ECFMG 2012 Information Booklet

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

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