USMLE Requirements Chart – i

STATE-SPECIFIC Requirements For

USMLE Step 3:

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – Alabama

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – Alaska

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – Arizona

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – Arkansas

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – California

• USMLE STEP 3 Exam Eligibility Requirements – Colorado

                                                                             

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1257

Testing

The USMLE program has established rules to govern administration of the examinations to ensure that no examinee or group of examinees receives unfair advantage on the examination, inadvertently or otherwise. The rules include standard test administration conditions consistent with the principles on which the examinations are developed and scored. For example, examinations are designed to sample knowledge across specified content domains, and unauthorized access to examination content prior to testing violates that principle.
If there is a reason to believe that the integrity of the examination process is jeopardized, the USMLE parent organizations may invalidate all or any part of an examination. If information indicates that continued testing would jeopardize the security of examination materials or the integrity of scores, the USMLE parent organizations reserve the right to suspend or cancel test administration.

• Testing Regulations and Rules of Conduct

• Personal Items

• Admission to the Test

• Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3

• Step 2 CS

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1115

Attempts/Time Limits

Number of Attempts Allowed To Complete All Steps and Time Limits:
The USMLE program recommends to medical licensing authorities that they:

• Require that the dates of passing the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 examinations occur within a seven-year period; and
• Allow no more than six attempts to pass each Step or Step Component without demonstration of additional educational experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.

For purposes of medical licensure in the United States, any time limit to complete the USMLE is established by the state medical boards. Many require completion of the full USMLE sequence within seven years from the date the first Step or Step Component is passed or, in some cases, from the date of the first attempt at any Step or Step Component. While medical schools may require students to pass one or more Steps for advancement and/or graduation, you should understand the implications of time limits for licensure. General information regarding state-specific requirements for licensure can be obtained from the FSMB. For definitive information, contact the licensing authority in the jurisdiction in which you intend to seek licensure.

• Multiple Attempts

• Special Notice for MD/PhD Candidates

• Special Notice for International Medical Students and Graduates

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1053

CRU Updates – November 2011

New question formats in February 2012 Step 3 Examination
One of the recommendations emerging from the Comprehensive Review of USMLE (CRU) process is that USMLE develop assessments focusing on the examinee’s ability to access relevant information, evaluate its quality, and apply it to solving clinical problems. Among the formats under development to help meet this recommendation are multiple choice questions that assess an examinee’s ability to appropriately interpret information presented both in the form of a research abstract and a pharmaceutical advertisement.
A small number of items with an associated drug ad or abstract will be introduced into the USMLE Step 3 Examination beginning in February 2012.
Pharmaceutical Advertisement (Drug Ad) Format
The drug ad item format includes a rich stimulus presented in a manner commonly encountered by a physician, eg, as a printed advertisement in a medical journal. Examinees must interpret the presented material in order to answer questions on various topics, including

• Decisions about care of an individual patient
• Biostatistics/epidemiology
• Pharmacology/therapeutics
• Development and approval of drugs and dietary supplements
• Medical ethics

Abstract Format
The abstract item format includes a summary of an experiment or clinical investigation presented in a manner commonly encountered by a physician, eg, as an abstract that accompanies a research report in a medical journal. Examinees must interpret the abstract in order to answer questions on various topics, including

• Decisions about care of an individual patient
• Biostatistics/epidemiology
• Pharmacology/therapeutics
• Use of diagnostic studies

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1021

What is the USMLE?

USMLE is a standardized examination used to evaluate applicants’ competence for purposes of medical licensure in the United States and its territories. The USMLE is designed to assess a physician’s ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. USMLE is accepted by virtually all licensing boards in the US as evidence of competence to practice medicine in the US. State medical boards rely upon successful completion of the three USMLE component exams, or “Steps,” as an important element in the process for licensing physicians. Because of the test’s importance to the public’s safety and to examinees, maintaining its fairness and integrity is a priority for the NBME.

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=765