Clerkship students will receive a letter grade of (H) Honors, (HP) High Pass, (P) Pass, or (F) Fail based on two components: (1) Clinical performance and (2) NBME Subject Examination performance based on the Equated Percent Correct score.
Eligibility for Pass, High Pass, and Honors assume a passing Subject Exam score on the first attempt.
- For overall grade Pass, student must pass both components on the first attempt.
- For overall grade High Pass, student must achieve Honors on one component on first attempt while passing the other on first attempt.
- For an overall grade of Honors, a student must achieve Honors in both components on the first attempt.
Note that each clerkship has specific requirements that must be met to pass the clerkship. Observed Professional Activities and Required Clinical Encounter completion are prerequisites for clinical honors designations. The clerkship director may override a given grade due to student professionalism issues or failure to complete requirements.
Family Medicine
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Honors Boxes checked by Faculty Preceptor plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 63 | 80 |
| Huntsville | Committee decision plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 63 | 80 |
| Montgomery | Honors Box checked by Faculty Preceptor plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 63 | 80 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 63 | 80 |
Medicine
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked | 60 | 77 |
| Huntsville | Honors Boxes/Committee | 60 | 77 |
| Montgomery | Honors Boxes/Committee | 60 | 77 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 60 | 77 |
Neurology
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked | 67 | 82 |
| Huntsville | Honors Boxes/Committee | 67 | 82 |
| Montgomery | Honors Boxes/Committee | 67 | 82 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 67 | 82 |
Ob-Gyn
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Honors Boxes/Committee plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 66 | 81 |
| Huntsville | Committee decision plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 66 | 81 |
| Montgomery | Committee decision plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 66 | 81 |
| Tuscaloosa | Committee decision plus Oral Exam of 90 or higher | 66 | 81 |
Pediatrics
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Honors Boxes/Committee | 65 | 81 |
| Huntsville | Honors Boxes/Committee | 65 | 81 |
| Montgomery | Honors Boxes/Committee | 65 | 81 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 65 | 81 |
Psychiatry
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked by faculty | 74 | 87 |
| Huntsville | Honors Boxes/Committee | 74 | 87 |
| Montgomery | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked | 74 | 87 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 74 | 87 |
Surgery
| Campus | Clinical Honors | NBME Pass | NBME Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked | 60 | 76 |
| Huntsville | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked by Faculty | 60 | 76 |
| Montgomery | 50% or more of Honors Boxes checked | 60 | 76 |
| Tuscaloosa | Honors Boxes/Committee | 60 | 76 |
1. “Honors Box” refers to the clinical honors designation item on the clerkship student evaluation form. Note: Upper-level resident evaluations are included (Exception: Birmingham Psychiatry is faculty only).
2. “Committee Decision” refers to a faculty-led committee grade review, which incorporates “Honors Box” data.
Clerkship Raw Score
Each grading component also carries a numerical raw score. If a student fails the clerkship, the clerkship raw score is 69. Otherwise, the raw score is a weighted average of Clinical score and NBME Exam scaled score. The clinical score weight is .65 and the NBME score is weighted .35, with the exception of Ob/Gyn and Family Medicine which are .70 Clinical and .30 NBME. The Clinical score is 95 for a student who achieves Clinical honors and 85 for a student who passes but does not receive clinical honors. If a student fails and retakes the NBME Exam, the first (failing) score is still used in the raw score calculation.
These guidelines govern grading for the 2027 NRMP cohort at the time of the clerkship or clerkship students who take the clerkship prior to the 2028 criteria being published. Grades will not change based on a student’s subsequent change to another NRMP year.