MEDICAL LICENSING EXAMINATION

Monitoring and Notification of Application Status
Use the Candidate website to monitor the status of your Step 3 application, to check the availability of your scheduling permit and score report, and to schedule your exam.

Scheduling Permit
When your application is approved we will email you. Within 3-5 business days, another email will be sent with instructions on obtaining your electronic scheduling permit.

Your permit will be available on the Candidate website until you take the test or your eligibility expires. You must present your scheduling permit and your unexpired, government-issued photo identification on each day of the exam in order to sit for Step 3. Inability to do so may require you to cancel your current test date, reschedule your appointment and you may risk forfeiting your Step 3 exam fee. You may also incur a fee from Prometric.

Scheduling & Rescheduling
To schedule your exam dates requires that you have your Step 3 Scheduling Permit. You can obtain your Scheduling Permit from the Candidate website. If you have to reschedule or cancel you must contact Prometric directly. A fee may be charged for this service depending on how much notice you provide when canceling your appointment. See the USMLE Bulletin of Information for details.

Eligibility Extension
If you need to extend your eligibility period, you may submit an eligibility extension request for review. If your request is approved, a one-time contiguous 90-day extension may be granted. To request an extension, you must complete the Eligibility Extension application and submit a $65 processing fee. To review additional information and find out if you qualify, please review the Eligibility Extension page.

Preparing for the Exam
Conduct a comprehensive review of the material covered by the exam as outlined in the USMLE Bulletin of Information, the USMLE sample test materials, and the Step 3 Content Description and General Information, all of which are available on USMLE website.

It is essential that you review the testing software and the orientation materials available on the USMLE website prior to your test dates.

A practice exam is also available through Prometric for an extra cost. You will need your scheduling permit to be eligible for the practice session. To access a practice session, visit the USMLE website to register for the practice exam. Once registered, a permit will become available on the Candidate website.

Score Reporting
Score reports are usually made available within three to four weeks after your test date on the Candidate website; however, please allow at least eight weeks to receive notification that your score report is available. Scores are available for 120 days from the release date. After 120 days, you must submit a transcript request and appropriate fees. The transcript will not contain the performance profile provided on the original score report.

Retakes
All individuals are limited to three attempts of the USMLE per Step within a 12 month period. Your fourth and subsequent attempts must be at least 12 months after your first attempt at that exam and at least six months after your most recent attempt at that exam.

If you pass a Step or Step Component, you are not allowed to retake it except to comply with the time limit of a medical licensing authority for the completion of all Steps or a requirement imposed by another authority recognized by the USMLE program for this purpose. Review the USMLE Bulletin of Information for further details.

Licensure Disclaimer
In the U.S. and its territories a license to practice medicine is a privilege granted only by the individual licensing authorities (i.e., "state boards") of the various jurisdictions. All decisions regarding acceptance of USMLE results and/or licensure eligibility are made by the individual state boards. Eligibility to sit for the Step 3 for a specific state board does not automatically signify your eligibility for medical licensure in that jurisdiction. Contact the state board to obtain complete licensure information.