SPECIAL PURPOSE EXAMINATION (SPEX ®)

The Scheduling Permit includes instructions for scheduling at a Prometric Testing Center. You must bring your Scheduling Permit to the test center on your testing date(s) in order to be able to test. Contact the FSMB immediately at (817) 868-4041 or spex@fsmb.org if your Scheduling Permit is lost.

Scheduling / Rescheduling / Canceling
Scheduling – SPEX is administered through Prometric in the U.S. and Canada. Test site information is available on Prometric's website. The Scheduling Permit must be received before you contact Prometric to schedule a testing appointment. Appointments are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rescheduling – Rescheduling is allowed with restrictions. The exam must be rescheduled within the eligibility period. You may change your scheduled date or center by following the instructions on your Scheduling Permit. To avoid a rescheduling fee, you must cancel or reschedule your appointment no later than five business days prior your scheduled test date.

If you do not cancel your examination per Prometric's procedures, additional fees will be required in order to reschedule the examination. Prometric rescheduling fees also apply if you need to reschedule because you did not provide adequate identification at the time of admission to your testing session, or you arrive too late to begin the examination without disrupting the test center's schedule.

Canceling – To cancel an application, you must submit a signed letter by mail or fax, to the Federation of State Medical Boards at the address or fax number below. If you have followed Prometric's cancellation procedures or have never scheduled an examination testing session with Prometric, you are eligible to request a partial refund of your SPEX fee. If you schedule an examination but do not take it and do not cancel with Prometric, you will forfeit the entire SPEX fee.

SPEX
Federation of State Medical Boards
400 Fuller Wiser Road Suite 300
Euless TX 76039-3856
Fax: (817) 868-4098

Preparation
The most appropriate preparation for the SPEX is a comprehensive review of up-to-date textbooks, clinical review publications and periodicals. Review of the information in the SPEX Information Bulletin and the practice test will provide familiarity with the formats used in the exam.

A web-based self-assessment – the Comprehensive Clinical Medicine Self-Assessment (CCMSA) – is also available. The CCMSA will help you become familiar with the question formats used in the examination and with how to navigate the examination.

Testing Conditions
SPEX is a proctored examination. Failure to comply with all instructions may result in a determination of irregular behavior. Test center staff is required to report violations of test administration rules or other forms of irregular behavior to the PLAS program; each report is fully investigated.

When you apply to take the SPEX, you are agreeing to the Rules of Conduct in the SPEX Information Bulletin.

• If you violate the Rules of Conduct, you may be directed to leave the test center before you complete the examination.
• Evidence of violation of any test administration rules will result in actions being taken under PLAS policies and procedures on irregular behavior.
• If you are found to have engaged in irregular behavior, your score report and transcripts will include this finding, and you may be barred from taking the SPEX in the future.

Admission to the Exam
Please arrive at the test center 30 minutes before your scheduled testing time. If you arrive late, you may not be admitted. If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the scheduled testing time, you will not be admitted.

The identity of each examinee is verified before admission to the examination room. Upon arrival, you must present your SPEX Scheduling Permit and an unexpired, government-issued identification form that includes both your photograph and your signature. If you do not bring your Scheduling Permit and acceptable identification, you will not be admitted to the test. You must also sign a test center log; be photographed; and store any personal belongings in an assigned locker. Test center staff will collect your Scheduling Permit, which will be retained at the Test Center Administrator's station.

Acceptable forms of identification include: passport; driver's license with photograph; national identity card; and other forms of unexpired, government-issued identification. Your name as it appears on the SPEX Scheduling Permit must match the name on the form(s) of identification exactly. If the name listed on the Scheduling Permit is not correct or does not match the form(s) of identification, contact the FSMB immediately at (817) 868-4041 or spex@fsmb.org.

Taking the Exam
The SPEX consists of three separately timed components – a pre-exam tutorial, the examination, and a post-exam survey. The tutorial and survey are optional. The survey is provided at the end of the examination, if time is available.

The examination is divided into seven blocks of 64 minutes each (48 questions in each block). Timing for each section of SPEX is computer-controlled; a Time Remaining box is displayed on the computer screen. You should try to answer every test item as there is no penalty for guessing. If you leave the test center before completing the exam, the administration will be considered incomplete. An incomplete or partial administration may affect reexamination procedures. Once a block is exited, you will not be allowed to return to that block. The test session ends when all blocks have been completed (or the total time for the test expires).

Break Time
Forty-five minutes of the total testing time is allotted for break and can be divided in any manner you prefer. If a block of the test or tutorial section is completed early, the remaining time will be available for breaks; it will not be available to complete other test blocks. You should monitor how many blocks are remaining and how much break time is remaining as you progress through the test. If you take too much break time and exceed the allocated or accumulated break time, your time to complete the last block(s) in the testing session will be reduced.

Retakes
Self-nominated examinees are limited to three attempts within a 12-month period. Examinees may retake the SPEX after the initial attempt with no waiting period and submission of a new application and fee. A third attempt requires a mandatory 90-day waiting period from the previous attempt. Any subsequent attempts require a one-year waiting period from the initial attempt.

Board-sponsored examinees, at the sponsoring board's discretion, may not be subject to the same waiting periods. Any additional reexamination eligibility requirements and procedures for unsuccessful examinees are established by the individual licensing boards pursuant to their statutes and regulations.