National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

What National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) does

NBME is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1915 and headquartered in Philadelphia that develops and administers standardized assessments for the medical profession. Its flagship product is the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), jointly sponsored with the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and accepted by all 50 U.S. state medical boards as the licensure pathway for physicians. Beyond USMLE, NBME offers a portfolio of institutional and individual assessment products including NBME Subject Exams (Comprehensive Basic Science and Comprehensive Clinical Science), Self-Assessments (CBSSA, CCSSA, CCMSA), Customized Assessment Services (CAS), the International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM) program, and newer offerings such as the Communication Learning Assessment (CLA), the Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Exam, and the MedVR Education extended-reality platform acquired in February 2024.

The underlying technology includes a secure web-based examination system with browser lockdown, hardware/software configuration checking, and recording-detection capabilities, administered either at medical schools or through Prometric's global test center network. Supporting tools include the INSIGHTS interactive dashboard (consolidating learner performance across Self-Assessments, Subject Exams, and CAS) and detailed score reports with national comparison groups. Data-sharing integrations exist with AAMC, ECFMG, and NRMP for the residency match and research workflows.

NBME generates revenue primarily through examination and assessment fees charged to institutions (medical schools, residency programs) via the MyNBME Services Portal and to individual examinees via the MyUSMLE portal. The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (coordinating with Executive Chief Proctors at medical schools) with self-serve institutional purchasing and direct-to-consumer registration. NBME serves a horizontally segmented customer base spanning medical students, medical schools and educators, state medical boards, and residency programs, with additional international reach via IFOM and Prometric-distributed Subject Exams.

Name

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

Legal name

National Board of Medical Examiners

Website

https://nbme.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NBME is a Philadelphia-based non-profit founded in 1915 that develops and administers the USMLE and related standardized assessments for U.S. medical licensure, serving medical students, medical schools, residency programs, and state licensing boards, with growing international reach through IFOM and extended-reality training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Assessment and Licensing Examinations

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Medical Licensure Exam Prep (USMLE/COMLEX, NCLEX, Dentistry, Pharmacy, PA) (EDANAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diagnostic & Adaptive Assessment Content (Skills/Readiness) (EDAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Medical licensing examinations
• Healthcare assessment services
• Standardized subject examinations
• Medical education assessment
• Clinical competency evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Examination and Assessment Services: NBME provides standardized medical assessments including USMLE examinations, NBME Subject Exams, Self-Assessments, and Customized Assessment Services to medical schools, residency programs, and individual examinees. Revenue is generated through examination fees charged to institutions and individuals for test administration, scoring, and reporting services.
2. Extended Reality Platform (MedVR Education): Following the February 2024 acquisition of MedVR Education, NBME incorporated MedVR's extended reality platform into its medical education and assessment capabilities, enabling immersive training experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NBME develops and administers standardized medical assessments, most notably the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), NBME Self-Assessments, NBME Subject Exams, and Customized Assessment Services for medical schools and residency programs. It also offers international assessments (IFOM), allied-health certification exams (Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Exam), and a Communication Learning Assessment, delivered via a proprietary secure web-based testing platform and the Prometric global test-center network.

Product overview

NBME is a medical assessment organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of standardized examinations and educational services. The core offering consists of the USMLE® three-step licensing examination program and NBME® Self-Assessments for exam preparation. Institutional products include Subject Exams (Comprehensive Basic Science and Clinical Science) and Customized Assessment Services (CAS) for medical schools. The portfolio includes specialized assessments such as the International Foundations of Medicine® (IFOM®), Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Exam, and Communication Learning Assessment (CLA). Supporting tools include the INSIGHTS® interactive dashboard, NBME Academy for faculty development, and grant programs including Emerging Innovator Grants and Stemmler Grants. Following its February 2024 acquisition of MedVR Education, NBME expanded into extended reality (XR/VR) platforms for medical training simulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NBME Self-Assessments: A comprehensive self-assessment tool designed to help medical students and professionals evaluate their readiness for USMLE examinations.
• International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM)
• NBME Subject Exams
• Communication Learning Assessment (CLA)

Products and services

• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) A three-step standardized examination program (Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 3) that provides medical licensing authorities with a consistent method to evaluate candidates for medical licensure in the United States. Jointly sponsored by NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), with all 50 U.S. state medical boards accepting USMLE scores.
• NBME Self-Assessments Self-assessment tools including Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessment (CBSSA), Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessment (CCSSA), Comprehensive Clinical Medicine Self-Assessment (CCMSA), Clinical Science Mastery Series, and IFOM Clinical Science Self-Assessment, designed to help medical students and residents prepare for USMLE examinations.
• NBME Subject Exams (Comprehensive) Comprehensive Subject Exams including Comprehensive Basic Science (CBSE) and Comprehensive Clinical Science (CCSE) that assess student learning progress and readiness for USMLE Steps 1 and 2. Administered via web-based testing at medical schools or through Prometric test centers worldwide.
• Customized Assessment Services (CAS) Institutional assessment services that allow medical schools to create customized exams tailored to their curriculum, with rigorous item development following USMLE standards and integration with the INSIGHTS Dashboard.
• International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM) A comprehensive international assessment program for international medical schools and students, including the IFOM Clinical Science Exam, providing benchmarked assessments across global medical education contexts.
• Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Exam Certification examination for health and wellness coaches, extending NBME's assessment services beyond medical licensing to allied health professions, provided in collaboration with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching.
• Communication Learning Assessment (CLA) A formative learning assessment tool designed to help medical students improve their communication skills in clinical settings, supporting clinical skills development and assessment.
• NBME Workshops Professional development workshops for medical educators including the Item-Writing Workshop, Open-Enrollment Workshops, and Institutional Workshops designed to enhance assessment literacy and item development skills.
• MedVR Education Platform Extended reality (XR/VR) platform acquired by NBME in February 2024 for medical education and assessment, providing immersive simulation environments for medical training.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to national normative data for comparing examinee performance against students from LCME-accredited medical schools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024The USMLE is sponsored jointly by NBME and FSMB. Portions of examinee registration information are retained in a shared database for exam registration and scheduling. Performance data is used by both organizations for research and statistical purposes.
• MedVR EducationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2024In February 2024, NBME acquired MedVR Education for an undisclosed sum to incorporate MedVR's extended reality platform into its medical education and assessment capabilities. This extends NBME's offerings into immersive VR/AR training experiences.
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECFMG collaborates with NBME and FSMB to provide and confirm information related to international medical school graduates. Confirms medical school credentials and examination eligibility for international graduates seeking U.S. licensure.
• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBME shares certain user information including USMLE ID, name, medical school name, graduation date, date of birth, gender, score information, and ethnic/first language data with AAMC pursuant to data sharing agreements for research and operational purposes.
• National Residency Match Program (NRMP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBME shares examinee score and credentialing data with NRMP for residency application processing. NRMP uses the data for research and operational purposes related to the residency match process.
• National Board for Health & Wellness CoachingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBME collaborates with National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching to provide certification examinations for health and wellness coaches.
• PrometriccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrometric provides the worldwide network of secure test centers for NBME examination administration. NBME utilizes Prometric's testing infrastructure for examinees at distributed locations or without in-school testing capability.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): Administers the MCAT and shares USMLE data with NBME under data-sharing agreements; a structural peer in the U.S. medical education assessment ecosystem.
• Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB): Joint sponsor of the USMLE alongside NBME and the regulatory body for state medical boards; the closest peer given shared governance over U.S. medical licensure assessment.
• American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS): Oversees physician board certification across specialties; comparable in operating high-stakes assessment programs tied to U.S. physician credentials.
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG): Validates international medical graduates for U.S. training; operates closely with NBME on USMLE eligibility and shares examinee data pipelines.
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Sets standards for residency programs that consume NBME Subject Exam scores; operates in the same regulatory ecosystem and influences assessment demand.
• National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME): Administers the COMLEX-USA series for osteopathic physician licensure; the most direct functional parallel to NBME in the parallel osteopathic licensure track.

Broad incumbents

• Prometric: Operates NBME's principal worldwide test center network and delivers high-stakes exams across many industries; a channel partner and broad incumbent in assessment delivery.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): Operates GRE, TOEFL, and other large-scale standardized assessments; a broader incumbent with comparable psychometrics, secure delivery, and norming expertise.
• Pearson VUE: Operates a global computerized test center network similar to Prometric; functionally comparable in secure high-stakes assessment delivery at scale.
• Kaplan: Large test-preparation provider whose commercial USMLE prep products compete indirectly with NBME Self-Assessments; broader incumbent in professional test prep.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfyqIWBEeg6tBQ2Hpt2JK0g
• Facebookfacebook.com/National-Board-of-Medical-Examiner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-board-of-medical-examiners
• Instagraminstagram.com/nbmenow

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)