Effective August 2024, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) is making several important changes to Parts I, II, III and the Physiotherapy exams in its testing program:
More Testing Dates
The computer-based test (CBT) dates will be extended to at least 14 days every month excluding May, November and December. The new testing schedule is available at www.nbce.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-Updated-Testing-Schedule-v2-4.pdf. Scores will be posted two weeks after the end of the testing window.
New Part I and Part II Formats
These new formats include domain weighting to better reflect the current chiropractic college curriculum. They can be found at: www.nbce.org/wp-content/uploads/NBCE-FINAL-Test-Plan-Part-I.pdf (Part 1) and www.nbce.org/wp-content/uploads/NBCE-FINAL-Test-Plan-Part-II.pdf (Part 2).
Elimination of the Domain-Level Scoring on Parts I and II
If an examinee fails one or two domains in the Part I (Basic Sciences) or Part II (Clinical Sciences) exams, they may still pass, as each part will be graded across all six domains. This means that a surplus score on one domain can compensate for a deficient score in another domain.
Based on an analysis of examinees since 2019, 90% of those who were deficient in two domains would have been covered by surpluses in other domains, resulting in a passing score.
Shorter Part I and Part II Exams
The number of items on each exam will be reduced from 300 to 255. This will reduce the length of the exam by one hour. The passing score will remain 375.
These changes are expected to increase the number of students passing each part the first time they take them. The NBCE will continue to communicate comprehensive details regarding these changes to students and their educational institutions. More information can be obtained at the Advancement and Development Project webpage or by emailing communications@nbce.org.
