All assessments and modules have a passing grade of 65%. For further information regarding grading please see the assessment and grading policies.
CCSG Basics are designed to ensure students are prepared with the foundational knowledge needed to participate fully in their CCSG sessions. They consist of multiple-choice questions administered through Blackboard and can be found under the Assessments section.
CCSG Basics open 48 hours prior to the CCSG and are due 1 hour before the start of the CCSG. If back-to-back CCSGs are scheduled, the Basics will be due 1 hour prior to the start of the first CCSG. All due dates will be posted on the Phase 1 Google Calendar.
These assignments must be completed by students within the time limit provided. They contribute to students’ overall module grades, and they are considered low stakes. The correct answers will be released after the Basics are completed.
CCSG Basics are required even in the case of a planned or unplanned absence and cannot be postponed. Students who do not complete the assignment within the designated window will receive a zero. To avoid issues in the event of an emergency, students are strongly encouraged to complete the Basics by the night before the CCSG.
Any approved additional time accommodations will be applied automatically through Blackboard by the Pre-Clerkship team. Students must still initiate the assignment within the scheduled testing window set by faculty; your allotted time will reflect any approved accommodations.
Weekly quizzes are an essential component of the ASCEND modules and focus on material covered in the preceding week.
During the Foundations Block in Semester 1, quizzes are faculty-written and administered through Blackboard. In Semester 2, the majority of quizzes are drawn from the AMBOSS Question Bank.
While weekly quizzes do contribute to the final module grade, they are primarily intended as formative assessments, supporting consistent study habits and providing timely feedback to guide learning.
Weekly quizzes are accessed through each respective Blackboard module. For quizzes administered via AMBOSS, access is provided through links posted within Blackboard.
Access to AMBOSS quizzes differs for students with approved testing accommodations. Please review the “Students with Testing Accommodations” section below for details.
Quizzes will be open for two days and will close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on the second day. Quiz dates and testing windows will be posted on the Phase 1 Google Calendar.
Please note that students must initiate quizzes during the scheduled test window set by the faculty.
In the preclerkship phase of the MD program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the ability to take an online quiz (Blackboard or AMBOSS) during a prescribed assessment window provides students with flexibility in when and where they take the assessment. Given this flexibility, there are only a few instances when permission to take a quiz outside the window will be granted by the Office for Curricular Affairs.
Students can request an alternate window (which will be granted for the following Thursday during Independent Learning Time) to complete their quiz in the following circumstances:
Unplanned Absences: Urgent reasons such as illness that physically prevents a student from completing the assessment or a personal emergency. Even if a student has submitted an absence form, students MUST request an alternate window by emailing prior to the conclusion of the assessment window.
Technical Issues: For any unresolvable technical issue that prevents a student from initiating or continuing with the online quiz. Students must email and the module director within 60 minutes of the reported failure. The Office of Curricular Affairs will respond the next business day to reschedule. Failure to report the technical issue within the timeframe outlined will result in a zero for the assessment.
Planned Absences: Because of the generous (>48 h) quiz window, students may only request a rescheduled quiz if they are celebrating a major religious holiday that spans the duration of the window. Students who anticipate needing an alternate window to accommodate a religious holiday must email 14 days prior to the start of the quiz window.
Students who do not adhere to the policies above will receive a zero on their quiz and will not be allowed to take at a later date.
Rescheduling an assessment does not extend the original testing window. Students who meet the criteria for an alternate test window will complete the assessment during the standard make-up window, which is scheduled for the Thursday immediately following the assessment close during Independent Learning time (8:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. EST).
Students must proactively email preclerkships@mssm.edu to request an alternate test window. Students with approved requests will receive an email with instructions on how to access and complete the make-up assessment.
The Anatomy Practical exam consists of students rotating through a series of stations (e.g., cadaveric, prosection, or image-based stations) with labeled items and answering questions using paper and a writing utensil. After a designated amount of time, students will rotate to the next station.
The Anatomy Practical is a restricted absence day. Absences will only be granted in the case of emergencies (unplanned) or observance of a major religious holiday (planned). Students approved for an absence will be assigned a designated makeup day to complete the practical.
Pathology Practical Quiz is an in-class, team-based exercise where students function as pathologists and diagnose unknown cases (e.g., autopsies and surgical resections). The assessment is open-book, and all members of the same team receive the same practical quiz grade.
The Pathology Practical is a restricted absence day. Absence requests will only be reviewed for approval in the event of an emergency (unplanned) or observance of a major religious holiday (planned).
Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a structured group learning strategy that incorporates individual preparation, team collaboration, and immediate feedback in a high learner-to-faculty ratio environment. TBL sessions include short readiness assurance assessments: the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT), which students complete independently in Blackboard, and the Group Readiness Assurance Test (gRAT), which students complete collaboratively in teams. Specific administration and grading details will be communicated by the module team.
Students with approved testing accommodations should refer to the “Students with Testing Accommodations” section below for additional details on the iRAT administration in applicable modules.
Students with an approved excused absence from a TBL session may be eligible to complete a make-up readiness assessment during the standard alternate testing window (the Thursday immediately following the TBL session). To request a make-up, excused students must email preclerkships@mssm.edu prior to the start of the scheduled TBL session. Students with an unexcused absence for the session will receive a zero for the corresponding Blackboard test.
All ASCEND modules have an end-of-module summative exam. Summative exams are created by module faculty using the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Customized Assessment Services (CAS). Three out of the fourteen modules will have mid-module exams.
In modules with a single exam, the end-of-module exam covers the full content of the module. In modules with a mid-module exam, the end-of-module exam covers only the material from the second half of the module. All NBME CAS exams are proctored in person.
Mid-module and end-of-module exams are administered on Fridays at 9AM (Eastern Time), with the mid-module exam occurring midway through the module and the end-of-module exam held on the final Friday.
Scheduled Exam Times
Students are expected to report for their proctored exams by 9 AM on the exam dates which can be found on the Google calendar and academic calendar. The end times provided are approximate, based on starting the exam on time without any complications for students using standard timing.
Please note that NBME technical difficulties, WiFi connectivity issues, personal laptop issues, and/or weather issues have the potential to substantially delay examination end times. Students should take this into account when scheduling travel (flights or any other travel arrangements) after examinations. The school does not guarantee end times and will not reimburse or reschedule a student who misses any travel arrangements due to an extended NBME end time.
Preparation for Exam
Pre-certification is an important step in preparing for the NBME exams as it helps identify potential software conflicts and issues prior to an exam. All students were required to perform pre-certification of their laptops during Basecamp. As there can be periodic updates to laptop operating systems, or you may purchase a new laptop, we recommend that you go through the certification process prior to every exam. The directions can be found here:
One week Prior to Exam
Students will receive a module Blackboard announcement from the Office of Curricular Affairs team detailing the exam location and other important information. Students with approved accommodations will receive verification of approved accommodation by email.
Exam Day
Exams are held in Annenberg on the 12th and 13th Floors classrooms. All in-person proctored exam days are considered restricted days, and planned absences will not be granted unless they are major religious holidays. Unplanned absences are allowed. Make-up days are designated on the Academic Calendar.
Students must arrive at their assigned testing room by 9:00 AM to check in, get seat assignments, and set up laptop. Exams start at 9:30 AM sharp. Students who arrive after 9:30 AM will not be allowed to sit for the exam. This rule will be strictly enforced.
Students should bring the following items with them:
Student ID Badge for identification purposes
In addition students must follow the NBME’s rules and conduct found here and listed below:
Do not bring any personal/unauthorized items into the secure testing area. Such items include but are not limited to, outerwear, hats, food, drinks, purses, briefcases, notebooks, notes, pagers, watches, cell phones, recording devices, and photographic equipment.
You are not permitted to access any unauthorized items during the exam administration.
Do not make notes on your note board prior to entering your CIN or start up code. Once your exam begins, you are permitted to make calculations or notes ONLY on the erasable note board provided.
The proctor will provide instructions to students before the start of the exam.
Any technical issues will be handled by the proctor.
Proctors will have a limited number of back up laptops available in the exam room on exam day.
We encourage you to take the exam during business hours.
About a week after the exam, your official exam score will be posted to your Module Blackboard gradebook. You will also receive an email from NBME with access to an individual exam profile which provides your exam score and performance by exam subtopic in graph format.
Students will receive a Module BlackBoard announcement from the Office of Curricular Affairs team detailing the exam location and other important information, including verification of approved accommodation if applicable.
Each Practice of Medicine module will include two exams, which consist of one or more clinical cases using Standardized Patients (SPs) and an associated written note, generally hosted in or in partnership with The Morchand Center. In addition, intermittent quizzes will occur.
The exams will utilize a standard checklist or rubric related to the skill being tested (such as history taking, physical exam technique, or documentation). A student must complete enough items on the checklist to be above a set cut off percentage to pass the exam. The Clinical Competency Mentors or the Standardized Patients will score these checklists. Clinical Competency Mentors will not observe students in their own Learning Community in exams.
Practice of Medicine exams will generally occur on Thursdays, and each student will be scheduled for specific times that day. Some exams, such as POM assessment week in the POM 2 module will be scheduled over several days. These days are listed on the academic calendar as restricted days for absences.
Per the Preclerkship Absence Policy, days with assessments (Practicals, Proctored CAS Exams, POM assessments, etc) are designated as restricted days, during which absences cannot be requested. These restricted days are indicated on the Academic Calendar.
Students may request an exception to the restricted days policy for major religious holidays (e.g. Rosh Hashana, Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday). Requests for holiday absences must be submitted at least 14 days (2 weeks) in advance. This policy does not extend to religious ceremonies (e.g. weddings, baptisms). Students will be required to make up the exam on a designated make-up day. .
Exceptions for medical or other emergencies are permissible, but students must request an absence prior to the start of the assessment. Students will be required to make up the exam on a designated make-up day. .
Students who do not follow the policies above regarding notification of planned or unplanned absences for assessments will be considered unexcused. They will receive a zero for that assessment.
Approved testing accommodations occur through the Office of Student Disability Services. Accommodations should be requested as soon as possible to ensure adequate time to implement. Please note that accommodations can never be retroactive.
Accommodations are implemented by the Preclerkship team in the Office of Curricular Affairs. If you experience a problem on test day related to accommodations contact
Please be aware that a student’s status as a student with a disability is often noticeable during these exams when accommodations such as extended time, separate location, or alternate test taking devices are used. You may opt out of these accommodations at your discretion by emailing the Director of Disability Services at least 2 weeks before the test date.
For more information:
Blackboard Quizzes – Students with approved testing accommodations will complete Blackboard quizzes within the designated testing window. Approved extended-time accommodations will be applied by the Pre-Clerkship team and will reflect the student’s approved accommodation.
Amboss Quizzes – Links to complete Amboss quizzes are posted in Blackboard during the designated testing window. Students with approved extended-time accommodations do NOT use these links. Instead, a student with time accommodations should log directly into Amboss ( where the assigned quiz will appear to them with the appropriate time setting.
Proctored CAS Exams - For proctored CAS exams, the Pre-Clerkship team will receive students’ approved accommodation information, implement the necessary arrangements, and share relevant logistical details with students via email (i.e., room location, etc.).
Laptop charger
Foam earplugs (optional preference)
Students will be provided a board and dry-erase marker for notetaking.
All other personal belongings must be left in front of the room away from the secure testing area.
You must adhere to the instructions provided by proctors administering the examination.
Carefully review and agree to abide by any instructions provided or that appear at the start of the examination session.
Test proctors are not authorized to answer questions from examinees regarding examination content, testing software or scoring.
Do not leave the testing site at any time during your administration unless you inform and obtain permission from the testing proctor or are instructed to so do by test administration staff.
Failure to follow test day rules and procedures may result in the withholding or cancellation of your scores, and/or a bar from future exams administered by the NBME.
Practice of Medicine - The exact format of the exam will be provided by the course directors.
Anatomy Practical Exams - Students with similar time-based accommodations will rotate together, separate from the standard time group. Students who require accommodations related to exam format or access (e.g., screen readers, keyboard-based exams) will be provided those accommodations in the testing room.
Team-Based Learning Assessments - In applicable modules, students with approved accommodations will complete the iRAT independently in Blackboard prior to the start of class within an established testing window. The Pre-Clerkship team will implement approved accommodations and share relevant logistical details with students via email. Students are expected to report to class as scheduled with the iRAT already completed.