NATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS

Subject Examination Program Family Medicine Examination 2011-2012 Academic Year Norms
The table below 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 a final clerkship examination for the first time during the academic year from 8/1/2011 through 7/31/2012.
Percentile Ranks Academic Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Year 1 2 3 4 (n=7,177) (n=1,853) (n=1,574) (n=1,762) (n=1,793) 99 98 98 97 96 95 93 93 91 89 86 83 80 76 72 69 64 59 54 49 45 41 36 30 25 22 17 15 11 8 7 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 74.9 8.0 99 99 99 98 98 97 96 96 95 94 92 90 88 85 81 79 74 70 66 62 56 53 48 41 36 32 27 23 18 15 12 9 6 5 4 2 2 1 1 0 72.5 7.7 99 98 98 97 97 96 95 94 92 90 88 86 82 79 75 71 65 60 55 50 46 41 36 29 24 21 16 13 10 7 6 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 74.7 7.5 99 98 97 96 96 95 93 93 91 88 85 82 79 75 71 68 63 58 53 49 45 40 36 28 24 20 16 13 10 7 6 4 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 75.1 7.9 98 97 97 95 94 92 90 89 87 83 79 75 71 66 61 58 51 46 41 37 32 28 24 19 16 13 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 77.2 8.0

Score 93 or above 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 and below Mean Standard Deviation

These norms allow you to compare your examinees scores with the performance of this norm group across the entire academic year and by quarterly testing periods. Quarterly norms have been provided because scores in some subject examinations are progressively higher for examinees of equivalent ability who take the relevant clerkship later in the academic year. This information may have particular relevance to schools that have used the norm table in the development of grading guidelines. 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. 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. To use the table, locate an examinees score and note the entry in the adjacent column labeled Percentile Ranks for the Academic Year or Quarterly testing period of interest. For example, if an examinees score is 75, the corresponding percentile rank entry of 54 for the Academic Year indicates that 54% of norm group examinees taking the examination during this academic year had scores at or below 75. In Quarter 4, the percentile rank for this score is 41.