Examiners in individual 2nd MB/2nd Vet MB subjects are free to determine pass marks in their examinations, depending on the questions and student performance.
The 2nd MB/2nd Vet MB examinations are designed to assess basic knowledge and understanding of material in the course, which is necessary for students to progress with the course and constitute a professional qualification. Students are expected to pass at a reasonably high level.
If you do not pass the 2nd MB/2nd Vet MB at the first sitting, you are permitted one further attempt. The main sittings of HOM, MIMS, FAB and VAP; BOD, MODA, NAB/NHB, HR/VRB and CVB are in conjunction with the June Tripos examinations. Resits are in September. The main sittings of HNA, FEBP, SECHI, PfVP and PAM are at the end of the Lent term of the first year, with a resit in September.
As a guide, the pass marks in individual subjects in main sittings of recent examinations were as follows (previous years can be found here):
First Year |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Homeostasis (HOM) |
65% |
65.5% |
67% (resit 56%) |
64% (resit 57%) |
63% (resit 57%) |
63% (resit 57%) |
55% |
54% (resit 54%) |
53% (resit 53%) | 53% (resit 53%) | 59% (resit 59%) | 58% |
Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS) |
50% |
46.5% |
54% (resit 50%) |
54% (resit 55%) |
54% (resit 53%) |
47% (resit 53%) |
50% |
52% (Resit 63%) |
47% (resit 55%) | 43% (resit 46%) | 46% | 46% |
Functional Architecture of the Body (FAB) |
66% |
67% |
67% (resit 67%) |
66% (resit 66%) |
67% (resit 67%) |
50% (resit: new regs 50%; old regs 67%) |
40% (resit 40%) |
45% (resit 45%) |
45% (resit 45%) | 41% (resit 41%) | 42% (resit 42%) | 42% |
Veterinary Anatomy & Physiology (VAP) |
56% |
55% |
56% (resit 56%) |
58% (resit 56%) |
56% (resit 56%) |
56% (resit 56%) |
56% (resit 55.5%) |
56% |
50% (resit 50%) | 55% (resit 50%) | 56% (resit 54%) | 50% |
Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice (FEBP, ISBM before 2021) |
70% |
70% |
73.33% (resit 80%) |
66.7% |
66.7% (resit 66.67%) |
66.7% (resit 66.67%) |
60% |
53.33% (Resit 60%) |
66.67% (resit 60%) | 60% (resit 66%) | 60% (resit 66.67%) | 66.67% |
Principles of Animal Management (PAM) |
|
65% |
65% (resit 65%) |
65% (resit 65%) |
65% (resit 65%) |
65% (resit 38/59) |
60% |
60% |
60% (resit 60%) | 60% | ||
Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness (SECHI) |
|
50% |
50% (resit 50%) |
50% (resit 50%) |
50% (resit 50%) |
50% (resit 50%) |
50% |
50% (Resit 50%) |
50% (resit 50%) | 50% (resit 50%) | 50% (resit 50%) | 50% |
Second Year |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Biology of Disease (BOD) |
48% |
49% |
52.7% (resit 51.5%) |
49.2% (resit 50%) |
47.5% (resit 47%) |
48% (resit 50%) |
50.26% |
51.5% (Resit 51.5%) |
45% | 43% (resit 50%) | 45% | 44.96% |
Human Reproduction (HR) |
59% |
59% |
60% (resit 60%) |
61% (resit 61%) |
62% (resit 61%) |
62% (resit 62%) |
62% |
62% (Resit 62%) |
62% | 60% (resit 60%) | 60% (resit 60%) | 59% |
Veterinary Reproductive Biology (VRB) |
60% |
60% |
60% (resit N/A) |
60%
|
60% (resit 60%) |
60% (no resits) |
68% (resit 60%) |
75% |
65% | 60% (resit 60%) | 65% (resit 65%) | 60% |
Neurobiology and Human Behaviour (NHB) |
62% |
62% |
60% (resit 59%) |
60% (resit 60%) |
61% (resit 61%) |
61% (resit 61%) |
60% |
59% (Resit 59%) |
49% | 55% (resit 55%) | 60% (resit 60%) | 60% |
Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour (NAB) |
62% |
62% |
60% (resit 59%) |
63% (resit 63%) |
61% (resit 61%) |
61% (resit 61%) |
60% |
57% (Resit 57%) |
55% | 55% (resit 55%) | 60% (resit 60%) | 60% |
Mechanisms of Drug Action (MODA) |
50% |
50% |
50% (resit 50%) |
49.5% (resit 50%) |
52% (resit 50%) |
53% (resit 53%) |
54% |
50% (Resit 50%) |
55% | 50% (resit 50%) | 50% (resit 50%) | 48.5% |
Comparative Vertebrate Biology (CVB) |
64% |
62% |
62% (resit N/A) |
60% (resit 60%) |
55% (resit (50%) |
50% (resit 50%) |
51% (resit 51%) |
70% |
50% | 50% (resit 50%) | 50% (resit 50%) | 54% |
Head and Neck Anatomy (HNA) - Introduced Lent 2015 |
|
|
69% (resit 69%) |
69% (resit 69%) |
69% (resit 69%) |
67% (resit 67%) |
67% (resit 67%) |
63.33% (Resit 63.33%) |
63.33% | 57.77% (resit 57.77%) | 61% (resit 61%) | 57.77% |