NBME Examination Part I as a predictor of clinical and ABIM certifying examination performances

The authors studied the extent that National Board of Medical Examiners examination Part I (NBME Part I) performance was predictive of American Board of Internal Medicine examination (ABIME) scores and clinical skill ratings. Information was obtained for Jackson Memorial Hospital internal medicine residents who completed training from 1980 to 1988. There was a highly significant association (r = 0.57, p < 0.0001, n = 117) between ABIME and NBME Part I scores. Clinical evaluations and NBME Part I scores were less strongly related. The data indicate that NBME Part I scores are highly predictive of ABIME outcome. NBME Part I scores also appear to be predictive of clinical performance, but to a lesser extent.