Application for ECFMG Certification
To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, you must complete an Application for ECFMG Certification. You can access the
Application for ECFMG Certification through
Interactive Web Applications (IWA)
on the ECFMG website. You must
have your
USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number
before you can begin the Application for ECFMG Certification. You
must complete an Application for ECFMG Certification before you can apply to ECFMG for examination. For the
current fee for submitting an Application for ECFMG Certification, see the
Fees
page of the ECFMG website.
As part of the Application for ECFMG Certification, you will be
asked to confirm the name, date of birth, and gender in
your ECFMG record. If this information is incorrect, you must have the information in your ECFMG record changed to
reflect your correct name, date of birth, and/or gender before you can complete the Application for ECFMG
Certification. Instructions for how to correct this information will be provided at the time of application.
If you are a medical school student, you will be asked to confirm that you are officially enrolled in a medical school
located outside the United States and Canada that is listed in the
World Directory of Medical Schools (
World Directory)
as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements, and that the “Graduation Years” in the ECFMG note in your medical
school's World Directory listing are listed as “Current.” If you are a medical school graduate, you will be asked to
confirm that you are a graduate of a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is listed in the
World Directory as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements, and that your graduation year is included in the ECFMG
note in your school’s World Directory listing. See
Medical School Requirements
.
The Application for ECFMG Certification also will require you to confirm your understanding of the purpose of ECFMG
Certification and release certain legal claims.
The information submitted in your Application for ECFMG Certification will become a part of your permanent
ECFMG record.
Once submitted to ECFMG, your Application for ECFMG Certification typically becomes valid immediately, allowing
you to apply for examination. A notification will be sent to the e-mail address in your ECFMG record confirming receipt
of your Application for ECFMG Certification. Once your Application for ECFMG Certification has been submitted to
ECFMG, it typically remains valid throughout the certification process and cannot be changed. If you are a student
when you submit your Application for ECFMG Certification, you do not need to submit another one when you
graduate. You can use
OASIS
to confirm that you have submitted an Application for ECFMG Certification.
Last updated: September 7, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
Page 19
Examinations for ECFMG Certification
Examination Requirements |
Time Limit for Completing Examination Requirements
Examination Requirements
To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, you must satisfy both the medical science examination and clinical skills
requirements. To satisfy these requirements, you must pass Step 1 and Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing
Examination (USMLE). Step 2 of the USMLE has two separately administered components, the Clinical Knowledge
(CK) component and the Clinical Skills (CS) component. Refer to the
USMLE Bulletin of Information
for more
information. ECFMG has established time limits for completing the examination requirements for ECFMG Certification.
See
Time Limit for Completing Examination Requirements
in Examinations for ECFMG Certification.
Passing performance on certain formerly administered examinations can be used to meet these requirements as
described below.
Medical Science Examination Requirement
Step 1 and Step 2 CK of the USMLE are the exams currently administered that satisfy the medical science
examination requirement. There are time limits for completing these examinations for ECFMG Certification. See
Time
Limit for Completing Examination Requirements
in Examinations for ECFMG Certification.
ECFMG also accepts a passing performance on the following former examinations to satisfy the medical science
examination requirement for ECFMG Certification: ECFMG Examination, Visa Qualifying Examination (VQE), Foreign
Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS), and the Part I and Part II Examinations of the
National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).
Combinations of exams are also acceptable. Specifically, if you have passed only part of the former VQE, FMGEMS,
or the NBME Part I or Part II, you may combine a passing performance on the basic medical science component of
one of these exams or USMLE Step 1 with a passing performance on the clinical science component of one of the
other exams or USMLE Step 2 CK, provided that the components are passed within the period specified for the exam
program.
Additionally, ECFMG accepts a score of 75 or higher on each of the three days of a single administration of the former
Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX), if taken prior to June 1985, to satisfy this requirement.
Clinical Skills Requirement
Step 2 CS of the USMLE is the exam currently administered that satisfies the clinical skills requirement. There are
time limits for completing this examination for ECFMG Certification. See
Time Limit for Completing Examination
Requirements
in Examinations for ECFMG Certification.
International medical students/graduates who have both passed the former ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment
(CSA
®
) and achieved a score acceptable to ECFMG on an English language proficiency test (such as the TOEFL
exam or the former ECFMG English Test) can use these passing performances to satisfy the clinical skills requirement
for ECFMG Certification.
Last updated: September 7, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
Page 20