CBSE Policy
SGUSOM students who intend to apply to a residency program in the United States and complete part or all of their clinical rotation training in the United States are required to sit for the Comprehensive Basic Sciences Examination (CBSE) in accordance with this policy and as approved by the SGUSOM curriculum committee in 2023. The CBSE is offered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), which also sponsors the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and is designed to assess basic sciences material typically covered during the first two years of medical school curriculum. SGUSOM uses the CBSE as a placement examination for clinical sites and as a formative feedback mechanism once students have completed their second year (i.e., through Term 5) and prior to taking USMLE Step 1.
At the end of Term 5, upon successfully completing all basic sciences courses and promotion requirements for the clinical placement phase, students select from the following pathway options:
Pathway 1. If a student intends to apply to a residency program in the United States and complete part or all of their clinical training in the United States, SGUSOM requires them to sit for the CBSE in accordance with the timelines for academic progress specified in the section below titled “CBSE Schedule and Clinical Placement Deadlines.” SGUSOM determines the passing grade for the CBSE based on CBSE performance analytics and its correlation with USMLE Step 1 passage rates. SGUSOM reserves the right to review and adjust the passing grade with each new iteration of the CBSE to align with changes in these metrics.
- Once a student passes the CBSE within three attempts, SGUSOM certifies them with ECFMG to take USMLE Step 1.
- A student who does not pass the CBSE after making three attempts within available timeline for academic progress will be placed into clinical rotations in states that do not require passage of USMLE Step 1.
- Once a student successfully completes third year clinical rotations, SGUSOM certifies all students who are not already certified with ECFMG to take USMLE Steps 1 and 2.
Pathway 2. If a student does not intend to apply to a residency program in the United States, they are required to sign an attestation that this is their intent. They will be placed in clinical training sites in the United States, the United Kingdom and or other countries with SGUSOM clinical sites that do not require passage of the USMLE Step 1. SGUSOM will not require these students to sit for the CBSE.
Although students are not required to sit for or pass the CBSE after successful completion of all third-year core clinical rotations in order to be certified with ECFMG and take USMLE Step 1, SGUSOM strongly encourages students to use the CBSE as a formative tool to assess their readiness for USMLE Step 1.
In the event that a student wishes to take the USMLE Step exams after graduation, SGUSOM will certify them with ECFMG upon request after graduation.
CBSE Administration and Prometric Centers
The CBSE is offered at Prometric sites only, and a very limited number of test spots are available in Grenada for students who can demonstrate that they have no access to a Prometric site (i.e. their citizenship status does not allow access to Prometric centers outside of Grenada that administer the CBSE). In these circumstances, students must contact the SGU Dean of Students and provide documentation if they intend to sit for the CBSE in Grenada.
The CBSE is offered in February, April, June, August, October and December. Exam administration dates can be found on the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) portal page, under the student information tab, which contains scheduling information for courses, terms and CBSE examinations. The CBSE results are made available to SGUSOM from the NBME five business days after the examination window closing date, and SGUSOM generally processes, grades and posts results within 48 hours of receipt through the document download center on the OUR portal self-service banner. In addition, the NBME publishes results 2-3 days after they are made available to the SGUSOM through the NBME portal (https://www.mynbme.org/s/login/), which students can access through their own accounts with the NBME.
CBSE Schedule and Clinical Placement Deadlines (Pathway 1)
The NBME limits the number of CBSE attempts to a lifetime maximum of five per student, and SGUSOM limits the maximum number of CBSE attempts prior to clinical placement in accordance with the timeline in the table that follows. The CBSE must be taken on the published scheduled windows, and failure to complete on that date for any reason will be counted as an attempt.
*Please note that from Oct 2024, the mandatory CBSE attempts between basic sciences and clinical placement is set at 3 attempts, and for those students with timeline available a 4th elective attempt is optional based on student preference (see rows 1, 2 and 7, 8).
The table above shows the timeline post-Term 5 for CBSE and clinical placement for those students who intend to apply for a residency in the United States. The end date for the basic sciences portion of the curriculum is shown in column titled “End BS Phase” and indicates the date at which a student finishes their second year or Term 5. Timeline delays may be due to fails/repeats, leaves of absence or credit remediation (CR). The mandatory CBSE attempts are shown (CBSE1, CBSE2, and CBSE3), along with an optional fourth CBSE (CBSE4), with the corresponding deadline for a USMLE Step 1 score to be provided to SGUSOM (Step 1 latest) and the latest date on which the clinical placement process can begin (Last Placement Date).
Students without timeline delays (rows 1 and 2): For students who finish the basic sciences curriculum in two years with no timeline delays, then row 1 of the table applies for December finishers and row 2 applies for May finishers. Students who pass the CBSE on any of the first three attempts can complete USMLE Step 1 and initiate clinical placement at any time before the respective deadlines in the final two columns. If a “fail” is registered on the third attempt, then placement at a site not requiring the USMLE Step 1 will proceed immediately by the deadline in the last column, even if the student elects to take the CBSE an optional fourth time.
Students with a one term delay (rows 3 and 4): For students with a one term delay in a full term of 18 weeks (i.e. Terms 1, 2, 4 or 5 but not Term 3), then the relevant CBSE dates are shown in row 3 for December finishers and row 4 for May finishers. Students passing the CBSE in February or April (for December finishers) or June or August (for May finishers) will proceed to take the USMLE Step 1 and need a score before the specified date in the second to last column, otherwise they will be placed at a clinical site that does not require USMLE Step 1. Please note that if a student fails the third CBSE attempt in June (for December finishers) or October (for May finishers), they will be placed in August and November because no December or July placements are possible. Those who pass CBSE and aim to have a USMLE Step 1 score prior to clinical placement should be aware of the deadlines for USMLE Step 1 indicated in the last two columns, i.e. July and November in rows 3 and 4, respectively, for placements in August and November, respectively.
Students with a Term 3 delay only (rows 7 and 8): For students who have delayed in Term 3 only, and no other term, finishing basic sciences in February or July, they will have the opportunity to attempt the CBSE up to three times, in addition to a fourth optional attempt. Students who pass the CBSE on any of the first three attempts can complete USMLE Step 1 and initiate clinical placement at any time before the respective deadlines in the final two columns. If a failing score is registered on the third attempt or optional fourth attempt, then placement at a clinical site not requiring USMLE Step 1 will proceed by the deadline as shown in the last column. Please note that, for December finishers (row 7), the USMLE Step 1 deadline is November, but placement will be in January because there is no December placement. USMLE Step 1 scores are required to be reported by November; otherwise, clinical placement at a site not requiring USMLE Step 1 will proceed.
Students with one full term delay and a term 3 delay (rows 9 and 10): For students that have both a full-term delay and Term 3 delay, finishing basic sciences in February or July, rows 9 and 10 indicate the dates on which the CBSE can be taken, respectively. In this case, there is only sufficient timeline for a single attempt at the CBSE, and USMLE Step 1 scores will need to be available to SGUSOM in May or November for placement in June or January, respectively. For a student who does not pass the first CBSE attempt or passes the CBSE and fails USMLE Step 1 attempt, placement will proceed to a site that does not require USMLE Step 1 on the dates indicated in the last column.
Two full term delays (rows 5 and 6): For students with two full term delays, finishing basic sciences in December and May, rows 5 and 6 indicate the dates on which the CBSE can be taken, respectively. In this case, there is only sufficient timeline for a single attempt at the CBSE, and USMLE Step 1 scores will need to be available to SGUSOM in March or July for placement in May or August, respectively. For a student who does not pass the first CBSE attempt or passes the CBSE and then fails USMLE Step 1 attempt, placement will proceed to a site that does not require USMLE Step 1 on the dates indicated in the last column.
Greater than two full term delays (rows 11 and 12): Students with more than two full term delays are recommended for dismissal. If a student successfully appeals to the CAPPS Committee, they will be placed at a site that does not require USMLE Step 1 immediately after the successful completion of the basic sciences curriculum in accordance with timeline rules for academic progress.
CBSE Academic Assistance
Faculty. All basic sciences faculty are available during office hours to assist students with content-related questions as they prepare for the CBSE and USMLE Step 1 examinations.
Academic Advising, Development and Support (AADS). Students are encouraged to engage with the AADS team throughout all phases of the curriculum and are strongly recommended to seek AADS guidance starting in Term 5 and beyond for advice specific to preparation for the CBSE and the USMLE Step 1 licensure examination. Students who have not completed the program within the standard timeline for academic progress are advised to contact AADS to clarify their timeline requirements and plan accordingly.
Department of Education Services (DES). Learning strategists in DES are also available to support students with issues such as time management, test taking strategy and related skills.
Dean of Students (DOS). For non-academic concerns related to CBSE and USMLE Step 1 preparation, students should contact the office of the DOS.
USMLE Tutoring. For students who have failed the CBSE three or more times and have successfully completed all third-year core rotations, SGUSOM offers additional tutoring resources through the AADS office to help students prepare for USMLE Step 1. Participation in this tutoring opportunity is optional and voluntary, but if a student wishes to participate, SGUSOM will assign students to the program at the student’s request.
Accommodations
Students who have time accommodations for SGUSOM exams in Term 5 will automatically receive time accommodations for CBSE. If a student’s accommodations status changes during the CBSE attempts, the accommodation can only be honored if the NBME exam rosters have not yet been set. If any upcoming CBSE roster has been set at the time SGUSOM is alerted about a student’s accommodations status, the accommodation may not be offered for the next immediate examination but will be offered at a subsequent CBSE examination.