1-on-1 · Online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet)
One-on-one help for the NBME Clinical Science Subject Exams you sit at the end of each clerkship, using the same question approach as Step 2 CK.
$349 per 50-minute session
Reviews that name this exam
5.0 from 47 Google reviews · 5.0 from 283 Wyzant ratings
Just gonna give my flowers to Sean. I was straight up LOST in the middle of my journey to taking Step 1. He helped me make a plan, pass on my first attempt, got me then through all my clinical rotations to pass my Shelf exams on the first try, got me a good Step 2 score, coached me on my Interview season (where I got a good amount of interviews bc of my scores) and just matched into Residency. Literally one of the smartest people I know. …
Tim SGoogle review ·
… Edit: Sahith has also been helping me through my shelf exams, and the same strategies have carried over really well. I feel much more confident in how I approach questions now, and it’s made a huge difference in my performance!
Mira NakhleGoogle review ·
Shelf exams are the NBME Clinical Science Subject Exams you sit at the end of a clerkship. We tutor them one-on-one, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet), with the same question-approach method we use for USMLE Step 2 CK. The Boards Professor is led by Dr. Shauhin “Sean” Moazezi, DO, a board-certified internist.
NBME says its Subject Exams help medical schools measure their students’ knowledge across a broad range of topics. The Basic and Clinical Science exams are often used as a final assessment at the end of a course or clerkship, while the Comprehensive exams are used to gauge readiness for the USMLE. Score reports show your relative strengths and weaknesses across content areas (NBME Subject Exams).
Every clinical science subject exam NBME lists, plus its two Advanced Clinical exams, with the question count and time from NBME’s timing chart. Most shelves are the same length; Family Medicine changes with the modules your school picks.
| Exam | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, Clinical Neurology, Ambulatory Care | 110 each | 2 h 45 min |
| Family Medicine: Core | 90 | 2 h 15 min |
| Family Medicine: Core + Chronic Care | 100 | 2 h 30 min |
| Family Medicine: Core + Chronic Care + Musculoskeletal | 110 | 2 h 45 min |
| Emergency Medicine (Advanced Clinical) | 110 | 2 h 45 min |
| Internal Medicine (Advanced Clinical) | 100 | 2 h 30 min |
Source: NBME Subject Examination Timing Chart (dated July 2021) and the NBME exam list. Web exams start with a tutorial that adds 15 minutes. Your school decides which exams you take.
NBME publishes a content outline for each exam. Here is how its Medicine exam splits by physician task:
| Physician task | Share of exam |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis: history, exam, diagnostic studies and patient outcomes | 45–50% |
| Health maintenance, pharmacotherapy, intervention and management | 25–30% |
| Applying foundational science concepts | 15–20% |
By site of care it is inpatient 40–45%, ambulatory 35–40% and emergency department 20–25%. Source: NBME Medicine subject exam outline. Each exam has its own outline on NBME’s site.
Many students go on to Step 2 CK after their clerkships. If that is next for you, see Step 2 CK length, timing and scoring.
Tell us your clerkship and your exam date on a free 20-minute intro call.
| Shelf exam | Largest area on NBME's outline | Tutor page |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Medicine | Cardiovascular and multisystem, 10–15% each | Medicine shelf |
| Surgery | Gastrointestinal system, 20–25% | Surgery shelf |
| Pediatrics | Multisystem processes, 10–15%; 65–70% ambulatory | Pediatrics shelf |
| OB/GYN | Pregnancy and female reproductive system, 40–45% each | OB/GYN shelf |
| Psychiatry | Behavioral health, 65–70% | Psychiatry shelf |
| Neurology | Nervous system, 60–65% | Neurology shelf |
| Family Medicine | Ambulatory 100%; prevention 20–25% | Family medicine shelf |
| Emergency Medicine | Management 60–65% of questions | Emergency medicine shelf |
Each shelf has its own outline, so we plan each rotation differently. A surgery shelf plan front-loads the abdomen; a psychiatry plan drills criteria and medications; a family medicine plan starts with screening.
NBME's Clinical Science Mastery Series covers all eight clinical science subjects: practice forms of 50 questions, taken timed (1 hour 15 minutes) or self-paced, at $21 each, with a conversion table that estimates your subject exam score. We use them as checkpoints during the rotation.
Osteopathic students taking COMAT exams can work with us the same way through their rotations; one of our students worked with Alexandra Llovet to prepare for COMAT exams after passing COMLEX Level 1. Shelf and COMAT work also feeds Step 2 CK and COMLEX Level 2-CE.
Shelf exams arrive one after another, and the order your school uses matters. Rotations that come early, such as medicine or surgery, build the clinical reasoning that later shelves and Step 2 CK depend on, so we treat them as foundations. Shorter rotations, such as neurology or psychiatry, need a compact plan that starts on day one.
We keep a running list of your misses across every shelf. By the time you reach Step 2 CK or COMLEX Level 2-CE, that list shows exactly which clinical areas still need work, and your dedicated period starts from it instead of from a blank page.
Quoted word for word from our student reviews, with the source of each one.
Just gonna give my flowers to Sean. I was straight up LOST in the middle of my journey to taking Step 1. He helped me make a plan, pass on my first attempt, got me then through all my clinical rotations to pass my Shelf exams on the first try, got me a good Step 2 score, coached me on my Interview season (where I got a good amount of interviews bc of my scores) and just matched into Residency. Literally one of the smartest people I know. When he’s been busy, he has other people who are extremely smart and helpful too. Some of the smartest people I know! Thankful for everything they have done for me and literally getting me to this point. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be at this point without him. They are people I know I can contact whenever I need advice
My step 2 score went from a 199 to a 248 in 5 weeks with Sean and Alex’s help. Their approach to NBME style questions helped me reverse some detrimental testing habits and optimize my fund of knowledge. They are experts at STEP 2 and got me through it after I had a difficult time passing shelf exams this year.
Quoted word for word from our student reviews.
“Shelf exam” is the common name for an NBME Subject Exam. NBME says its Basic and Clinical Science Subject Exams are often used as a final assessment at the end of a course or clerkship (NBME).
On NBME’s timing chart, the Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, Clinical Neurology and Ambulatory Care exams each have 110 questions in 2 hours 45 minutes. Family Medicine Modular has 90, 100 or 110 depending on the modules (NBME timing chart).
2 hours 45 minutes for the 110-question clinical science exams, per NBME’s timing chart. NBME notes that web exams start with a tutorial that adds 15 minutes (NBME timing chart).
Yes. Shelf tutoring is one-on-one by live video (Zoom or Google Meet) and uses the same question-approach method as our Step 2 CK tutoring. Book a free intro consult, a 20-minute phone call, to talk through your rotation and exam date.
Your school decides how shelf scores count toward your clerkship grade, so check your clerkship handbook. Beyond grades, the same clinical science is tested again on Step 2 CK and COMLEX Level 2-CE.
On the first day of the rotation. Most rotations are a few weeks long, and a steady daily plan works far better than a last-week push.
Yes. Some students work with us for a single difficult rotation, others through the whole clinical year. A single class is $349, and bundles lower the price per class; see tutoring cost.
Tell us your clerkship order and exam dates on the intro call and we will map the year with you.
Guides for this exam
Boards and MCAT
The Boards Professor is a USMLE tutor and COMLEX tutor for students in every state, with ABIM, shelf exam and MCAT tutoring as well.
Twenty minutes on the phone about your test date and practice scores. Sessions after that are $349 per 50-minute session.
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