Shelf Exam Policy

  • Students must pass the shelf exam in order to pass the clerkship.
  • If a student fails the shelf exam (and receives Satisfactory or above for the Clinical portion of the clerkship assessment), s/he must retake the exam at a time that is set by the Director of Assessment and the Society Deans. The Clerkship is listed as incomplete pending this retake.
  • After retaking the shelf exam, the highest grade the student can achieve in the rotation is commendable.
  • If a student fails the shelf exam a second time, the grade will remain incomplete and a referral will be made to the Committee on Students in consultation with the Society Deans. The Clerkship Directors in the discipline involved will make a recommendation to the Committee on next steps for the student.
Shelf exam performance: If a student does not pass the shelf exam at the first attempt in a discipline for which a shelf exam is required, he/she may retake the exam. If he/she does not pass the shelf exam on the second attempt, he/she must retake the discipline’s rotation. If he/she does not pass the shelf exam on the third attempt, he/she will receive an unsatisfactory grade for the discipline’s rotation.

After successfully completing the shelf exam remediation, the highest possible grade for the rotation is satisfactory.