Examination Hours & Format
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.
COMVEX Computer-Based Examinations
The COMVEX examination consists of 300 multiple-choice questions (items), each with a single best answer. Some test questions involve audio-visual components designed to assess an expanded physician competency subset. For an outline of the topics that may be included in the COMVEX examination and details about the test day, please review the COMVEX Bulletin of Information.
| Session |
Time |
|
| MORNING |
3.5 hours |
Total testing time for sections 1 and 2 |
| Tutorial/instructions - standard |
14 minutes |
|
| Section 1: 75 MCQ items |
|
|
| Break #1 |
Optional, Time deducted from pooled break time |
|
| Section 2: 75 MCQ items |
|
|
| Break #2 |
Optional, Time deducted from pooled break time |
|
| AFTERNOON |
3.5 hours |
Total testing time for sections 3 and 4 |
| Section 3: 75 MCQ items |
|
|
| Break #3 |
Optional, Time deducted from pooled break time |
|
| Section 4: 75 MCQ items |
|
|
Available Examination Features
Examination Review Screen
A review page is presented upon completion of each section. Candidates can review the status of items in the current section, including questions answered, questions marked for further review, and questions not answered.
Advancing through Examination Sections
Once a candidate submits all answers and ends a section, they cannot return to review or change any answers within that section.
Time Limitations
Although each session is 3.5 hours in total, the two individual sections within a session are self-paced. A clock is provided to assist with time management. Warnings are given of the time remaining before the end of each 3.5-hour session.
Examination Visual References
Use of an “exhibit” button may be required in order to see graphic materials related to a test question. These “exhibits” consist of images, videos, or audio avatars. In some cases, multiple “exhibits” may be used in order to answer a question.
Additional Tools
COMVEX includes functional features such as a standard calculator and lab values with reference ranges (where applicable) embedded directly into test questions.
