NBME Procedures & Best Practices

Personal Laptop Certification

Students must complete the personal laptop certification when you receive e-mails from your clerkship coordinator one week before the exam and again on the day before the exam and follow the instructions below.

In order to be ready to start the exam on time, please allow yourself an extra 5-10 minutes to drop-off your belongings (leave tablets, smartphones etc. either turned-off or in Airplane mode) in L-1102 Coffee/Vending Lounge and setup your laptop connected to BU(802.1x) Wi-Fi and AC power.

Food and drinks are not allowed in the Testing Center. You can find more information regarding L-11 Testing Center (LTC) BUSM Policy and Procedures here.

System Requirements

As of July 2017, laptops with integrated touchscreens are NOW allowed according to the NBME’s recent announcement. Web-based Subject and CAS exams can now be administered on Microsoft Windows-based laptops with integrated touchscreens.

PREREQUISITES

  1. Go to http://wbt.nbme.org/exam and follow the on-screen instructions to download the Secure Browser.
  2. Close out all browsers (IE, Chrome, FireFox, Safari etc.) once the download is complete
  3. Restart your (PC/Mac) laptop. *For Macs, uncheck “Reopen windows when logging back in.”*
  4. Close out all applications including Dropbox, Google Drive, Citrix Receiver, Video Chat software such as Skype, etc.
  5. Start the Secure Browser
  6. Select the Workstation Certification icon.
  7. Select the Examinee Personal Laptop Certification link. The utility will test the laptop for compatibility with web based testing. If the test is successful, you will be prompted to launch a sample exam as the final step.

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Students must certify their laptops 1 week before the NBME exam.
      NOTE: Limit to 1 attempt only
      NOTE: If the test is not successful, students must bring their laptop to BUMC IT via the Computing Help Desk  in room L-1109 for technical support.
    2. All students must certify their laptops again the day before the exam.
      NOTE: Limit to 1 attempt only and do not install software after a successful certification.
      NOTE: If the test is not successful, students must bring their laptop to the BUMC IT via the Computing Help Desk in room L-1109 for technical support.
    3. All students must avoid trying to certify their laptops three or more times within a 28 day period as this will lock you out with a message akin to “You have exceeded the maximum number of attempts”.
      NOTE: If you receive this message, you must bring your laptop to the BUMC IT via the Computing Help Desk in room L-1109 prior to exam day.
    4. If the Computing Help Desk is unable to fix a student computer problem, the student will be approved and provided a laptop loaner on exam day. Loaners will be available on exam day 30 minutes prior to the start of the NBME exam in L-1102 Coffee/Vending Lounge. Laptops must be returned once the student has finished the exam. For more information about laptop loaners, click here.
    5. In the event the Computing Help Desk is unable to fix a student computer problem and a laptop is approved, the student must bring their laptop back prior to the next scheduled exam so the computing staff can spend more time diagnosing the problem.

    BUMC IT via the Computing Help Desk, INS 1109
    Service Hours:

      • Monday-Thursday, 8AM-5PM
      • Friday, 8AM-4PM

    Wireless – BU (802.1x) Instructions

    Students experiencing frequent drops or loss of connectivity to the BU (802.1x) Wireless network, should configure their laptops using the recommended wireless settings for their operating system. It is also recommended that students install the latest drivers and all Microsoft patches for their laptops. If students require technical assistance in configuring their wireless connection or installing drivers and patches, they can stop by the Computing Help Desk in INS 1109. If the Computing Help Desk is unable to fix the wireless issue, we will provide an Ethernet cable and ask you to sit at one of the “Reserved for Ethernet (Wired) Connection” seats located on the first row of tables closest to the stairwell on both the East Newton Street and East Concord Street Sides of the INS 1101 Testing Center.