USMLE Exam

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About USMLE Exam

What is USMLE exam?

USMLE test or USMLE exam is US medical licensing exam. It is a screening exam for medical students who want to get a medical license in the United States. USMLE full form stands for the United States Medical Licensing Examination. If you are preparing for USMLE exam, and have queries about USMLE preparation, and looking for how to prepare for USMLE exam, this is all the information you will need.

USMLE is sponsored by two regulatory bodies in the US, which are Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). These two are non-profit-organisations, representing 70 state medical and osteopathic boards across United States of America. Each state has their own rules and regulations when it comes to medical licensing. USMLE test is the common evaluation tool among these for initial medical licensing.

 

USMLE Exam

 

It is regulated by an 80 members board, which include members from not only FSMB and NBME, but also the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Resident and Fellows Section of the AMA, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the uniformed services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

USMLE includes 3-step examination.

Which are,

  1. Step 1 exam
  2. Step 2 CS (Clinical Science) and Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge)
  3. Step 3

These are the three stages of USMLE. Step 1 and Step 2 examination is done while the student is in medical school. Step 3 is taken after he / she has graduated.

Here, we are providing all the information about USMLE exam, USMLE exam details, USMLE exam pattern, USMLE exam Schedule, USMLE exam eligibility, and USMLE exam scores to qualify for the licence.

USMLE Test Centres:

USMLE tests are conducted by Prometric, a testing agency. Prometric is also responsible for allotting international test centres to international students taking USMLE test. For USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK test, aspirants can choose to take the examination in their respective country of residence. For students who are to appear for Step 2 CS and Step 3 test, will have to travel to the USA for the exam.

Student can apply to take the exam in their respective countries across the world, and there are number of centres across countries where students can take examination. There is no surcharge applied if the candidate is taking the USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK tests in the USA or Canada. However, a surcharge is additional if the test is taken on the centres other than the USA or Canada.

USMLE Test Centres

Testing Region

Prometric Testing Centres Location

Surcharge

Step 1

Step 2

Canada

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan

$0

$0

United States and & its territories

All U.S. state and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

$0

$0

Asia

Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, and Singapore

$150

$170

Australia

Australia and New Zealand

$150

$170

Africa

Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda

$150

$170

China

People’s Republic of China

$150

$170

India

India

$150

$170

Indonesia

Indonesia

$150

$170

Latin America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela

$150

$170

Middle East

Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates

$150

$170

Thailand

Thailand

$150

$170

Taiwan

Taiwan

$185

$210

Europe

Armenia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK

$185

$210

Korea

Korea

$185

$210

Japan

Japan

$365

$410

Test Centres for Step 2 CS (Clinical Science)

There are six centres for candidates taking Step 2 CS examination across USA. The test centres subjected to availability are Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Any candidate across the world can apply for any of these centres through ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates).

The final evaluation of the physicians who want to practice medicine in the United States is done in USMLE exam step 3. As mentioned above, USMLE step 3 is a two-day examination. The test centres for the Step 3 can also be chosen by the same process of choosing Step 2 CS locations. For USMLE exam Step 3, there are some centres in Canada as well. For Step 3, candidates will have to choose their USMLE test centre for Step 3 through Prometric Testing Agency.