United States Medical Licensing Examination
| Acronym | USMLE |
|---|---|
| Type | Computer-based, three-part sequence, standardized test |
| Administrator | Federation of State Medical Boards, National Board of Medical Examiners |
| Skills tested | STEP 1: Application of scientific principles basic to the practice of medicine STEP 2: Application of medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for supervised patient care STEP 3: Application of medical knowledge and understanding of biomedical and clinical science essential for the unsupervised practice of medicine |
| Purpose | Medical licensure in the United States |
| Year started | 1992 |
| Duration | STEP 1: 8 hours[1] STEP 2: 9 hours[2] STEP 3 (Day 1): 7 hours STEP 3 (Day 2): 9 hours[3] |
| Score range | STEP 1: pass/fail STEP 2: 1-300 (218 to pass)[4] STEP 3: 1-300 (200 to pass) |
| Offered | Year round |
| Regions | Globally at a Prometric centers for Step 1 and Step 2 CK; at a U.S. Prometric centers for Step 3 |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | More than 100,000 medical school students and graduates (2020)[5][6] |
| Fee | STEP 1: US$680.00 STEP 2: US$680.00[7] STEP 3: US$935.00[8] |
| Used by | State medical boards in the U.S. and U.S. Territories |
| Website | www |
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination program for medical licensure in the United States sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).[9] Physicians with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree are required to pass the USMLE for medical licensure. However, those with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO) are required to take the COMLEX-USA (COMLEX) exams but may also sit for the USMLE as well.[10][11]
States may enact additional testing and/or licensing requirements.[12]
- ^ "Step 1 | USMLE".
- ^ "Step 2 CK | USMLE".
- ^ "Step 3 Exam Content | USMLE".
- ^ "Change to Step 2 CK Passing Standard Begins July 1, 2025 | USMLE".
- ^ "Overview | USMLE".
- ^ "Performance Data | USMLE".
- ^ "Taking the USMLE® | NBME".
- ^ "FSMB | Step 3 FAQ".
- ^ "Who is USMLE?". www.usmle.org. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- ^ "FSMB | State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure". www.fsmb.org.
- ^ Roberts, William L.; Gross, Gretta A.; Gimpel, John R.; Smith, Larissa L.; Arnhart, Katie; Pei, Xiaomei; Young, Aaron (June 2020). "An Investigation of the Relationship Between COMLEX-USA Licensure Examination Performance and State Licensing Board Disciplinary Actions". Academic Medicine. 95 (6): 925–930. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000003046. PMID 31626002. S2CID 204775566.
- ^ "FSMB | State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure". www.fsmb.org. Retrieved Oct 16, 2022.