The United States Medical Licensing Examination is a three step, multiple choice exam that must be passed by all doctors who wish to practice in the United States. The three steps are:

Step I: Basic Sciences- may be taken from the first clinical year onwards

Step II: Clinical Sciences- may be taken after graduation and full licensure as a doctor

Step III: The unsupervised practice of medicine- requirements vary from State to State

The USMLE includes an english test for all doctors trained outside the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. This is usually given with Step II but may be given separately . This test is also administered by the ECFMG.

Be sure and check to see that you are eligible to sit for the exams. The best source of information are the official USMLE and ECFMG web sites.

[Top]

Steps I & II

These two exams must be passed before any doctor can enter a postgraduate medical post in the US. IMGs ( International Medical Graduates - previously called foreign medical graduates ) should write to the following address for detailed information and application papers :

ECFMG
3624 Market Street
4th floor
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-2685
USA
http://www.ecfmg.org/

The ECFMG ( Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates ) handles all IMG applications for Steps I & II of the USMLE, including the english test. They send out a small, free pamphlet full of useful information.

US and Canadian graduates usually apply through their medical school.

A lot of people want to know which books are the best for the exam. The best answer is to find a book that suits you. A large list of books and reviews, along with many other useful facts, can be found in :

Both books are probably updated regularly , so try to get the latest edition

For questions on the exams I really liked the following books:

NMS Review for the USMLE Step1, 3rd edition
Publishers: Williams and Wilkins

NMS Review for the USMLE Step 2
Publishers: Williams and Wilkins
ISBN 0-683-06207-7

The PreTest books are pretty detailed but the one on Medicine seems appropriate.
For obstetrics and gynecology questions, I really liked the following book:

Obstetrics and Gynecology 2nd edition
Beckmann etc.
Publishers: Williams and Wilkins
ISBN 0-683-00503-0

This book had many clinically orientated questions that I found useful. The text portion of the book is not the best for a quick review but is very readable.

.[Top]

Step III

Step III is not essential to getting an internship, but it does help. However it is usually very difficult as Step III exams are given in the State in which you wish to have a license. Most states require international medical graduates ( eg. me ) to have previous experience in an accredited US or Canadian program before letting them sit for Step III of the USMLE. However certain states do let IMGs take Step III without any medical training in North America ( but you till have to give the exam in that State) :

1. California

2. Connecticut

3. Maryland

4. Minnesota

5. Nebraska

6. Nevada

7. New York

8. Puerto Rico

A pass in all three steps may not be enough for a license. Again each State has its own requirements. They should be contacted individually. The ECFMG booklet usually has the latest addresses. Deadlines for applying for Step III varies widely from State to State . Each State has a set of documents that it requires. See the Green book for more details.

General inquires for Step III of the USMLE may be directed to the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States:

FSMB
400 Fuller Wiser Road
Suite 300
Euless, Texas 76039-3855
USA
Tel: (817) 868-4000
Fax: (817) 868-4098
http://www.fsmb.org/

[MAIN Page] [USMLE] [The Match] [IMGs] [Contacts] [Links to the WWW] [New!] [Online chat]