USMLE Exam Syllabus

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) has been designed to provide a license to practice medicine in the United States. It is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).

There are three parts of the test: USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3. Step 2 of the selection process has been divided into two parts: There are two parts: Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Clinical Skills (CS).

The USMLE Step 3 examination will only be available to candidates who have completed Steps 1 and 2. The USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3 exams will be administered online by the authorities. Aspirants will be required to complete the CS material for the USMLE test phase 2 offline. The authorities will give the exam-takers the rules and provide them with a scorecard once they have completed the test. To know more about USMLE Exam, syllabus, test pattern, previous year question paper and other important material, visit Gurukul App and remain informed on all areas.

Who is eligible to take the USMLE exam?

Candidates must ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements before applying for the exam to avoid being rejected. Each stage of the examination has a particular criterion that applicants must meet to pass.

Candidates may take the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CS and the USMLE Step 2 CK in any order they want. Aspirants must, however, pass USMLE Steps 1 and 2 before being eligible to apply for Step 3.

Criteria for Eligibility for the USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 CK and CS

●       Applicants for the MD degree must be currently enrolled in or have graduated from a recognized MD program in the United States or Canada, as determined by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to be considered.

●       In the United States, a medical student who has been accepted into or graduated from one of the authorized American Osteopathic Association medical schools, or a doctor of osteopathy (DO).

●       An application may be submitted by a medical student who is formally enrolled in or a graduate of a medical school located outside of the United States and Canada.

Criteria for Participation in Step 3 of the USMLA

•  Aspirants must have passed Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS before moving on to the next step.
•  Candidates who have an MD or DO degree from a medical school in the United States or Canada that has been recognized by the LCME or the AOA.
• The MD degree from a medical school outside of the United States and Canada listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools is considered the equivalent.

Steps involved in USMLE Exam 

USMLE Exam Step 1 

Examination pattern:

•  The first step consists of a one-day examination.
• It is split into seven 60-minute blocks and given for an eight-hour testing period.
• The number of questions in each block on a particular test form may vary, but it will never exceed 40 in any one examination form.

USMLE Exam Step 2

Clinical Knowledge (CK)

Exam Pattern:

• It takes one day to complete the Step 2 CK examination.
• One nine-hour testing session is split into eight 60-minute blocks, with each block lasting 60 minutes.
• The number of questions in each block on a particular test will vary but will not exceed 40 in any one examination at a time.
• The total number of elements on the overall test will not be more than 318 in number.
• In addition, a minimum of 45 minutes of break time and a 15-minute optional lesson are included in the test.

 Clinical Skills (CS)  

CS employs standardized patients to assess medical students and graduates on their abilities to get information from patients, conduct physical exams, and explain their findings to patients and their fellow students and faculty members.

An interactive examination in which candidates evaluate and diagnose actors who are claiming to be patients with various health problems, the test is designed to be fun and engaging. Its purpose is to assess the ability to interview patients, do physical examinations, complete medical records, and communicate the results to others. 

USMLE Exam Step 3 

A license to practice medicine in the United States without supervision is obtained by passing Step 3 of the USMLE test series, which takes place in May.

It is only available in Prometric test facilities in the United States and its territories that you may take the USMLE Step 3. 

With a focus on patient care in ambulatory settings, the USMLE Step 3 evaluates the candidate’s ability to apply medical knowledge and comprehension of biological and clinical science that are required for the unsupervised practice of medicine in an ambulatory environment. The Foundations of Independent Practice (FIP) portion of the Step 3 test is held on the first day, while Advanced Clinical Medicine (ACM) is held on the second day (ACM).

USMLE Exam Syllabus

The current students or those who have recently graduated from a medical school under the recognition of the World Directory of Medical Schools are eligible to apply for USMLE.  

Syllabus for Step 1

The United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) Step 1 is a combination of tests from disciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects to assess candidates’ understanding in both these fields of sciences. 

The following are the disciplines that will be covered during the USMLE Step 1 examination:

• Microbiology
• Behavioral Sciences
• Physiology
• Anatomy
• Pharmacology
• Biostatistics and Epidemiology
• Biochemistry
• Pathology

Apart from these, the candidates would have to be prepared from some of the interdisciplinary subjects such as:

• Nutrition
• Ageing
• Genetics

Syllabus for Step 2 

The second stage of the USMLE exam focuses on patient care under the supervision of a medical professional. It evaluates the candidate’s knowledge and skills in clinical science, which is necessary for patient care under supervision and illness prevention and early detection. It guarantees safe and competent practice in medicine via applying fundamental principles of clinical science and patient-centered skills.

This is an evaluation of their clinical science knowledge as well as their communication skills with patients. Patient interaction and communication will be essential, as will the ability to properly treat them, identify their medical problems, and respond to their medical questions.

In the USMLE step 2 test, there are three essential components:

●       Integrated Clinical Encounter is an abbreviation for Integrated Clinical Encounter.

●       Competencies in Communication and Interpretation

●       Proficiency in Spoken and Written English 

Syllabus for the 3 Step

During Step 3, the applicant is evaluated to determine whether they are and qualified to practise medicine without supervision. Final authorization to practice medicine is only granted to applicants who pass the USMLE Step 3 examination.

The Step 3 test will take place for two days. It is subdivided into two subcategories, which are as follows:

●       Developing the Fundamentals of Independent Practice

●       Clinical Medicine at the Highest Level

USMLE Test Pattern 2021

The USMLE 2021 exam pattern for a specific exam step differs from that focusing on another exam phase in the same year. This is because each USMLE step is intended to assess a distinct skill set and level of competence.

The understanding and ability to apply important concepts of basic sciences to the medical practice, for example, is assessed in Step 1. In contrast, the ability to gather patient information and perform physical examinations is evaluated in Step 2 CS.

Step and Purpose	Format	Length
Step 1  The knowledge of and capacity to apply critical ideas from the basic sciences to the practice of medicine, with a particular focus on the principles and processes underlying health and illness, as well as modalities of treatment.	280 MCQs, split into seven blocks of 60-minutes. Prometric test centres across the globe give this computer-based exam.	Single-day testApproximately eight hours
Step 2  This examination measures the examinee’s competence to use medical skills, knowledge, and an understanding of clinical science necessary for providing supervised patient care, with a focus on promoting health, and illness prevention and management.	CK  There are about 318 multiple-choice questions, which are split into eight 60-minute blocks. The computer-based exam is given at Prometric test locations.	A one-day trial is being conducted.Approximately nine hours
The Clinical Skills test is a unique and distinct component of STEP 2. It is the second component of STEP 2. Through the use of standardized patients, it assesses the examinee’s abilities to get information from patients, conduct physical exams, and explain their results to both the patients and their colleagues.	CS  12 patient cases with each patient visit of 15 minutes, plus an additional 10 minutes to document each patient encounter are required. The exam was administered at six different test centersTo.to. Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are among the cities in the United States.  There are three subcomponents to this component: Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS), Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE), and Spoken English Proficiency are all components of the Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE) (SEP).	A one-day trial is being conducted.Approximately nine hours
Step 3  This examination measures the examinee’s ability to use medical knowledge and comprehension of biological and clinical science necessary to carry out the unsupervised practice of medicine while also evaluating their ability to communicate effectively. Day 1: THE PRINCIPLES OF PERFORMANCE FIP evaluates the examinee’s ability to understand the fundamentals of medicine and scientific concepts necessary for effective healthcare services.  Day 2: ADVANCED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE ACM (American College of Medicine) evaluates the capacity of the examinee to use a comprehensive knowledge of health and illness in the context of patient care, and the changing presentation of disease throughout time will be evaluated.	Day 1 FIP:  There will be about 232 multiple-choice questions, which will be split into six 60-minute blocks. The computer-based exam is given at Prometric test centers across the United States. Day 2 ACM: There will be about 180 multiple-choice questions, split into six 45-minute blocks. Thirteen computer-based case simulations were used in this study (CCS). Each simulation is given a maximum of 10 or 20 minutes of actual time, depending on the complexity of the simulation. The computer-based exam is given at Prometric test centers across the United States.	A one-day trial is being conducted.Approximately seven hours  A one-day trial is being conducted.Approximately nine hours

Disciplines Covered in Step 1

Anatomy	Microbiology
Biochemistry	Pathology
Behavioral Science	Pharmacology
Biostatistics and epidemiology	Physiology

The test schedule for the USMLE Step 1 exam covers the following inter-disciplines in addition to medicine-

Genetics	Immunology
Ageing	Nutrition
Molecular and cell biology

Disciplines covered in Step 2

Immune System	Skin & Subcutaneous Tissue
Blood & Lymphoreticular Systems	Musculoskeletal System
Behavioral Health	Cardiovascular System
Nervous System & Special Senses	Respiratory System

USMLE Scores 2021

Only Step 2 CS scores are given on a 3-digit scale, while all other outcomes are simply reported as pass or fail on the USMLE. To qualify for the test, the applicant must achieve the specified minimum cutoff mark in each Step or Step Component of the exam, as applicable. The following are the minimum passing scores for the USMLE 2020 exam: 

USMLE Steps	Minimum scores required
Step 1	194
Step 2 CK	209
Step 3	196

Conclusion

The USMLE Exam tries to test the capacity of the students to use comprehensive knowledge in the context of patient care. It focuses on understanding the evolution of diseases over time and how it has been perceived by the professionals. In this examination, the candidates would be tested for basic to advanced levels of their understanding of medical sciences through Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3. The candidate’s knowledge of the history and physical examination, diagnosis, and application of diagnostic investigations will also be tested. Therefore, this article helps you understand the syllabus requirements more clearly so that you can prepare yourself for the examination. 

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