The US Medical Licensing Examination

Abstract

The US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a set of exams that individuals need to pass in order to practice medicine in the United States. That holds true both for American and foreign medical graduates. There are four exams in the series. The first, the USMLE Step 1, covers basic, preclinical sciences and is widely considered the most important for residency applications. The USMLE Step 2 consists of two parts – the Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS). The USMLE Step 2 CK tests candidates on their knowledge of clinical sciences and is scored on a similar scale to Step 1. The USMLE Step 2 CS tests the candidate’s clinical skills through a serious of encounters with standardized patients. The USMLE Step 2 CS exam differs from the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK as it is the only exam that is not taken in “Prometric” centers around the world but rather at specific USMLE Step 2 CS centers in the United States. It is also the only exam that is not scored, although it has recently been announced that Step 1 scoring will be discontinued. The USMLE Step 3 is usually taken during residency and is a more detailed, two-day exam of clinical knowledge. The USMLE preparation generally takes a long time and involves the use of books, question banks, and self-assessments. Some students also attend courses provided by some private companies. No official USMLE literature exists, although the most frequently used resources are the “First Aid” books for each exam as well as the “USMLE World” question bank. The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) provides self-assessment forms that provide score estimations that examinees use to follow the progress of their exam preparation as they are considered relatively accurate.