What is tested on the NBME Emergency Medicine Shelf Exam?

According to the NBME Emergency Medicine Advanced Clinical Exam Content Outline, the exam covers the following topics:

System*

• General Principles, including ethics and patient safety 1%–5%
• Immunologic Disorders 1%–5%
• Diseases of the Blood 5%–10%
• Mental Disorders 1%–5%
• Diseases of the Nervous System 10%–15%
• Cardiovascular Disorders 15%–20%
• Diseases of the Respiratory System 10%–15%
• Nutritional and Digestive Disorders 10%–15%
• Gynecologic Disorders 1%–5%
• Renal, Urinary, Male Reproductive Systems 5%–10%
• Obstetric Disorders 1%–5%
• Diseases of the Skin 1%–5%
• Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders 5%–10%
• Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders 5%–10%

Physician Task

• Promoting Health and Health Maintenance 1%–5%
• Understanding Mechanisms of Disease 5%–10%
• Establishing a Diagnosis 25%–35%
• Applying Principles of Management 45%–55%

Patient Age

• Birth to 17 5%–10%
• 18 to 65 60%–65%
• 66 and older 15%–20%

*A subset of items across the organ systems includes content that focuses on resuscitation/trauma (~15%) and environmental/toxicologic disorders (~15%).