Effective January 1, 2022, Prometric updated its schedule of fees for United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) examinees who change their testing appointments (e.g., reschedule, cancel, change test center location) at Prometric Test Centers. For current information on rescheduling fees and when they may apply, see the USMLE website.
Category: Step 2 CK
Fee Increases for 2022
Effective January 1, 2022, fees for the following ECFMG applications/service requests will increase:
- The fee for Application for ECFMG Certification will be $160.
- The examination fees for United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) will be $985 for each exam registration.
- The fee for an extension of eligibility period for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK will be $100.
- The fee for a change of testing region for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK will be $90.
- The fee for a Certification Verification Service (CVS) request will be $66.
- The fee for an application for J-1 visa sponsorship will be $370.
The new fees will be assessed for all applications/requests submitted to ECFMG on or after January 1, 2022 (Eastern Time in the United States). All fees are listed in U.S. dollars.
For more information on the fees associated with applying for ECFMG Certification and for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, refer to the ECFMG 2022 Information Booklet and the Fees page of the ECFMG website.
ECFMG On-line Services Unavailable December 17-19
Due to scheduled maintenance, ECFMG’s on-line services are expected to be unavailable beginning at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 17, 2021. Services are expected to be restored by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 19, 2021. All times are calculated using Eastern Time in the United States.
During this maintenance period, you will be unable to access most ECFMG on-line services, including the following:
- IWA—Interactive Web Applications
- OASIS—On-line Applicant Status and Information System
- Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2022 Match
- Clinical Skills Evaluation and Attestation Portal
- EMSWP—ECFMG Medical School Web Portal, and its programs for medical schools and other institutions:
- Status Verification
- Credentials Verification
- Performance Data
- EMSWP ERAS
- GEMxSM for Partner Institutions
- CVS ON-LINE—Certification Verification Service On-line
- EVNet—Exchange Visitor Network (for staff of U.S. training programs that host ECFMG-sponsored exchange visitor physicians)
- EPICSM—Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials
- Physician Portal
- Report Portal
- GEMx on-line services for students
- MyECFMG mobile app
The World Directory of Medical Schools also will be unavailable during this maintenance period.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.
USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK – Scheduled Score Delays in 2022
Most United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores are reported within 3-4 weeks of testing. However, because of necessary annual modifications to the test item pools, delays occur for examinees who test at certain times of the year. Please be aware that examinees testing during the following dates may experience delays in score reporting:
- Step 1 examinees testing early May through early July 2022 – more specific information will be posted January 2022
- Step 2 CK examinees testing early July through late early August 2022 – more specific information will be posted March 2022
Why is this important to know?
If you need to receive a score before a certain date, plan to take that exam before the testing dates with projected score delay windows to avoid missing deadlines.
Examinees should monitor the USMLE website for the latest information.
New USMLE App for Reporting Potential Exam Security Violations
United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) exam security helps promote a testing environment where no examinee has an unfair advantage. It also helps to control increases in exam fees by minimizing the number of items removed from USMLE due to potential exposure. The USMLE security program’s goal is to protect the integrity of USMLE, which aims to ensure safe and effective patient care.
To further minimize potential violations, the USMLE program is now offering an app called STOPit, which enables examinees to anonymously report suspected security violations.
You may visit Apple or Google Play Store to download the free mobile app. Use access code: USMLE-TIP. A browser-enabled reporting tool is also available.
The STOPit mobile app allows users to:
- Anonymously report incidents in real time
- Submit documents, photos, and video evidence
- Engage in two-way anonymous communication in follow-up to a report
- Connect with USMLE staff regarding exam security incidents
The USMLE program asks that you please help maintain the integrity of USMLE by downloading the new app. The USMLE program encourages anyone with knowledge of any activities that may compromise USMLE test items to submit this information through the STOPit app.
If you have questions about the STOPit app, please contact the Office of the USMLE Secretariat at webmail@nbme.org.
ECFMG’s 2022 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and Application Materials Now Available
ECFMG’s 2022 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and the 2022 exam application materials for international medical students/graduates (IMGs) are now available on the ECFMG website. The ECFMG Information Booklet is the definitive source of information on ECFMG Certification and is required reading for applicants.
To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, IMGs must satisfy a number of requirements, including the medical science examination requirement, the clinical skills requirement, and the communication skills requirement.
- To meet the medical science examination requirement for ECFMG Certification, applicants must pass Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®).
- To meet the clinical skills requirement and communication skills requirement for ECFMG Certification, applicants must:
- Complete an ECFMG Pathway, which includes attaining a satisfactory score on the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine, OR
- Have earned a passing performance on the former Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of USMLE that satisfies ECFMG requirements for ECFMG Certification.
Application Materials and USMLE Step 1/Step 2 CK Eligibility Periods
For USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, applicants can use the 2022 materials to apply for all available eligibility periods ending in 2021 and all eligibility periods ending in 2022, beginning with the November 2021-January 2022 eligibility period.
Please monitor the ECFMG website, and follow ECFMG on Facebook and Twitter for updates and important information.
(published July 28; updated August 11)
ECFMG’s IWA Unavailable August 10-11
Due to required maintenance, ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) will be unavailable for up to 24 hours, beginning at approximately 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States, on August 10, 2021.
During this maintenance period, you will be unable to perform any IWA transactions, including working on or submitting an Application for ECFMG Certification or USMLE exam application, and accessing a USMLE scheduling permit.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to maintain high-quality on-line services.
Incomplete USMLE Exam Applications in IWA Will Be Deleted on August 10
As part of the transition to the ECFMG 2022 Information Booklet and exam application materials, any USMLE exam applications that have been saved but not submitted via ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA) will be deleted. If you have a saved exam application in IWA, you must complete and submit the application, including payment, by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time in the United States, on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. If you have begun but not yet submitted the on-line part of an exam application when IWA becomes unavailable on August 10, your incomplete application will be deleted. If your application is deleted, you will be required to begin a new application in order to apply for examination.
Reminder: USMLE Attempt Limit Changing Soon
To protect the integrity of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) program and more closely match the USMLE attempt limits imposed by state medical boards in the majority of states, effective July 1, 2021, the USMLE attempt limit policy will change, as previously announced. The change will reduce an examinee’s total number of allowable attempts from six (6) attempts to four (4) attempts per Step exam, including incomplete attempts.
The policy change is effective for applications submitted on or after July 1, 2021. After the implementation of this policy change, examinees who have attempted any USMLE Step (including Step 2 Clinical Skills) four (4) or more times and have not passed will be ineligible to apply for USMLE Steps.
Examinees with four (4) or five (5) attempts at an exam who meet all eligibility requirements outlined in the USMLE Bulletin of Information may submit application(s) for USMLE through June 30, 2021 at 11:59 pm, Eastern Time, under the current attempt limit of six (6).
To learn more about this change, please review the FAQs on the USMLE website. If you have questions about how this change impacts you, please email the Office of the USMLE Secretariat at USMLESec@nbme.org.
Step 2 CK – Delay in Score Reporting
Most Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores are reported within 3-4 weeks of testing. However, because of necessary annual modifications to the test item pools, there will be a delay in reporting for some examinees who test beginning on or after the week of June 27, 2021.
If you need to receive Step 2 CK scores before August 25, 2021, the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) program recommends that you take the exam before Friday, June 25, 2021.
The target date for reporting Step 2 CK scores for most examinees testing the week of June 27, 2021, through Friday, August 13, 2021, will be Wednesday, August 25, 2021.
Examinees should visit the USMLE website for the latest information.