COMMON QUESTIONS

No, the self-assessments contain different content and are available at any time to any person who wishes to purchase one via MyNBME® Examinee Portal, and may be taken in any location in which you have a suitable computer with internet connectivity. The self-assessments provide you detailed diagnostic information about your performance upon completion of the test, including areas of strength and weakness, as well as a lookup table for USMLE scores (Comprehensive Basic Science and Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessments only).

The USMLE practice sessions at the Prometric Centers cannot be scheduled or purchased until you receive your USMLE registration permit, and must be taken onsite at a Prometric Center. The Prometric practice sessions uses the same sample test materials provided by the USMLE registration entities and at the USMLE website, and is shorter than the actual corresponding USMLE exam. This option allows you to experience USMLE sample test materials in the same environment as your actual test. The practice sessions provide you limited diagnostic information (percent of items answered correctly in each block) upon completion.

You can select your desired pacing when ordering self-assessments:

• Choose the Standard-paced option if you want the timing conditions of your self-assessment to be comparable to USMLE, IFOM, Clinical Science Subject Examinations.
• Choose the Self-paced option for additional time to complete your self-assessment. Self-paced timing offers examinees four times as long to complete questions as standard-paced (e.g. 5 hours to complete a Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessment block in self-paced timing, vs. 1 hour, 15 minutes to complete the same block in standard-paced).

Once you have completed the entire self-assessment, you can review all the items, correct answers, and answer explanations under performance feedback in the exam review section. However, you cannot go back and change answers once you have completed the exam. While you are working within each section and before you lock it, you can change answers, mark them for review, or leave them blank. When you exit each section by clicking “End” then “OK”, you lock that section and your answers become final.

You can review and print your performance profile for 2-years after completing the self-assessment. You will also have access to the interactive score report, where you can view the assessment items and answer explanations, for 2-years after completing the self-assessment.

Yes. Immediately following the completion of any of the comprehensive or clinical science mastery series self-assessments, you will be able to review all self-assessment items along with answer explanations for each item. You can also log back into MyNBME® Examinee Portal to view the items and answer explanations in your interactive score report.

You will have access to the interactive score report for 2-years following completion of your self-assessment.  

Yes, you can take a break by pausing your exam to stop the timer and resuming at a later time.

During your self-assessment, select Pause and then select OK/Confirm when prompted. This pauses your assessment, stops the timer, and exits the session (in many cases, the browser window/tab will close). When you’re ready to continue, return to your assessment list/status page and select Resume/Launch/Continue—you’ll return to the same section and question where you left off.

For step-by-step instructions (including tips for taking breaks between blocks), please review the Pausing and Resuming Your NBME Self-Assessment Guide.