The online application for 2025 Pathways for ECFMG® Certification and Pathways Revalidation will close on May 31, 2025. If you are an international medical student or graduate (IMG) applying to meet the requirements of the 2025 Pathways for ECFMG Certification or Pathways Revalidation, please be advised that your application and all information and documentation in support of your application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2025, Eastern Time in the United States. Information and documentation include:
- Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine scores
- Registration/licensure documentation for Pathway 1
- Attestations for Pathways 2-5
- Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) evaluations for Pathway 6
If all acceptable information and documentation required to complete your Pathways application has not been submitted by 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2025, your application will be rejected. You will be required to re-apply in a future Pathways season in order to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification or revalidate a Pathway.
For detailed information and requirements on the 2025 Pathways and Pathways Revalidation, please read the Pathways section of the ECFMG website, including the page(s) relevant to the Pathway to which you are applying.
Information on the opening of the online application for the 2026 Pathways and Pathways Revalidation, as well as requirements and associated deadlines, will be made available in the coming months.
Information for IMGs Planning to Participate in the 2026 NRMP® Match
To participate in the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) Main Residency Match® (The Match®), NRMP requires that IMGs have met the examination requirements for ECFMG Certification, including the clinical and communication skills requirements, among other requirements.
If you are an IMG planning to participate in the 2026 Match and you need to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification or revalidate a Pathway in order to participate, you will use the 2026 Pathways.
As part of the Pathways, applicants are required to have a satisfactory score on the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine, among other requirements. If you are planning to apply to the 2026 Pathways and do not have a satisfactory score on OET Medicine that was attained on or after January 1, 2024, we encourage you to book OET Medicine now.
Information for IMGs with an Expired or Expiring ECFMG Certificate
If you are certified by ECFMG based on a Pathway, your ECFMG Certificate will expire when your Pathway expires, unless you revalidate a Pathway or meet the requirements to have your ECFMG Certificate become valid indefinitely (i.e., no longer subject to expiration). A valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate is required to:
- enter a U.S. graduate medical education (GME) training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
- apply for and take Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®).
If your ECFMG Certificate expired on December 31, 2024, and you intend to enter a GME training program or apply for/take USMLE Step 3 before the 2026 Pathways application opens, you will need to submit a Pathways Revalidation application, along with all required information, by May 31, 2025.
If your ECFMG Certificate expires December 31, 2025, and you intend to: enter a GME training program; apply for/take USMLE Step 3 in 2026; or participate in the 2026 NRMP Match, we recommend that you submit a 2026 Pathways Revalidation application, once the application becomes available.
