USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) : Eligibility

Pin It

STEP 1, STEP 2 CK, AND STEP 2 CS

To be eligible, the candidates must be in one of the following categories at the time you apply and on your test day:

• a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US or Canadian medical school program leading to the MD degree that is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME),
• a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US medical school leading to the DO degree that is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or
• a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a medical school outside the United States and Canada who meets the eligibility criteria of the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

If you are dismissed or withdraw from medical school, you are not eligible for USMLE, even if you are appealing the school’s decision to dismiss you or otherwise contesting your status.

STEP 3

To be eligible for Step 3, prior to submitting your application, you must:

obtain the MD degree (or its equivalent) or the DO degree from an LCME- or AOA-accredited US or Canadian medical school, or from a medical school outside the US or Canada that is listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED),
pass Step 1, Step 2 CK, and, if required based upon the rules, Step 2 CS
obtain certification by the ECFMG * or successfully complete a "Fifth Pathway" ** program if you are a graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada, and
meet the Step 3 requirements set by the medical licensing authority to which you are applying.

* ECFMG Certification is also one of the eligibility requirements for international medical graduates to take Step 3 of the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Medical schools outside the United States and Canada vary in their educational standards and curricula. The purpose of ECFMG Certification is to assess the readiness of graduates of these schools to enter U.S. residency and fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). To be certified by ECFMG, you must pass a series of exams; you must also fulfill ECFMG’s medical education credential requirements. These requirements include providing ECFMG with copies of your medical education credentials, which ECFMG will verify directly with your medical school. Details can be available from ECFMG website.

** Created by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1971, Fifth Pathway is an avenue by which students who have attended four years at a foreign medical school may complete their supervised clinical work at a U.S. medical school, become eligible for entry to U.S. residency training, and ultimately obtain a license to practice in the U.S.

Number of Attempts

The USMLE program recommends to medical licensing authorities that they:

require that the dates of passing the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 examinations occur within a seven-year period; and
allow no more than six attempts to pass each Step or Step Component without demonstration of additional educational experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.

Special Notice for International Medical Students and Graduates
ECFMG policy requires that applicants pass those USMLE Steps or Step Components required for ECFMG certification within a seven-year period. (You should refer to ECFMG’s Information Booklet for complete details.) This policy applies only to ECFMG certification. The USMLE program recommends, although not all jurisdictions impose, a seven-year limit for completion of the three-Step USMLE program. You should contact the FSMB or the medical licensing authority of the jurisdiction where you plan to apply for licensure for state-specific requirements.

Retakes :

On passing a particular STEP or STEP component, candidate are not allowed to retake the same STEP unless a requirement is imposed by an authority recognized by the USMLE program .

The number of attempts allowed to pass each step and the time allowed to complete all steps would vary among jurisdictions, hence it is best to got information form the medical licensing authority in the jurisdiction where one has applied for medical licenses or the FSMB. (www.fsmb.org). Usually most authorities require the candidates to have completed STEP 1, 2 and 3 with a seven year period.