FAQs
- How can I do well on the USMLE?
Most medical students have mastered the skill of taking multiple-choice tests, which is how they got into medical school in the first place! So you can be assured that scoring high on the USMLE will be harder than it was even for the MCAT.
We recommend studying the same way you did for the MCAT:
1)Starting half-way through your MS-II year, get a solid review book or take a USMLE review course
2)Study daily, make it a routine
3)Take a sample test a few months before the actual USMLE to find the areas that you need to focus on the most
4)Participate in the popular USMLE and COMLEX Forums on SDN
5)Do as many sample questions as possible
6)Do as many sample questions as possible
7)Repeat a sample test every month prior to the USMLE to ensure you are not missing any areas.
8)The day before, test, exercise, eat well. Get a good night's sleep the day before the test.
- Do the Steps have to be taken at particular points during my medical education and career?
You must pass Step 1 and Step 2 before you are eligible to take Step 3. In LCME-accredited medical schools, although Step 1 and Step 2 can be taken in any order, most students will take Step 1 at the end of their second year and Step 2 in their fourth year; Step 3 is usually taken during the first or second year of postgraduate training. Students and graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada should contact the ECFMG for information on ECFMG Certification and Step 1 and Step 2 eligibility. Most medical licensing authorities require completion of USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 within a seven-year period, which begins when you pass your first Step.
- Is there a limit on the number of times Steps can be taken?
An examinee is ineligible to take a Step or Step Component if the examinee has made six or more prior attempts to pass that Step or Step Component, including incomplete attempts.
The effective date for the six-attempt limit depends upon whether an examinee has taken any Step or Step Component (including incomplete attempts) before January 1, 2012.
Examinees who have NOT taken any Step or Step Component before January 1, 2012
If you have not taken any Step or Step Component before January 1, 2012, the six-attempt limit is in effect for all exam applications that you submit on or after January 1, 2012.
Example 1: On January 15, 2012, Examinee A submits his application for his first attempt at any Step or Step Component. The six-attempt limit will be effective at that time for all Steps and Step Components and Examinee A will be allowed to take each Step or Step Component no more than six times, including incomplete attempts.
Examinees who have taken any Step or Step Component before January 1, 2012
If you have taken any Step or Step Component (including incomplete attempts) before January 1, 2012, the six-attempt limit is in effect for all exam applications that you submit on or after January 1, 2013. After that date, all attempts at a Step or Step Component will be counted toward the limit, regardless of when the exams were taken.
Example 2: Examinee B's application for a seventh attempt at a particular Step or Step Component is received on December 15, 2012. For this examinee, the six-attempt limit will not prevent the seventh attempt, since the application was submitted before January 1, 2013. However, if Examinee B fails the exam, he will not be eligible to submit an application after January 1, 2013 to retake that Step or Step Component.
Example 3: Examinee C attempts to submit an application for a seventh attempt at a particular Step or Step Component on or after January 1, 2013. The application will not be processed, since all exam applications submitted on or after January 1, 2013 will be subject to the six-attempt limit.
- If I fail an exam, when may I take it again?
You may take the same examination no more than three times within a 12-month period. Your fourth and subsequent attempts must be at least 12 months after your first attempt at that exam and at least six months after your most recent attempt at that exam.
When you reapply for Steps 1, 2 CK, or 2 CS, your exam eligibility period will be adjusted, if necessary, to comply with these rules. When you reapply for Step 3, you must wait to submit your application until any time limits have expired.
If you pass a Step or Step Component, you are not allowed to retake it, except to comply with certain state board requirements which have been previously approved by USMLE governance. For example, you may retake a passed Step to comply with the time limit of a medical licensing authority for the completion of all Steps or a requirement imposed by another authority recognized by the USMLE program for this purpose. The medical licensing authority must provide information showing that you are an applicant for licensure in that jurisdiction; have fulfilled all requirements for licensure in that jurisdiction; are eligible for licensure except for the out-of-date examination; and have completed the full USMLE sequence, including Step 3. Information regarding retakes allowed to comply with ECFMG requirements is provided at the time of exam application using ECFMG's Interactive Web Applications (IWA).
If you are repeating a previously passed Step or Step Component because of a time limit, you may apply to retake the examination only after the applicable time limit has expired. An exception to this policy can be granted if, at the time of application and testing:
*you are currently enrolled in an LCME- or AOA accredited medical school program leading to the MD or DO degree;
*you have previously passed Step 1 and/or Step 2 but have not passed Step 3;
*you are expected to graduate from the medical school program six or more years after the date you first passed Step 1 and/or Step 2; and
*you are otherwise eligible to retake the examination.
- I am a graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada. How can I get information on what is required to enter graduate medical education and/or practice medicine in the United States?
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) provides such information. Through its program of certification, ECFMG assesses the readiness of graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada to enter residency or fellowship programs in the United States. The ECFMG® Certification Fact Sheet provides an overview of ECFMG Certification and preliminary information on entry into US programs of graduate medical education. For detailed information on these topics, including eligibility to take the USMLE, refer to the ECFMG Information Booklet. Both publications are available on the ECFMG website.
- Can I retake a Step that I passed to raise my score?
No. If you pass a Step, you are not allowed to retake it, except to comply with the time limit of a medical licensing authority for the completion of all Steps or a requirement imposed by another authority recognized by the USMLE program.
- When will I get my scores?
A. Step 1, Step 2 CK, or Step 3:
Scores for Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 are released each Wednesday. Generally these will include scores for examinees who tested three to four weeks before the release date. However, there are many factors that may delay an individual score release. Usually these will be quickly resolved and the score released in the next weekly cycle. Your registration entity will notify you via email when your score becomes available. When released, your scores will be posted to your registration entity's secure website: for Step 1 and Step 2, either NBME or ECFMG; for Step 3, FSMB.
B. Step 2 CS:
Scores for Step 2 CS are released on Wednesdays according to the posted score reporting schedule. Step 2 CS examinees are grouped into testing periods according to the dates on which they test. It is expected that results for the vast majority of examinees who take the exam during the testing period will be reported on the first Wednesday of the Reporting Period. Results for 98%-99% of examinees who take the exam during the testing period are reported by the third Wednesday in a Reporting Period. For a small percentage of examinees (1%-2%), scoring and quality assurance may be not completed in time for these examinees to be reported by the first three reporting dates; these will typically be examinees who took the exam in the latter part of the testing period. Results for these examinees will be reported each week throughout the reporting period, and should be reported no later than the last day of the score reporting period.
Occasionally test changes require widespread delays in score reporting. These delays are necessary to gather data, perform analyses, and complete quality assurance that ensures the minimum passing score is appropriately maintained. Information on score delays is posted in the announcement section of the USMLE website.
- Why does it take three to four weeks to score a computer-delivered examination?
In order to assure that both the processing and scoring of USMLE examinations are done in a secure and accurate fashion, it is necessary to follow a number of quality assurance steps. These steps include monitoring reports from test centers about test delivery problems and about possible security violations. These processes are completed for a majority of examinees in three to four weeks.