USMLE
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) of the United States, Inc., and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Results of the USMLE are reported to medical licensing authorities in the United States and its territories for use in granting the initial license to practice medicine.
Step 1
Step 1 consists of multiple-choice questions prepared by examination committees composed of faculty members, teachers, investigators, and clinicians with recognized prominence in their respective fields. Each examination covers content related to the traditionally defined disciplines of anatomy, behavioral sciences, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology, as well as to interdisciplinary areas including genetics, aging, immunology, nutrition, and molecular and cell biology
Step 2-CK
USMLE Step 2 CK is designed to assess clinical knowledge through a traditional, multiple-choice examination. It is a 9 hour exam consisting of 8 blocks of 48 questions each. One hour is given for each block of questions. The subjects included in this exam are clinical sciences like Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Step 2-CS
USMLE Step 2 CS is designed to assess clinical skills through simulated patient interactions, in which the examinee interacts with standardized patients portrayed by actors. Each examinee faces 12 Standardized Patients (SPs) and has 15 minutes to complete history taking and clinical examination for each patient, and then 10 more minutes to write a patient note describing the findings, initial differential diagnosis list and a list of initial tests. Administration of the Step 2-CS began in 2004. The cost for this test is approx. $1200, plus added expenses related to travel, lodging, and food to and in the one of only five cities in which the test is offered. The examination is offered in five cities across the country:
· Philadelphia (PA)
· Chicago (IL)
· Atlanta (GA)
· Houston (TX)
· Los Angeles (CA)
Step 3
Step 3 of the USMLE is the final part of the exam. Step 3 will test the student's ability to work in an unsupervised environment. Step 3 is organized along two principal dimensions: clinical encounter frame and physician Task Step 3 content reflects a data-based model of generalist medical practice in the United States.
Step 2 CS and the Step 3 can only be taken in the USA. The software used to administer the test, the NBME FRED, was upgraded in 2008 to a new version, FRED V2.
