Clerkship Exam
The Department of Surgery administers the electronic NBME “shelf” exam. The exam will take place on the last Friday of the clerkship. Students will be contacted by the School of Medicine Testing Services within the first couple weeks of their rotation will information on assigned testing site information. Testing Services handles all exam scheduling and testing site assignments. Please contact somtests@uw.edu with questions regarding testing location and schedule.
Students are required to be in their seat and prepared to start the exam at the specified time noted on their testing site assignment from SOM Testing Services. Late additions may not be permitted on exam day.
Students needing to delay a clerkship exam (in the event of a personal or family illness, emergency, or death) must complete an attestation form. Please see the UW SOM Exam Postponement Policy for details.
PLEASE NOTE: Per the Clerkship Grading Policy all required clerkships require a passing grade on the final exam in order to graduate. For more information, please see the Academic Grading Policy.
Helpful Exam Information:
UW School of Medicine Exam Website
NBME Surgery Exam Content Outline
NBME Surgery Self Assessment Pre-test (Optional Resource)
Final Grade Breakdown
The final clerkship grade consists of a clinical grade, exam grade, and completion of required assignments. The grading scale for the 2023-2024 academic year is as follows.
Clinical numerical grade (80% of final grade):
- Average score of 12 rating items (scale = 1 to 4 points)
Final exam (20% of final grade): must get 56% or higher to pass
Clinical grade:
- Honors: 95%-100%
- High Pass: 75%-94.9%
- Pass: 50%-74.9%
- Fail: less than 50%
Final grade:
- Honors: 91.1%-100%
- High Pass: 73.0%-91.0%
- Pass: 51.0%-72.9%
- Fail: less than 51.0%
Required Assignments: In addition to the clinical score and the exam score, the final grade can be affected by outstanding assignments. Failure to complete and submit required assignments will result in a decrease in the final grade percentile. There are 6 required assignments and each counts for 1%, with points subtracted from the final percentile for EACH missing assignment, up to a maximum of 6%.
The grading scale for the 2022-2023 academic year is saved here.
Grade Challenges and Appeals
In accordance with the School of Medicine’s Clinical Grade Review policies, students can request an informal grade review should there be a concern or discrepancy in an evaluation. To initiate an informal review, the student should contact the Program Administrator via email. The email should include the course name, rotation dates, and specific concern or discrepancy in question. The Program Administrator will connect with the Program Director to investigate the discrepancy. The student will be notified by the Program Administrator of outcome of this review. The purpose of an informal review is for students to seek understanding and bring possible discrepancies to light (ex. misunderstanding of grading, clerical error, etc).
Formal Grade Challenge
Following an informal review, if resolution was not obtained, students can formally challenge by completing the Clinical Evaluation and Grade Challenge form. Formal grade challenges are addressed at the department level. Students who wish to challenge a grade must submit the Grade Challenge form within four weeks of the grade being posted. The department will render a decision to the student within seven weeks of the grade being posted. Forms can be found on the SOM Grade Review Page.
Grade Appeal
Following a formal grade challenge, if a student is still not satisfied with the outcome, they may request a formal grade appeal by completing a Clinical Grade Appeal form. Formal grade appeals are addressed at the School of Medicine level by an impartial grade appeal committee. Formal grade appeal requests must be submitted to the SOM within eight weeks of the grade being posted. Students will be notified of the committee decision within twelve weeks of the original grade being posted. Forms can be found on the SOM Grade Review Page.
PLEASE NOTE: The decision of the grade appeal committee will be final. Based on the appeal and supporting materials, the committee can rule to raise OR lower a grade based on supporting facts. Please be sure you have followed the appropriate sequence of reviews and formal challenges before resorting to a formal appeal. Please review the SOM Grade Review policies for complete details and instructions.