USMLE Registration - Step I, Step II CS, Step II CK
To register for the USMLE Step I Exam, the USMLE Step II Clinical Skills (CS) Exam, or the USMLE Step II Clinical Knowledge (CK) Exam, the individual applying to take the exam must meet one of the education requirements established by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBEC) in order to be eligible to take the exam. For these three exams, this means that the individual must be either a current medical student seeking a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree at an accredited school within the United States or Canada or a graduate from an accredited medical school within the United States or Canada with a MD or a DO degree. The individual may also be eligible to take the exam if he or she is a student or graduate of a medical school outside of the United States and Canada that is eligible to apply for certification through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG.) If the individual applying for the exam is a foreign student or graduate, the student does not need to be certified by the ECFMG prior to taking any of these exams, but rather only needs to be eligible for certification. In order for a foreign graduate to be eligible for certification by the ECFMG, the individual must have attended a school listed on the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) and either be listed as a current student or a graduate in the directory at the time the individual applies for the USMLE and on the day that the individual takes the exam.
If the individual meets one of these requirements, he or she may apply for a testing permit by contacting the NBEC via their website, fax, e-mail or phone. Once the individual has received a testing permit, the individual can schedule a testing date by contacting Thomson Prometric via their website or by phone. The individual may choose any available testing date within his or her eligibility period to take any of the USMLE Exams. However, there are only a limited number of seats available for each testing date and seats often fill up quickly so applicants may wish to apply for a testing date as soon as possible. The Step I, Step II CS, and Step II CK Exams do not have to be taken in any particular order and the individual may choose to take parts of the Step II Exam before taking the Step I Exam.