Issue Eighty-Three - August 12, 2005, updated August 15, 2005
Update on USMLE™ Test Delivery Software
As previously published, the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®) has developed new software for delivery of the computer-based components of USMLE™. The NBME software, known as FRED™, is replacing the software provided by Prometric, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
The NBME software, known as FRED™, allows you to highlight and strike out item text as well as create annotations to items. The annotation feature allows you to record brief notes to yourself about individual items while you are taking the test; it is NOT intended as a way to communicate to USMLE staff members. There is no additional time granted for use of the highlighting, strike out, and annotation features provided by FRED, so you should closely monitor examination time when using them.
Note to Step 1 examinees:
USMLE Step 1 is delivered using the FRED software at all Prometric Test Centers in the United States and Canada. However, the installation of FRED for USMLE Step 1 at international test centers is not yet completed. If you are preparing to take USMLE Step 1 at a center outside the United States and Canada, you should practice with the sample test materials delivered using both the Prometric test delivery software and FRED.
Please monitor this page to check for updates to the schedule for implementation of new test delivery software.
A small number of test centers in international testing regions will no longer offer Step 1 and Step 2 CK, beginning in 2006. The transition to the FRED software will not occur at these test centers. The locations of these test centers are:
Georgia: Tblisi
Israel: Ramallah
Russian Federation: Moscow
Saudi Arabia: Dammam
Syria: Damascus
Ukraine: Kiev
If you plan to test at one of these locations during 2005, you should practice with the sample test materials delivered using the Prometric test delivery software.
Sample test materials using the FRED test delivery software are available on the 2005 and 2006 editions of the USMLE Orientation Materials CD and at the USMLE website at www.usmle.org.
Sample test materials using the Prometric test delivery software are available on the 2005 edition of the USMLE Orientation Materials CD, at the USMLE website, and from ECFMG, upon request.
Note to Step 2 CK examinees:
At present, the test software used to deliver USMLE Step 2 CK is provided by Prometric. Installation of FRED for USMLE Step 2 CK will be phased in over several weeks beginning mid August, 2005. If you are preparing to take USMLE Step 2 CK at about this time, you should practice with the sample test materials delivered using both the Prometric test delivery software and FRED.
The change to the FRED software will be accounted for in scoring the examination results, so that scores will be comparable to the Prometric software. However, because of the change to the FRED test delivery software, it will be necessary to delay the reporting of scores of some examinees for an additional 3-4 weeks beyond the normal turnaround period. The normal turnaround period for Step 2 CK examinees is 3 to 4 weeks. All efforts will be made to minimize these delays.
A small number of test centers in international testing regions will no longer offer Step 1 and Step 2 CK, beginning in 2006. The transition to the FRED software will not occur at these test centers. The locations of these test centers are:
Georgia: Tblisi
Israel: Ramallah
Russian Federation: Moscow
Saudi Arabia: Dammam
Syria: Damascus
Ukraine: Kiev
If you plan to test at one of these locations during 2005, you should practice with the sample test materials delivered using the Prometric test delivery software.
Sample test materials using the FRED test delivery software are available on the 2005 and 2006 editions of the USMLE Orientation Materials CD and at the USMLE website at www.usmle.org.
Sample test materials using the Prometric test delivery software are available on the 2005 edition of the USMLE Orientation Materials CD, at the USMLE website, and from ECFMG, upon request.
Note to Step 3 examinees:
USMLE™ Step 3 is delivered using the FRED test software developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®).
Note to all examinees about CBT Practice Sessions:
Examinees who wish to experience some of the conditions of test administration can schedule time to review sample test materials at a Prometric Test Center for a fee. Although shorter than an actual USMLE examination and containing the same sample test materials provided by the USMLE registration entities and at the USMLE website, this option allows you to experience USMLE sample test materials in the same environment as your actual test. The sample materials available at the practice session will continue to appear in the Prometric software until further notice. Examinees who wish to practice with the actual FRED software should use the sample materials available at the USMLE website and on the USMLE Orientation CD.
Change in Check-In Process at Prometric Test Centers for USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3
Effective September 1, the Test Center Administrator (TCA) will no longer detach the bottom portion of the Scheduling Permit, containing the Candidate Identification Number (CIN), for examinees to take into the testing room. Instead, examinees will write their CIN on the laminated writing surface that is provided for making notes. After writing their CIN on the laminated surface, the TCA will collect the permit, thereby eliminating the need for paper in the testing room.
Examinees scheduled to take a multiple-day examination will need to repeat this process on the following test day(s). The TCA will return their permit to them at the end of the day.