It is mandatory to have a Medical certification if you want to pursue your career as independent medical practitioner. It is very important to have license. The practitioner has to get the certificate from Medical Licensing board of state in which he/she wants to continue the practice.

This exam to get a medical license is known as United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). It comprises of four tests in a specific sequence. One has to qualify all the four tests in order to obtain the license. This licensing examination is also mandatory for students who are from outside the US. The reason behind this is to maintain the standard of medical practitioners in US. In this medical certification the objective is to examine the problem solving ability of the applicant.

Licensing Exams

The exam to get the medical licensee is conducted in three phases. In total four tests are conducted in these three phases.  In these test not only the memorizing ability is tested, but also the concepts, knowledge and understanding of principles is tested. They also test basic skills which are required to develop basic relationship between patient and physician.

Test # 1:

The first test consists of multiple choice questions. The main objective of this exam is to test basic science concepts in terms of clinical scenarios.

Test # 2:

This consists of two separate exams. The first of these is of Clinical Knowledge (CK) and the second one is of Clinical Skills (CS). The exam for Clinical Knowledge is a multiple choice exam. its objective is to judge the medical knowledge and clinical skills of the applicant. The second exam is of Clinical Skills. It is a sort of practical examination. This intends to assess the applicant’s ability to gather information from patients through effective communication skills. Also, the ability of applicant to convey that information to supervisor is tested.

Test # 3:

It exam again consists of multiple choice questions.  Step 3 (multiple-choice exam) – This exam assess the applicant’s ability to use and apply medical knowledge. It also tests the applicant’s understanding about biomedical and clinical science. This exam also assesses the patent management skills of applicant.

Since this exam is very challenging, applicants are advised to go for med prep consulting. This counseling is very helpful in gauging your interest and aptitude. You will come to know that how perfect is your plan and strategy to qualify this United States Medical License Exam. It is very important for International Medical Graduates (IMG) to pass United States Medical License Exam (USLME). Once they qualify USLME, they are certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The graduates can appear for the three exams in any order. But the most advisable option is to follow the sequence. Once the graduate is certified he/she can apply for hospital residency.