This information is being provided to allow genetic counselors to have a better understanding of how our examination is developed and how it is scored. Please take a moment to read this material and let us know if you have any further questions or comments. The ABGC would like to thank Bonnie Baty and Ginny Corson for clarifying the process. In addition to the General Examination, genetic counselors take the Genetic Counseling Examination, with questions written by the ABGC Board and item writers. Both examinations must be passed for certification.
Writers strive to test important knowledge and the ability to synthesize information.
Questions are written so that they are not tricky or ambiguous and do not stress information that is considered to be controversial. The examination strives to achieve balance in different knowledge areas for an entry level counselor. When all answers for each examination are received by the NBME, item responses are recorded and a preliminary item analysis, also known as key validation, is conducted to identify items that may have been miskeyed or that were flawed in some way. The item analysis for each examination is based on the responses of all candidates who take the examination. After key validation, raw scores are computed for each examination.