The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) strives to provide you with a positive testing experience on your exam day. Pearson VUE and the NBOME have taken steps to protect the security and integrity of your exam and we appreciate your patience and understanding as you follow our procedures and guidelines.
Here you will find information about what to expect on exam day. For more examination details, refer to the COMVEX Bulletin of Information.
UPDATES TO CHECK-IN AND SECURITY PROTOCOLS RELATED TO COVID-19
Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your examination start time. You will be greeted by a test administrator (TA) who will review candidate rules and security protocols before checking you in for the exam. The TA moves around the testing center throughout the exam to routinely monitor testing activity and observe and report any irregular behavior. TAs prepare each work station for the next candidate after it has been used, which in some cases may be every two hours.
Contact the NBOME Client Services team at clientservices@nbome.org with any policy or exam-specific questions—TAs will not be able to answer them.
Testing Accommodations
Candidates with disabilities should refer to our application and information for testing accommodations. Please refer to the COMVEX Bulletin of Information for eligibility information.
Identification
Be sure to bring one form of unexpired government-issued identification that includes your picture and signature. Please visit the Pearson VUE website for detailed identification (ID) requirements. All other ID policies specific to the program still apply. Acceptable forms of identification are:
Driver’s license
Passport
Military ID (If you present a military ID, please present a secondary form of identification that includes your signature.)
Important Notice: In order for you to take the exam, your first and last name must match what the NBOME has on record. You can verify this information by logging into your NBOME online account. If the information does not match, you can update it by contacting clientservices@nbome.org at least two weeks before your examination date.
Personal Belongings
The TA will assign you a secure locker in which you will be required to store all of your personal belongings, including food, water, and electronics. You will receive a locker key with a black tag. You may keep only your identification and locker key with you in the testing room. You may also choose to store these items in your car. If you refuse to store your personal items, you will be unable to test and you will forfeit your test fee.
Personal items prohibited in the testing room include:
Mobile phones, hand-held computers/personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, or other electronic devices (must be turned off prior to storage)
Watches
Wallets, purses, book bags, or any other type of bag
Firearms or other weapons
Hats and other nonreligious head coverings
Coats or jackets
Eyeglass cases
Pens or pencils
Barrettes or hair clips that are larger than 1/4 inch (1/2 centimeter) wide
Headbands or hairbands that are larger than 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) wide
Jewelry that is removable and larger than 1/4 inch (1/2 centimeter) wide
Wedding/engagement rings are permitted
Books and/or notes unless authorized by the test program sponsor
Enhanced Security
Pearson VUE has recently implemented enhanced security measures in order to inspect for camera devices that could be used to capture examination content. You will need to remove eyeglasses for close visual inspection by a TA. These inspections will take a few seconds and will be done at check-in.
Food and Drinks
You will not be permitted to bring food or drink into the testing room and will need to be stored in your assigned locker. You can access them during scheduled breaks. If you have a medical need and require food or drink during the testing period, you must submit the request in writing to the NBOME Test Accommodations team at testacc@nbome.org for consideration at least ten (10) business days in advance of the examination.
Comfort Aids
Certain items, such as medicines or medical devices, mobility devices, headphones, or earplugs, are considered comfort aids and do not require pre-approval. Refer to this full list of approved aids.
Biometric Check-In
Once you have placed any unapproved items in a test center locker (if available), a TA will take a digital photo of you as well as a palm vein scan to digitally verify your identity and to protect the security and integrity of the exam.
After completing the check-in process, you will be escorted into the testing area, where a proctor will confirm your identity and ask you to provide another palm vein scan. You will be required to provide a palm vein scan each time you enter and exit the testing room.
Examination Hours
The COMVEX examination day lasts approximately eight hours consisting of a brief tutorial, two 3.5 hour-sessions with two 75-item sections each, and 60 minutes of pooled break time to be used as you see fit across three scheduled, yet optional, breaks. Please note that if the entire 60 minutes is used before the end of the examination, any time spent on subsequent breaks will decrease the available remaining examination time.
Your workstation computer displays a timer indicating the remaining amount of available break time you have to use between each exam section and deducts the time you take during each designated break. For example, if you have 60 minutes of break time and decide to take a 10-minute break after section one, you will have 50 minutes of break time remaining.
Break time will not be deducted from the time allotted to take the examination. You are responsible for monitoring your available break time; if you exceed your break time, the excess time will be deducted from the remaining exam sections.
This break time provided to all candidates is separate from any additional break time that may be provided to candidates with disabilities who have applied for and been approved to receive accommodations by the NBOME.
Time taken outside of the scheduled breaks between each section will be deducted from the exam time. For all breaks, you will need to leave the testing room. Remember that when you re-enter the testing room after any break, you will need to show a valid ID and your biometric information will be taken again. Please allow sufficient time to check in and be seated.
If you exceed the pooled-break time, the next section will begin, regardless of whether you are seated at the workstation or not. You may choose to forego all or part of any break, but unused break time will not be added to your examination time.
Examination Series
COMVEX examination features include a built-in standard calculator and lab values with reference ranges (where applicable) embedded directly into test questions.
Confirmation Screen
Once you are seated at your station, a screen will appear, asking you to confirm your name and the exam you are taking. If the information displayed is not accurate, do not proceed and inform the TA immediately.
Tutorial
Following a non-disclosure agreement, there is a 10-minute tutorial before you begin your examination. You are strongly encouraged to view the tutorial. It contains important information about the examination format and features that will help you throughout your test day. You will need to begin your examination as soon as the tutorial has ended. If you delay, the examination will begin and the time will count against the time you will have to take the exam.
Check out
Upon completion of your examination, you will sign out and return your locker key.
Video/Audio Monitoring
Please be aware that you will be monitored by video and audio recording throughout the duration of your examination.
Adverse Testing Conditions
If you experience adverse testing conditions (ATCs) and believe that those conditions have substantially affected your performance, you must do all of the following:
Promptly report any interruption of the examination to the test center staff on the day of the examination
AND
Within 10 days following the date of the exam, provide the NBOME with credible and verifiable written evidence of the incident.
Important Notice: simply making a comment in the post examination survey regarding any possible ATCs does not qualify as written notification. If you do not report your concerns according to NBOME guidelines, you waive any objection to the testing conditions and will not have any recourse at a later date or when scores are released. Please refer to the COMVEX Bulletin of Information for more details on ATCs.
Questions?
Please contact Client Services Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Central Time, at 866.479.6828.
