The SPEC test plan covers the following nine clinical areas with the emphasis noted as a percentage of the entire examination:
Patient interview (16%)
Physical examination (11%)
Neuromuskuloskeletal examination (13%)
X-ray examination (11%)
Clinical lab and special studies (6%)
Diagnosis or clinical impression (12%)
Chiropractic techniques (11%)
Supportive techniques (8%)
Case intervention strategies (12%)
SPEC consists of two parts; each part includes 100 multiple-choice questions:
The first part contains 100 questions related to the management of 25 clinical cases, selected according to the frequency with which various conditions are commonly encountered in chiropractic practice.
Areas and the approximate number of cases to be tested in each area are as follows:
- articular/ joint, neurological, muscular or skeletal conditions (approximately 13)
- gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, or integument conditions (approximately 5)
- endocrine/ metabolic, female reproductive, hematological/lymphatic, renal/ urological or male reproductive conditions (approximately 4)
- miscellaneous (allergies, nutritional), EENT, childhood, or venereal disorders (approximately 3)
The second part contains 100 traditional multiple-choice questions addressing the knowledge required for unsupervised chiropractic practice.
Chiropractic Board Review Books
NBCE Chiropractic National Board Review & Exam Reference Books.