NATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS

Subject Examination Program

Medicine Examination
2013-2014 Academic Year Norms

The table provides norms to aid in the interpretation

of examinee performance. These norms reflect the
performance of examinees from LCME-accredited
medical schools who took a form of this examination
as an end-of-course or end-of-clerkship examination
for the first time during the academic year from
8/1/2013 through 7/31/2014.
The percentile ranks for each quarter are defined
using the school reported start date of the first
rotation for this subject. Using the start date of the
first rotation, examinees are assigned to the
appropriate quarter based on the assumption that
their test date would be at least four weeks later. For
example, if a schools start date for the first rotation
is March, then the performance of examinees from
that school that tested in April, May or June would be
represented in the first quarter. Since quarterly
norms are based only on schools that supplied the
start date of the first rotation for this subject, the
number of examinees reported across quarters may
not add up to the total norm group for the academic
year.
To use the table, locate an examinees score in the
column labeled Equated Percent Correct Score and
note the entry in the adjacent column labeled
Percentile Ranks for the Academic Year or
Quarterly testing period of interest. This number
indicates the percentage of examinees that scored at
or below the examinees equated percent correct
score.
The mean and standard deviation of the norm group
scores for each testing period reported are listed
below.
Equated Percent Correct Scores
Academic Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
Year
1
2
3
4
N

19,283

5,061

4,159

4,972

4,475

Mean

72.9

71.5

72.2

73.7

74.2

SD

9.0

9.1

9.2

8.7

8.8

Equated
Percent
Correct
Score
100
99
98
97
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80
79
78
77
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
65
64
63
62
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54 or
below

Percentile Ranks
Academic Year Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

(n=19,283)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
98
97
96
95
93
91
88
86
82
79
75
70
67
63
59
55
50
46
42
38
34
31
27
23
20
17
16
14
11
9
8
7
5
4
4

(n=5,061)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
99
98
97
96
95
93
91
89
86
84
80
76
72
69
66
61
56
52
48
44
40
36
32
28
25
22
20
17
15
12
11
9
7
5
5

(n=4,159)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
98
97
96
95
93
92
90
87
84
82
78
73
69
67
63
59
54
50
45
41
37
34
30
26
22
20
18
15
13
11
9
8
7
5
5

(n=4,972)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
98
97
96
94
92
90
87
84
80
76
73
67
64
60
56
52
47
42
38
35
31
28
24
20
17
15
13
11
9
7
6
5
4
3
2

(n=4,475)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
98
98
96
95
93
91
88
85
82
79
74
70
65
61
57
53
49
44
40
36
32
29
25
22
18
15
13
12
10
8
7
6
5
4
3
3

2
AUG_2015