USMLE

USMLE®

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The United States Medical Licensing Examination® acronym (USMLE®) is athree-step examination process for medical licensure in the United States and issponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the NationalBoard of Medical Examiners® (NBME®).United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a test for medicalgraduates who want to practice medicine in the USA as it is only the USMLEqualified candidates who are allowed to practice medicine in the USA.

USMLE Test Pattern

USMLE Step 1 can be taken up to 6 times. One is permitted to appear for theexam thrice in a year, to be precise, three times in a 12 months’ time. If an aspiranttakes the exam for the fourth time, there should be at least a one-year gapbetween the first attempt and the fourth attempt as well as a six-month gap sincethe previous attempt. The USMLE evaluates a physician’s ability to apply knowledge,concepts, and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centredskills, that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safeand effective patient care. Each of the three steps of the USMLE complementsthe others; none of the steps can stand alone in the assessment of readiness for medical licensure. The result of USMLE is available three-four weeks from thedate of the test.

Score Pattern for all the three steps of USMLE Exam

Minimum USMLE scores required for each of Step 1, 2 and 3 are as the following

Following are the three steps of the screening test (USMLE)

Step 1- Evaluates an aspirant’s basic concepts of medicine and its practice
Step 2- Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Sciences and
Step 3- Conducted by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the
National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), the test is taken by those whowant to pursue Residency programmes in USA.

USMLE Step-1

The USMLE Step 1 test is taken by candidates who are enrolled in or have passedmedical school with a degree from a college recognised by the World Directoryof Medical Schools. Step 1 assesses a candidate’s knowledge of the concepts ofscience in terms of medical practice. Step 1 covers around 18 disciplines and interdisciplinesof medicine. Though one does not have to obtain any specific score in
however, students have to get a minimum score to qualify the test.

USMLE Step-2

Step 2 (CK and CS) is further divided into Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Science.It is identical to the pattern followed in Step-1 in terms of eligibility. Thisstep can be taken by students who are enrolled in or have passed medical schoolwith a degree from a college recognised by the World Directory of MedicalSchoolsoutside of the US and Canada. The Step 2 paper focuses more on the health promotionand disease prevention.

USMLE Step- 3

The USMLE step 3 is the concluding examination in the entire USMLE testingprocess. Unlike Step 1 and Step 2, the USMLE step 3 can be taken only by graduatesof medical colleges i.e. one who possesses a degree equivalent to the US andCanadian MD degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of MedicalSchools. However, like the other two steps, Step 3 is applicable to internationalstudents from institutes recognised by the World Directory of Medical Schools aswell. This phase checks whether the candidate is ready for unsupervised medical

Tests	Minimum USMLE Scores Required
Step 1	192
Step 2 CK	209
Step 3	196
Total	472 – 528, midpoint:500