USMLE Scheduling & Guidelines

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step exam medical doctors are required to pass before practicing medicine in the United States. It is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

  • Step I of the USMLE assesses a student's ability to apply basic sciences to the practice of medicine. The eight-hour test consists of 350 multiple-choice questions. Students are required to take USMLE Step I by December 31 of the third year.
  • Step II is divided into two exams, which test clinical knowledge and clinical skills. Both must be taken by December 31 of the fourth year, although we recommend you take them early in the fourth year immediately after finishing clerkships.
  • Step III, also a two-day exam, assesses whether a medical school graduate can apply medical knowledge and understanding of biomedical and clinical science for the unsupervised practice of medicine. This exam is typically taken at the end of the first year of residency.

Passing Step I and both parts of Step II is required for graduation from Yale Medical School. Students who fail Step I may retake it before the end of May of the third year. Students must complete Step II before December of the third year in case they need to retake it before graduation. 

Scheduling and logistics

The three USMLE tests are computer-administered at Prometric testing centers. This gives students flexibility over where and when to take the test. Go to www.usmle.org for more information. You may apply for the USMLE online at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), at www.nbme.org.

Step I

To schedule USMLE Step I:

  • Return your completed application to the Office of Student Affairs. We will mail it to the NBME for processing.
  • Include with your application a passport photo and a check made out the NBME.
  • Indicate in which three-month period you want to take the exam. Within six weeks, you will receive an electronic ticket with an identification number.
  • When you receive your identification number, call any Prometric test site to schedule a test day within the designated three-month block.

Step II

The written Step II exam is divided into two parts: Step II Clinical Knowledge (Step II KC) and Step II Clinical Skills (Step II CS).

The clinical skills test uses standardized patients and is given at regionally located centers. Test sites include Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. Step II CS costs do not include travel or hotel expenses.

  • Note: Any student who cannot afford this expense should speak to the associate dean for student affairs as early as possible. Financial hardship is not an excuse for failure to meet the deadline for taking the Step II test.

We recommend you schedule a test date as early as possible. Go to the USMLE website at http://www.usmle.org/.