Today, the August CBSE mean, range, and standard deviation were released. Below is the data from this August and past CBSE exams. Credit to SDN user, Bereno, for the pre-August 2014 data. Overall, it looks like the average continues to be in the 55 range. Now that the sample of tests has become larger, and has only deviated 2-3 points, it seems that this will continue to be the trend.
| Date | Mean | Range | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2021 | 175.7 (60) | 32.4 | |
| August 2020 | 172 (59) | 33 | |
| February 2020 | 165.4 (57) | 32.3 (11) | |
| August 2019 | 163.6 (57) | 33.7 (11.5) | |
| February 2019 | 55 | 13.5 | |
| August 2018 | 55.5 | 16-96 | 11.9 |
| February 2018 | 53 | 23-98 | 12.5 |
| August 2017 | 50.8 | 25-94 | 11.6 |
| March 2017 | 55.4 | 32-86 | 10.6 |
| July 2016 | 56.4 | 22-97 | 12.7 |
| February 2016 | 54.9 | 26-92 | 11.8 |
| August 2015 | 56.4 | 23-99 | 11.2 |
| February 2015 | 53.6 | 1-91 | 11 |
| August 2014 | 56.3 | 29-99 | 12.4 |
| February 2014 | 53.6 | 32-92 | 10.9 |
| September 2013 | 54.4 | 21-93 | 10.9 |
| May 2013 | 59 | 28-92 | 11.6 |
| September 2012 | 53.9 | 34-95 | 10.4 |
Not important, but I thought I’d post the email so people know how the data is reported. As of August 2019, the reults are reported as a Step 1 estimated equivalent score. Below is how the data is reported along with the new conversion table. If it is continued to be reported as the Step 1 estimated score then I will change the table to reflect that.
Something that is actually interesting is research on the CBSE that is to be presented at the AAOMS annual meeting. Titled “The Value of the Comprehensive Basic Sciences Exam (CBSE) in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Programs,” the presentation will give hard data showing how the CBSE is used in applicant selection (spoiler alert: it is used to set a cutoff). An interesting data point is that for every point increase in CBSE score, there is a 1.57% less chance of being rejected. Another, is the mean CBSE score of invited, waitlisted, and rejected candidates are 67.13 (SD 10.93), 62.86 (SD 8.24), and 58.99 (SD 8.79), respectively.1 Finally, some actual information about what CBSE scores mean, even if it is only from a single program.
An institutional review conducted at UAB from 2014-2018 compared CBSE scores of their residents with the ability to pass USMLE Step 1.2 Although a small sample and from only one institution, they were able to find that a CBSE score correlated with a pass on Step 1. The hope is that programs will implement this into their decision making instead of an arbitrary cut-off.
1. Sam S. Bae, Adina Robinson, Sean P. Edwards. The Value of the Comprehensive Basic Sciences Exam (CBSE) in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Programs. 2015. https://aaoms.confex.com/aaoms/am1509/webprogram/Paper10845.html.
2. Shepard, William D. et al. An Institutional Review: Which Metrics Correlate With a Successful United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Score? Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Volume 78, Issue 2, 179 – 183
For other CBSE content, head over to our CBSE Guide and the CBSE Match Data.