USMLE Step By

Step
Amr Abdelbadee
General Practitioner,
Assiut Health Directorate, MOH

What is USMLE?
USMLE stands for the United States
Medical Licensing Examination
Taken by EVERYONE who wants to work as
a doctor in the US US citizens included

Why USMLE
Apply for USMLE if you want or have plans
to work as a doctor in
o The United States
o Arab countries
o Most top private hospitals in Egypt (Dar ElFouad, World Medical Center, Prof. Sir Magdi
Yacoub Heart Center,.)

Is America good for me?

Yes, if
o You seek a job in top medical institutions in the
world
o You want to learn from the best doctors
o Science and knowledge are your primary
concern
o You want to live with higher freedom limits
o You are good enough in English
o You are open-minded and accepting cultural
differences

Is America good for me?

No, if
o Money is your primary concern Go to the
Gulf!
o Religion is a serious issue to you KSA is good
for a Muslim, or just stay in Egypt!
o You can barely speak medical English Egypt
loves you this way!
o Cultural differences are a pain to you Arab
nations can pay you well while living in a
similar culture to ours
o Youre a girl sometimes!

Easy enough???
You should think again!

Before you start..

Think about the real
goal of your life
Think about your
opportunities in Egypt
Think about the
benefits and risks of
taking the USMLE
Think about other
opportunities worldwide
Think about your own
conditions

Girls and USMLE

Your Life Plan
o
o
o
o

Family vs. career

Marriage
Ability to travel
Ambition

ARE YOU READY?

USMLE for an IMG

You can apply if your college is present on
their records IMED
Applications go through the ECFMG Web
Portal
Prepare your documents the right way
Prepare your credit card and load it with
money, lots of it! (about EGP 10,000 in
todays rates)
o Dont have one?! Get one now from CIB

Get Started Seriously!

Open an account at ECFMG Web Portal
Costs some money $65 as of 2014

Step 1
Computer-based MCQ
Taken at a registered Prometric Center
Tests your knowledge in basic medical
sciences
Tests your thinking and interpretation skills
Tests how you may deal with clinical
problems based on the basic science you
know
Tests your patience!

How much does it cost?

$1015
as of 2015

Preparation

Long-Term Plans
Mid-range plans
Short-term plans
Crash plans

Sources
Notes
Videos

Notes

Kaplan Notes
First Aid
USMLEWorld
Kaplan Qbank
PreTest questions
Student notes and summary (Hand-made)

Videos

Kaplan Videos
USMLERx First Aid
Dr. Najeeb
Doctors in Training (DIT)
and many others

Step 2
Clinical Knowledge (CK)
Clinical Skills (CS)

Step 2 CK

Computer-based MCQ
Taken at a registered Prometric center
Tests your knowledge in clinical medicine
Tests your way of management of clinical
conditions based on your clinical training
Tests your patience.. Really??

How much does it cost?

$1030
as of 2015

Preparation

Kaplan notes & Videos

Master the Boards
PreTest books
USMLEWorld
Kaplan QBank

Step 2 CS
Taken in the UNITED STATES
Take in 5 centers: Atlanta Georgia,
Chicago Illinois, Houston Texas, Los
Angeles California & Philadelphia
Pennsylvania.

Step 2 CS
Fifteen-minute examinations of twelve
standardized patients
10 minutes to compose the written record of
the encounter (Patient Note)
30 and 15 minutes break
Tests
o Data-gathering skills including medical history
taking and physical examination skills in patient
note
o Communication / interpersonal skills
o Spoken English language proficiency

How much does it costs?

$1505
+ Travel costs
as of 2015

Step 3
The last step you need for full medical
practice without supervision
Taken in the United States (via Prometric)
Requires ECFMG Certification and other
requirements by the state licensing board
Two-day MCQ exam
o Day 1: Foundation of Independent Practice
(FIP)
o Day 2: Advanced Clinical Medicine (ACM)

How much does it costs?

$815
+ Travel costs
as of 2015

The USMLE Exam

Registration Process

Registration
Process
Required Documents
PITFALLS!
o
o
o
o
o

Address
Envelope
Status
Letters
Credit Cards

PITFALLS
Your NAME !!!!
Your EDUCATION
STATUS: STUDENT
OR GRADUATE !!!!
College
ADDRESS !!!!
ENVELOPE !!!!
LETTERS !!!!!

Process
Your name must match the name on your
PASSPORT. If you dont have a passport,
get one NOW!
N.B.: Your passport is REQUIRED for
entering the exam center!

Process
Your medical education: College MUST be
registered at IMED (https://imed.faimer.org
/)
If not, tell your Dean to register with IMED
IMMEDIATELY or NONE of your college
students will be able to register for USMLE!

Process
IMED Registration is done through the
following address:
o International Medical Education Directory
(IMED)
FAIMER
3624 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
USA
Fax: 215.386.9767
E-mail: imed@faimer.org

College address: Available at IMED

Process
STATUS:
o Students are students
o Graduates are graduates
o INTERNS ( ) ARE STUDENTS!

Expected Dates: Get them from the

Student or Graduate Affairs Office at your
faculty

Required Documents for

Exam Registration

Documents for a Student

Certification Statement (Form 183)
required if your medical school is NOT a
part of EMSWP
Certification of Identification Form (Form
186) The only form required for students

Documents for a graduate

Final Medical Diploma in both Arabic (Two copies)
and English (Official Translation)
Score Sheet and Hours in English from all medical
schools you studied in
Certification of Identification Form (Form 186)
not required if you did submit it already within 5
years
IWA Document Submission Form (Form 187)
ECFMG Medical Education Credentials Submission
Form (Form 344)
Medical School Release Request (Form 345)

Documents for a graduate

For interns who fall into the Graduate
registration trap, you need an official letter
from your Dean of Students
( ) (stating
that you are waiting to finish your
internship year before you receive your
final medical diploma and other required
documents, including your transcripts

Notes for Sending

Documents
If your documents include Form 186 (The FIRST
submission), all of them MUST BE SENT from the
Deans office in your faculty regardless of your
status.
Ask the Deans secretary for a large envelope
with the Facultys logo and name in English, put
all the documents inside it, close it and stamp it
from the Chief Secretary of the Faculty ()
with the Eagle Seal(( ) Or the Highest
Official Stamp in your Faculty). Then, write down
the Facultys Address (Get it from IMED) preceded
with the words Deans Office.

Notes for Sending

Documents
If your documents dont include Form 186
or youve submitted it already, you can
send them from your own personal
address without any special procedures.

Notes for Sending

Documents
In all cases, its highly recommended to use
Express Mail. Choose the best private
international courier service in your area.
I highly recommend FedEx (usually delivers
in 2 or 3 business days) or Aramex (usually
delivers in 3 to 5 business days).
If you want your documents to be delivered
fast, DO NOT USE the National Mail in your
country. Theyre very VERY slow and
delivery in time is never guaranteed

Notes for Sending

Documents
ECFMG Address for sending documents:
o IWA
ECFMG
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685
USA
Phone: +1-215-386-5900

Irregular Behavior

Scheduling the Exam

Appointment

Scheduling the Exam

After completing the Exam Registration
Process, the Scheduling Permit is sent to
your email within a month of receiving the
paper forms.

Scheduling the Exam

Go to http://prometric.com, Select
Schedule My Test from the home page.
Search for USMLE from the providers list.
Select the exam youve registered for
Select your country (and state for US
residents or travelers within the US). If
your country is not available, select the
nearest or most accessible country of your
choice.
Select Schedule an Appointment

Scheduling the Exam

Agree to the provided agreements
Enter your scheduling number (from the
Scheduling Permit) and the first FOUR
letters of your registered LAST NAME
Select the desired test location. In Egypt,
only ONE location is available in Cairo at
the AMIDEAST headquarters in Dokki
Select the most appropriate date for your
exam and confirm your appointment

Scheduling the Exam

Print the Scheduling permit and the
appointment confirmation for use at the
Exam Day

Common Situations
Rescheduling the
appointment
Appointment
cancellation
Lack of appropriate
date within the
eligibility period

Rescheduling / Canceling
the Appointment
Rescheduling or canceling is easy. The
steps are similar to the initial registration.
Instead of choosing Schedule an
Appointment, select Reschedule or
Cancel an Appointment after selecting
your exam and country
Provide the confirmation number (from the
previous appointment confirmation email)
and proceed as necessary

Rescheduling / Canceling
the Appointment
Rescheduling or cancellation is FREE
before 30 days to the initial appointment
date.
Fees incur and increase after that point.
For further updated information, check
http://
www.usmle.org/apply/rescheduling-fees.ht
ml

No available date within the

Eligibility Period
It happens when you register a little late
for your exam (only a few months before
the eligibility period)
Try to schedule every now and then. Some
people may reschedule or cancel for their
own reasons, leaving behind their spots.
One of them could be yours!

No available date within the

Eligibility Period
If youre running out of time, consider
getting an eligibility extension from your
registration page at ECFMG. Extension is
available at the FIRST DAY of your original
eligibility period. It can be done for a fee
(about $70)
A new scheduling permit will be sent to
you for scheduling within the extended
eligibility period. Good luck!

No available date within the

Eligibility Period
If you still cannot find an appropriate date
or youre not interested in an extension for
your own reasons, consider scheduling
your exam appointment in another country
that can be easily accessed by you
For most Egyptians, Jordan (No visa
required for short visits), Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates are the best
available countries if taking an Exam in
Israel is a sensitive issue to you!

The outcome of the two full steps

Next Steps???

General Advice

STAY CALM!
Stay close to Allah
Plan ahead for your preparations
Start as early as possible (but not too early)
Get yourself proper books, resources, devices
(laptop, tablet,.) and a good place for your
studies
Try some ONLINE exams to evaluate yourself
Find a channel away for your frustration
Meditate, read the Quran, listen to music,

What if I fail at USMLE?!

Other Opportunities
In Egypt
o Regular Resident (University / MOH / Other
places)
o Visiting Resident
o Deputation / Training
o Membership of the British Royal Colleges
(MRCP / MRCS / )
o Military Options (Police, Army)
o Egyptian Fellowship
o Private Practice

Other Opportunities
Outside of Egypt
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Arab countries
Germany
UK
Australia
France (and other Western European countries)
Eastern Europe
Singapore
Latin America
Africa, Central Asia,..

Take Home Message

USMLE is the most popular foreign
certification for doctors worldwide
Its not easy to prepare for USMLE, but you
can do it
If youre concerned about the costs of
preparation, remember that youre
investing in yourself
If you cant take USMLE, you still have the
rest of the world of opportunities!

Questions ??