USMLE Step I

The USMLE Step I is the first test of the three-part United States Medical Licensing Examination that is required in order to receive a license to practice medicine within the United States. The test is a computerized exam consisting of 350 multiple-choice questions split into seven sections that are primarily related to knowledge of basic science. The exam takes approximately eight hours to complete with one hour being allotted to each section and an hour break. Each section is not separated by topic, but rather contains 50 randomly distributed questions that pertain primarily to information about Anatomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Behavioral Science, Micro-Immunology, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology. These questions include information related specifically to general principles related to the above areas, the cardiovascular system, the central and peripheral nervous systems, the endocrine system, the gastrointestinal system, the hematopoietic and lymphoreticular systems, the musculoskeletal system, the renal system, the reproductive system, the respiratory system, and the integumentary system.

The exam is scored based on the number of correct responses and then scaled so that the individual will receive a three-digit and a two-digit scaled score. Scores for the three-digit scale usually fall between 140 and 260 with 185 set as the minimum score required to pass the exam. The two-digit scale is not actually an exact percentage score, but still ranges from 0 - 100 with 75 representing the minimum score necessary to pass the exam. The current registration fee for the exam is $470, which will be raised to $480 in 2008.