licensing authorities and may require completion of all Steps or Step Components (including Step 3, which is not
required for ECFMG Certification) within a certain number of years from the date the first Step is passed. Information
regarding specific state requirements can be obtained on the
FSMB website
. You may request an exception to retake
a previously passed exam to comply with the time limit of a medical licensing authority. Visit the
USMLE website
for
more information.
Important Notes: You may only request an exception at the time that you apply for the previously passed
exam. Complete requirements and instructions will be provided at the time of exam application. Exceptions
to the reexamination policy are not approved prior to your submitting the exam application.
Applicants who retake a previously passed Step or Step Component to comply with a time limit should
understand the implications of a failing retake performance on their Step 3 eligibility. See Retaking
Previously Passed Steps in the
USMLE Bulletin of Information
.
If an applicant’s earliest USMLE passing performance that is valid for ECFMG Certification took place
before June 14, 2004, the applicant is required to pass only Step 1 and Step 2 CK within seven years of
each other for ECFMG Certification; if required for ECFMG Certification, Step 2 CS can be passed outside
the seven-year period. See
Time Limit for Completing Examination Requirements
in Examinations for
ECFMG Certification. If this applicant passes Step 1 and Step 2 CK within a seven-year period, these
passing performances will remain valid for ECFMG Certification, regardless of when Step 2 CS is taken
and passed. This applicant will not be eligible to retake Step 1 or Step 2 CK for the purpose of
meeting a time limit imposed by a state medical licensing authority until after he or she is certified
by ECFMG.
Last updated: September 7, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
Page 41
Medical Education Credentials
Medical Education Credential Requirements |
Transfer Credits
|
Credentials for ECFMG Certification
|
Final Medical
Diploma and Transcript
|
Transcript(s) to Document Transferred Credits
|
Name on Medical Diploma and Transcript(s)
|
English Translations
|
Verification of Credentials
Medical Education Credential Requirements
To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, you must have been awarded credit for at least four credit years (academic
years for which credit has been given toward completion of the medical curriculum) by a medical school that is listed in
the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory) as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements. Your graduation
year must be included in the ECFMG note in your medical school’s World Directory listing. See
Medical School
Requirements
. There are restrictions on credits transferred to the medical school that awards your medical degree that
can be used to meet ECFMG’s medical education credential requirements.
Important Notes: Graduates not eligible for admission to the exams or for ECFMG Certification include,
but are not limited to: Graduates with degrees only in stomatology, ayurvedic or homeopathic medicine, or
those awarded only the diploma of Physician-Epidemiologist-Hygienist, Physician-Biochemist, Physician-
Cyberneticist, Physician-Biophysicist, Licensed Medical Practitioner, or Assistant Medical Practitioner.
Beginning in 2023, to be eligible for ECFMG Certification, ECFMG will require that applicants graduate
from a medical school that has been appropriately accredited. To satisfy this requirement, medical schools
must be accredited by an agency that has been recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education
through its Programme for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies. ECFMG is in the process of establishing
policies and procedures for implementing this requirement and will publish updates, as they become
available, on the ECFMG website. International medical students and graduates interested in ECFMG
Certification should monitor the ECFMG website for the latest information.
International medical graduates must document the completion of all requirements for, and receipt of, the final
medical diploma. ECFMG verifies every international medical graduate’s final medical diploma with the appropriate
officials of the medical school that issued the diploma. When ECFMG requests verification of your medical diploma
from your medical school, ECFMG will request the medical school to provide your final medical school transcript.
Verification by ECFMG with the issuing school may also be required for transcripts that are submitted to document
transferred credits. An international medical graduate’s credentials are not considered complete until ECFMG receives
and accepts verification of the final medical diploma, final medical school transcript, and, if required, transfer credit
transcript(s) directly from the issuing school(s).
Please do not send original documents; photocopies of documents are sufficient. All documents submitted to ECFMG
as part of the certification process, including translations, will become part of your permanent ECFMG record and will
not be returned to you. Please do not send any credentials not required by ECFMG (such as licenses, certificates of
full registration, high school diplomas, academic awards, etc.). Submission of unnecessary documents can delay the
processing of your exam application.
Last updated: September 7, 2017
Copyright © 2017 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
Page 42