There are no test preparation courses affiliated with, or sanctioned by, the SPEX program. The most appropriate preparation for the SPEX is a well-planned and comprehensive review of up to-date textbooks, clinical review publications and periodicals.

The FSMB provides a practice test (see box to the left) that may be printed and is available to anyone who is interested in it. Review of the items in the SPEX Information Bulletin and the practice test should 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 uses information typically covered in clinical encounters, and the content of the items resembles the content in SPEX. The CCMSA will help you become familiar with the question formats used in the examination and with how to maneuver within the examination before your actual test date.

The CCMSA is available on the NBME website at: https://nsas.nbme.org/nsasweb/servlet/mesa_main.