NBME Faculty Resources

The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that develops and manages the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). NBME offers a range of resources to help faculty create a range of medical questions for examinations. The following are just a few of the resources that may be useful.

NBME U is an online collection of lessons for individuals interested in learning a range of topics relevant to high-quality assessment for the health professions. It has been developed in conjunction with NBME's 100-year anniversary. NBME U is not an educational institution, and the information and services provided through the NBME U website are not part of an accredited or state-approved educational program. Visit the NBME U learning portal to enroll at: https://www.nbme.org/news/new-and-expanded-learning-resources-available.

The NBME's Item Writing Manual, Constructing Written Test Questions for the Basic and Clinical Sciences, is a resource for faculty members at schools of medicine, schools for healthcare professionals, those invested in the assessment of competence of healthcare providers, and others interested in learning how to write better quality test items. Visit our Publications page to download a copy.

Faculty Development Workshops are offered to groups of medical faculty, educators of healthcare disciplines, and bodies that assess or certify the competence of healthcare providers. Workshops are available globally on a year-round basis and can take place at the school. Workshops include Mastering the MCQ: Guidelines for Writing Multiple-Choice Questions, Critical Themes in Assessment, Case Development for Standardized Patient Based Examinations, Measurement Skills in Clinical Skills Assessment. Click here to learn more or to request a workshop.

NBME's Writing Multiple Choice Questions: An Introductory Tutorial is a self-paced interactive tutorial that provides a foundation for writing quality multiple-choice questions for examinations in the field of medicine and across the range of health professions. You can access the tutorial at: https://www.nbme.org/search?search_api_fulltext=I+W+Tutorial.

Faculty Item Review Program is available for schools interested in giving faculty an opportunity to review test content similar to Step 1 or Step 2 CK. Schools may use the NBME Self-Assessment Services for this purpose.