Eligibility for Examination
Medical School Students |
Medical School Graduates
|
Reverification of Eligibility
|
Fifth Pathway Participants
The eligibility requirements for examination differ depending on whether you are a medical school student or a
medical school
graduate.
Medical School Students
To be eligible for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, you must be officially enrolled in a medical school located
outside the United States and Canada that is listed in
IMED
, both at the time that you apply for examination and at
the time you take the exam. In addition, the “Graduation Years” in IMED for your medical school must be listed as
“Current” at the time you apply and at the time you take the exam. An authorized official of your medical school
must certify your current enrollment status; instructions will be provided at the time of application for examination.
As soon as you graduate and receive your medical diploma, you must send two photocopies of your medical
diploma and one full-face, passport-sized, color photograph to ECFMG. See
Final Medical Diploma
in Medical
Education Credentials. The photograph that you send must be
current; it must have been taken within six months
of the date that you send it. A photocopy of a photograph is not acceptable.
In addition to being currently enrolled as described above, to be eligible for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2
CS, you must have completed at least two years of medical school. This eligibility requirement
means that you
must have completed the basic medical science component of the medical school curriculum by the beginning of
your eligibility period.
Although you may apply for and take the examinations after completing the basic medical science component of
your medical school curriculum, it is recommended that you complete your core clinical clerkships, including actual
patient contact, before taking Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS.
If you have passed the former ECFMG CSA, you are not eligible to take Step 2 CS, except under certain, well-
defined circumstances. Eligible circumstances include: taking Step 2 CS to permanently validate an expired CSA
examination date for the purpose of entering U.S. GME (See
Validity of Examinations for Entry into Graduate
Medical Education
in ECFMG Certification.), taking Step 2 CS because your most recent performance on a clinical
skills exam (CSA or Step 2 CS) is a failing performance (See Official Performance of Record for Examinees
Retaking a Previously Passed Step in the
USMLE Bulletin of Information
.), and retaking Step 2 CS to meet a time
limit (See
Reexamination and Reapplication
in Applying for Examination and Retakes in the
USMLE Bulletin of
Information
.).
Important Note: If your eligibility for an exam changes after you apply but before you take the exam,
you are required to inform ECFMG immediately in writing of this change in your status. Such
notification must be sent to ECFMG’s Applicant Information Services. Use the contact information for
General Inquiries on the
Contact ECFMG
page of the ECFMG website. Failure to inform ECFMG of a
change in your eligibility for examination may result in a finding of irregular behavior. See
ECFMG
Policies and Procedures Regarding Irregular Behavior
. Such changes in your eligibility status include,
but are not limited to, the following:
Medical school students who transfer to another medical school after submitting an application for
examination must inform ECFMG immediately in writing of this transfer.
Medical school students who have been dismissed or withdrawn from medical school are not eligible for
the USMLE, even if they are appealing the school's decision or otherwise contesting their status.
Medical school students who have been dismissed or withdrawn from medical school must inform
ECFMG immediately in writing of their dismissal or withdrawal.
Last updated: September 15, 2011
Copyright © 2011 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
29
Eligibility for Examination
Medical School Students
| Medical School Graduates |
Reverification of Eligibility
|
Fifth Pathway Participants
The eligibility requirements for examination differ depending on whether you are a medical school student or a
medical school graduate.
Medical School Graduates
To be eligible for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, you must be a graduate of a medical school located
outside the United States and Canada that is listed in
IMED
. Your graduation year must be included in the medical
school’s IMED listing. You must have been awarded credit for at least four credit years (academic years for which
credit has been given toward completion of the medical curriculum) by a medical school that is listed in IMED. An
authorized official of your medical school must certify your status as a graduate of the school; instructions will be
provided at the time of application for examination.
Two photocopies of your medical diploma must be submitted at the time of exam application
if your diploma has
not been sent to ECFMG previously. See the
Reference Guide for Medical Education Credentials
on the ECFMG
website for the exact name of the final medical diploma you must provide. One full-face, passport-sized, color
photograph must accompany the photocopies of your diploma. The photograph must be current; it must have
been taken within six months of the date that your exam application is sent to ECFMG. A photocopy of a
photograph is not acceptable. If you have graduated and met all requirements for your medical diploma but your
medical diploma has not yet been issued, a current, full-face, passport-sized, color photograph and a letter signed
by your Medical School Dean, Vice Dean, or Registrar must be submitted with your exam application. The letter
you submit must be the original document and must be written on your medical school’s letterhead. The letter
must include the following statement:
This is to confirm that [applicant name] has graduated and completed all requirements to
receive the [degree title] degree from [medical school/university name]. The degree will be
issued [month and year].
You must then send the photocopies of your medical diploma to ECFMG as soon as your diploma is issued. See
Medical Education Credentials
.
All documents that are not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation that meets ECFMG’s
translation requirements. See
English Translations
in Medical Education Credentials.
If you have passed the former ECFMG CSA, you are not eligible to take Step 2 CS, except under certain, well-
defined circumstances. Eligible circumstances include: taking Step 2 CS to permanently validate an expired CSA
examination date for the purpose of entering U.S. GME (See
Validity of Examinations for Entry into Graduate
Medical Education
in ECFMG Certification.), taking Step 2 CS because your most recent performance on a clinical
skills exam (CSA or Step 2 CS) is a failing performance (See Official Performance of Record for Examinees
Retaking a Previously Passed Step in the
USMLE Bulletin of Information
.), and retaking Step 2 CS to meet a time
limit (See
Reexamination and Reapplication
in Applying for Examination and Retakes in the
USMLE Bulletin of
Information
.).
Important Note: If your eligibility for an exam changes after you apply but before you take the exam,
you are required to inform ECFMG immediately in writing of this change in your status. Such
notification must be sent to ECFMG’s Applicant Information Services. Use the contact information for
General Inquiries on the
Contact ECFMG
page of the ECFMG website. Failure to inform ECFMG of a
change in your eligibility for examination may result in a finding of irregular behavior. See
ECFMG
Policies and Procedures Regarding Irregular Behavior
.
Last updated: September 15, 2011
30