Clinical Performance Examination (CPX)

The Clinical Performance Examination (CPX) is a practical test of basic clinical & professional skills. The examination was originally developed by a committee of faculty from the four medical schools as part of the North Carolina Medical Schools Consortium (NCMSC). The CPX exam consists of 14 cases that represent common problems students should be prepared to identify and manage, 12 of which are scored and two which are pilot cases. In comparison with the Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) used in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) course and Family Medicine Clerkship, this examination assesses a wider range of skills with each patient. Students encounter standardized patients in clinic, in-patient and emergency room settings and will be responsible for history taking, physical examinations, procedural tasks, and post encounter assessment and planning. In almost all cases, students will approach these patients as the responsible, first contact physician. 

Five types of skills are assessed in the CPX: relationship, communication, history taking, physical examination/task, and planning/assessment. Performance is recorded by the standardized patients and scored against criteria established by clinical faculty. A passing grade on the CPX is a requirement and must be achieved prior to graduation from the UNC School of Medicine. 

The dates for the 2009 CPX will be

July 25, 27, 28, 29
August 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11

All rising 4th year students will receive information on registration by email through the one45 system once the registration lottery opens. Registration will be open online beginning at 12:01 am June 2 and will close at 11:59 pm June 30. Students who do not register online by the cutoff date will be automatically registered. Students on delayed clerkships will be automatically assigned for either September 26 or October 24, depending on the completion date of their clerkships and will receive confirmation by email in June. Students assigned to the later test dates should NOT register online. Students who do not pass the examination will be required to participate in a remediation with clinical faculty and will be given the opportunity to retake the exam on either September 23, 24 or October 24, dpeending on availability. There will be no additional opportunities to retake the exam, no exceptions.

For more information about this exam, please visit the orientation pages.