United States Medical Licensing Examination USMLE: Test Pattern, Details and Previous Year Paper



The United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) is a three-step examination conducted for Medical Licensure in the United States. This exam is conducted by the Federation of State Medical Board (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Before applying for the USMLE exam, a candidate must possess a Physician with an MD degree. The purpose of a USMLE exam is to assess the individual physician's ability to apply knowledge, concepts & principles that are imperative in health and disease and those constituting the basis for safe and effective patient care. USMLE1 is a computer-based exam that contains 310 questions. The exam duration is of 8 hours. It covers around 19 disciplines & inter-disciplines. USMLE2 is a computer-based exam that contains 350 MCQs. The exam duration is of 9 hours. It has two parts Clinical knowledge (CK) & Clinical Science (CS).  USMLE3 is a two-day exam covering two sections. After getting qualify step1 & step 2 you are eligible for the Step3 exam. All the steps of the USMLE exam have a different scoring pattern. The level of these examinations is quite difficult. Candidates are advised to attempt practice papers and mock tests to prepare well for the examination.



Eligibility  |  Exam Pattern  |  Syllabus  |  Tips and Tricks 

Key Highlight
of USMLE- United States Medical Licensing Examination
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
Candidate must be Physician with MD degree.
Sections:
Clinical Knowledge Clinical Skills
Application Fees:
Step 1: $965 Step 2 CK:$965 Step 2 CS: $1600 Step 3: $ 895

USMLE Exam: Eligibility Criteria

  • The candidate is said to be eligible if he/she is one of the following:

    • Medical Students from US or Canada with MD Degree by Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).

    • Medical Students from US or Canada with OD Degree by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

    • Medical Students from outside of US or Canada listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools or ECFMG.

USMLE Exam Pattern:

USMLE is a three-step examination.

  • Step 1- One-day examination divided into seven 60 minutes block. It is an 8 hours testing which will comprise of not more than 280 questions.

  • Step 2- It further has two categories:

    • Clinical Knowledge(CK)- One-day examination divided into seven 60minutes block. It is 9 hours of testing. It covers 18 areas.

    • Clinical Skills(CS)-  In this exam, candidates have to check 12 patients, 15 minutes each. This exam consists of Integrated Clinical Encounter, Communication, and Interpersonal Skills and Spoken English Proficiency.

  • Step 3- It is the final exam. This is a two-day exam where the first day is of 7 hours. The second-day exam is for 9 hours.

USMLE Exam: Syllabus

  • Anatomy

  • Behavioural Science

  • Biochemistry

  • Biostatistics

  • Microbiology

  • Pathology

  • Pharmacology

  • Immune system

  • Blood & Lymphoreticular system

  • Application of foundation sciences

  • Medical Principles

Tips and Tricks

  • Candidates must attempt questions carefully, as there is negative marking as well.

  • Candidates must revise their concepts thoroughly.

  • Candidates must have knowledge of medical terms.

  • Take online mock tests to know your strengths and weaknesses.

  • Candidates must practice placement papers and mock tests to prepare well.

 

Youth4work Prep Tests

Online practice tests for competitive exams – are very unique and popular among aspirants. Aspirants can take self-designed mock-tests as well as practice for sections and topics separately. Youth4work’s unique and proprietary technology is helping lakhs of aspirants to reveal personal details on what are the strength areas of aspirants for any exam and also suggest how they can improve the performance.
Following are interesting insights from over 2 lakh question attempts on USMLE Test Placement practice paper on Youth4work. Every aspirant is rated on a Rating Scale. The ratings of the aspirants change with every question.

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