Fourth year medical students must pass an end of third year objective structured clinical exam as a graduation requirement; at IU School of Medicine, this exam is called the Clinical Performance Exam or more commonly the CPX. This comprehensive summative examination accesses the Level 2 requirements of the IU School of Medicine competencies. Students complete several standardized patient stations at the IU Health Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall in Indianapolis. Students are assessed through the checklist items completed by the standardized patients and the post encounter notes graded by IU School of Medicine faculty, as well performance in ungraded areas of oral presentation and POCUS knowledge and imaging. Students receive scores on their skills in communications, documentation and standardized patient checklists; if students do not receive a passing score, they undergo a remediation process that includes reviewing their performance videos and evaluations and meeting with a faculty mentor. While results are not included in a student's transcript or their MSPE letter, successful passing or remediation of this exam are a graduation requirement that must be met before matriculation.
Annual timeline
February: Invitation to CPX Canvas Page
March: Sign up for practice session
April: Sign up for exam
May-July: Summer CPX administration in Indianapolis
August: Score calculation
September: Scores distributed, beginning of remediation process
October: Fall CPX administration for off-cycle/LOA students
November: Fall score distribution, finish remediation meetings
January: Finish remediation activities
If you have any questions, please reach out to the clinical assessment program manager, Windi Hornsby, at whornsby@iu.edu.