Attempts/Time Limits

Number of Attempts Allowed To Complete All Steps and Time Limits:
The USMLE program recommends to medical licensing authorities that they:

• Require that the dates of passing the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 examinations occur within a seven-year period; and
• Allow no more than six attempts to pass each Step or Step Component without demonstration of additional educational experience acceptable to the medical licensing authority.

For purposes of medical licensure in the United States, any time limit to complete the USMLE is established by the state medical boards. Many require completion of the full USMLE sequence within seven years from the date the first Step or Step Component is passed or, in some cases, from the date of the first attempt at any Step or Step Component. While medical schools may require students to pass one or more Steps for advancement and/or graduation, you should understand the implications of time limits for licensure. General information regarding state-specific requirements for licensure can be obtained from the FSMB. For definitive information, contact the licensing authority in the jurisdiction in which you intend to seek licensure.

• Multiple Attempts

• Special Notice for MD/PhD Candidates

• Special Notice for International Medical Students and Graduates

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1053

CRU Updates – November 2011

New question formats in February 2012 Step 3 Examination
One of the recommendations emerging from the Comprehensive Review of USMLE (CRU) process is that USMLE develop assessments focusing on the examinee’s ability to access relevant information, evaluate its quality, and apply it to solving clinical problems. Among the formats under development to help meet this recommendation are multiple choice questions that assess an examinee’s ability to appropriately interpret information presented both in the form of a research abstract and a pharmaceutical advertisement.
A small number of items with an associated drug ad or abstract will be introduced into the USMLE Step 3 Examination beginning in February 2012.
Pharmaceutical Advertisement (Drug Ad) Format
The drug ad item format includes a rich stimulus presented in a manner commonly encountered by a physician, eg, as a printed advertisement in a medical journal. Examinees must interpret the presented material in order to answer questions on various topics, including

• Decisions about care of an individual patient
• Biostatistics/epidemiology
• Pharmacology/therapeutics
• Development and approval of drugs and dietary supplements
• Medical ethics

Abstract Format
The abstract item format includes a summary of an experiment or clinical investigation presented in a manner commonly encountered by a physician, eg, as an abstract that accompanies a research report in a medical journal. Examinees must interpret the abstract in order to answer questions on various topics, including

• Decisions about care of an individual patient
• Biostatistics/epidemiology
• Pharmacology/therapeutics
• Use of diagnostic studies

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=1021

What is the USMLE?

USMLE is a standardized examination used to evaluate applicants’ competence for purposes of medical licensure in the United States and its territories. The USMLE is designed to assess a physician’s ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. USMLE is accepted by virtually all licensing boards in the US as evidence of competence to practice medicine in the US. State medical boards rely upon successful completion of the three USMLE component exams, or “Steps,” as an important element in the process for licensing physicians. Because of the test’s importance to the public’s safety and to examinees, maintaining its fairness and integrity is a priority for the NBME.

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=765

Test Accommodations – Introduction

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Program provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for individuals with documented disabilities who demonstrate a need for accommodation. Examinees are informed of the availability of test accommodations in the USMLE Bulletin of Information: Applying and Scheduling and in the Application Instructions.
The following information is provided for examinees, evaluators, medical school student affairs staff, faculty and others involved in the process of documenting a request for test accommodations. Applicants requesting test accommodations should share these guidelines with their evaluator, therapist, treating physician, etc., so that appropriate documentation can be assembled to support the request for test accommodations.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and accompanying regulations define a person with a disability as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, seeing, hearing, or learning. The purpose of documentation is to validate that the individual is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act as a disabled individual.
The purpose of accommodations is to provide equal access to the USMLE testing program. Accommodations “match up” with the identified functional limitation so that the area of impairment is alleviated by an auxiliary aid or adjustment to the testing procedure. Functional limitation refers to the behavioral manifestations of the disability that impede the individual’s ability to function, i.e., what someone cannot do on a regular and continuing basis as a result of the disability. For example, a functional limitation might be impaired vision so that the individual is unable to view the examination in the standard font size. An appropriate accommodation might be text enlargement. It is essential that the documentation provide a clear explanation of the functional impairment and a rationale for the requested accommodation.
While presumably the use of accommodations in the test activity will enable the individual to better demonstrate his/her knowledge mastery, accommodations are not a guarantee of improved performance, test completion or a passing score.


Quick Links:

1. Request Test Accommodations

2. Guidelines

3. Forms

4. Settlement with Department of Justice

Source: http://usmleworldwide.com/blog/?p=852