United States Medical Licensing Examination
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-part exam for medical graduates seeking a license to practice medicine in the United States. It is overseen by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Students choose their own eligibility…
United States Medical Licensing Examination exam pattern
The USMLE is a multi-step exam. Each step has a different pattern, number of questions, and duration.
- Step 1: A one-day test. It has only multiple-choice questions. It covers basic science topics like anatomy, biochemistry, and pharmacology.
- Step 2: Taken during the fourth year of medical college. It has two parts:
- Clinical Knowledge (CK): Multiple-choice questions on clinical fields like surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
- Clinical Skills (CS): Involves assessing and diagnosing people acting as patients. This part is discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Step 3: A two-day exam. It includes computer simulations of patient care and multiple-choice questions.
The marking pattern differs by section. For Step 2 CS, you get a "pass" or "fail" result. For other sections, your correct answers are converted into two scores: one on a three-digit scale and one on a two-digit scale. To pass, you need a score of 75 on the two-digit scale.
Confused about which colleges take this score?
A counsellor can go through the accepting list with you — fees, cut-offs and what is still open this cycle.
