comprehensive objective and personalized assessments of physicians for whom there is a question regarding clinical competence.
Special Purpose Examination (SPEX®)
The SPEX, administered by computer, is an objective and standardized, cognitive examination of current knowledge requisite for the general, undifferentiated practice of medicine.
Together, the PLAS programs have assessed hundreds of physicians over the past several years for reasons that range from endorsement of licensure to license reactivation after disciplinary action.