State Medical Boards
All international medical graduates (IMG's) must be ECFMG certified
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Amount of Required Post Graduate Training Years AMG/IMG
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"10 Year Rule" ABMS or SPEX or USMLE required within last 10 years
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Step 3 USMLE Attempts / Years Limits
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Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners If board certified in a specialty recognized by one of the American Board of Medical Specialties you're not required to complete all steps within seven (7) years, but only 10 attempts total are permitted.
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1 / 3
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YES
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3 attempts for step 3 / 7 or 10 years if MD/PhD
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Alaska State Medical Board
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2 / 3
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NO
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2 / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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Arizona Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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NO
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none / 7
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Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery
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1 / N/A
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N/A
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Arkansas State Medical Board For IMGs ONLY - Completion of at least THREE (3) years of internship or residency in an ACGME approved program in the United States – OR – completion of at least ONE (1) year of internship or residency in an ACGME approved program in the United States AND be currently enrolled in a training program with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
The Arkansas State Medical Board requires that each Step of the USMLE is to be taken no more that three (3) times each and all Steps must be taken and passed within seven (7) years. The time starts upon successful completion of either Step 1 or Step 2, whichever is passed first. The Board goes year to year only, meaning that if the first successful passing was done in 2000, the final successful passing must be done by the end of 2007. This time period is extended to ten (10) years if the applicant was taking a combined M.D./PhD program.
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1 / 3
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No
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3/7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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Medical Board of California CA does not have the "7 year rule" where you must complete all three steps of USMLE in 7 years. However, each step of the examination is valid for a period of 10 years from the month of the examination. If you have scores that are over 10 years old, please contact the Medical Board of California directly at (916) 263-2382 to verify if you will need to revalidate your scores to meet the licensing requirements.
CA does not have an attempt limit for steps 1 and 2, but they do for step 3. If you started taking step 3 after 1/1/07, you may fail it three times and pass on the 4th attempt. If you fail more then four times after 1/1/07 you're not eligible for a CA license.
If you attempted step 3 prior to 1/1/07 and failed it doesn't matter how many times you failed it. For step 3 the clock on attempts starts 1/1/07. Please refer to CA's website for more information.
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1 / 2 .
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Yes If you have held an unrestricted license in the U.S./Canada for a period of four years or more, the 10 year examination validity may not apply. Time spent in approved postgraduate or fellowship training may not be included in the calculation of the four year period.
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4 / 10
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Osteopathic Medical Board of California
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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Colorado Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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No
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none / 7 10 if PhD waiver possible but rare
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Connecticut Medical Examining Board
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2 / 2
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No
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none / 7
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Delaware Board of Medical Practice
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1 / 3
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No
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6 / none
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District of Columbia Board of Medicine U.S. or Canadian medical graduates - Two (2) years of postgraduate clinical training, except those applicants who graduated prior to January 1, 1990, and applicants using Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination as part of their examination requirement, shall only be required to have one (1) year of postgraduate clinical training. All postgraduate clinical training must be at a hospital or health care facility licensed in the United States in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or in Canada accredited by the LMCC.
An applicant who has not attained a passing score on Step 3 of the USMLE after three (3) attempts shall complete one (1) additional year of accredited postgraduate clinical training before being eligible to take step 3 again.
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1 if graduated from medical school before 1990 or using step 3, otherwise 2 / 3
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No
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3 attempts for step 3, if more than 3 than add'l training is required / 7 (no waivers)
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Florida Board of Medicine The board may require an applicant who does not pass the national licensing examination after five attempts to complete additional remedial education or training. The board shall prescribe the additional requirements in a manner that permits the applicant to complete the requirements and be reexamined within 2 years after the date the applicant petitions the board to retake the examination a sixth or subsequent time.
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1 / 2
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No
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5 ? / none
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Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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Georgia Composite State Board of Medical Examiners On Friday, February 5, 2010, the members of the Georgia Composite Medical Board voted to use the list titled Medical Schools Recognized by the Medical Board of California as its official reference for approval of medical schools located outside the United States and Canada. Graduates of the schools contained in this list are required to complete one (1) year of post graduate training in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Graduates attending schools not listed in the Medical Schools Recognized by the Medical Board of California must complete three (3) years of post graduate training in a program accredited by the ACGME. The list can be viewed online at: http://www.mbc.ca.gov/applicant/schools.html
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1 / 1 or 3 see notes
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No
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3 / 7 waiver
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Hawaii Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 2
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No
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none / 7
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Idaho State Board of Medicine
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1 / 3
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No
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2 per step / 7
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Illinois Department of Professional Regulation
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1 / 1 if < 1987 2 / 2 if > 1988
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No
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5 attempts all steps combined / 7 waiver
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Indiana Health Professions Bureau If you do not meet the ten (10) year period, you may apply for licensure and retake Step 1 and/or Step 2 of the USMLE to put you within the ten (10) year period if it does not put you over the three (3) attempts. You must make application and request to retake Step 1 and/or Step 2. The Board will send out the appropriate letters to the Federation so that you may reapply to take the appropriate steps of the USMLE. If it has taken you more than three (3) attempts to pass a step of the USMLE you are not eligible for licensure in Indiana.
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1 / 2
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No
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3 attempts per step / 10
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Iowa Board of Medicine Applicants who have taken more than ten years to complete all three steps of the USMLE or COMLEX and are not specialty board certified by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties or American Osteopathic Specialty Boards, should contact Amy Van Maanen, Director of Licensure, at 515-281-6492. Applicants in this situation do not meet the licensure requirements and will need to request a waiver to administrative rule 653 IAC-9.4(2)e(1). Discussion with a staff person prior to applying may assist in determining whether to submit an application to the Board. Attempt limits are six for Step 1, six for Step 2 and three for Step 3.
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1 / 2
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No
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3 / 10
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Kansas Board of Healing Arts
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1 / 2
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No
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4 / 10 Waiver
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Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure
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2 / 2
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No
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4 attempts per step / 7
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Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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Yes
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4 / none
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Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine
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2 if < 7/04 / 3 3 if > 7/04 / 3
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No
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3 / 7 waiver
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Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure
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1 / N/A
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No
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N / A
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Maryland Board of Physician Quality Assurance total of 3 attempts per step otherwise additional training required
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1 / 2
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No
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3 / 10
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Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine There are no requirements on how many times you may sit for USMLE Steps 1 and 2. However, if an applicant is applying for a full license and fails USMLE Step 3 more than 6 times, the Licensing Committee will review his/her full license application. At that time, the Licensing Committee may require the applicant to provide additional indicia as evidence of clinical knowledge.
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1 / 2
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No
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6 / 7 exception for MD/PhD
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Michigan Board of Medicine
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2 / 2
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No
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none / 5 + add'l PGY
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Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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Minnesota Board of Medical Practice Applicants must have passed steps 1, 2 and 3 within three attempts. Four attempts are allowed if currently licensed in another state and currently certified by a specialty board of ABMS, AOABPE, RCPSC, or CFPC. USMLE Step 3 must be passed within 5 years of Step 2 or before the end of residency training.
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1 / 2
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Yes
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3 attempts each step / 7
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Mississippi State Board of Medical If a graduate from a foreign medical school, applicant must present documentation of having completed either (i) three (3) or more years of ACGME-approved postgraduate training in the United States or training in Canada approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons or (ii) at least one year of ACGME-approved postgraduate training in the United States or training in Canada approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, be currently Board certified by a Specialty Board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Osteopathic Association and will be based upon approval by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.
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1 / 3
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Yes
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3 / 7
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Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts
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1 / 3
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No
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3 / 7 exception for MD/PhD
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Montana Board of Medical Examiners
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2 / 3 1 / 1 if ABMS
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No SPEX required if inactive 2 yrs.
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3 / 7 exception for MD/PhD
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Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery
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1 / 3
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No
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4 / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners
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3 / 3
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Yes
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9 attempts combined all steps / 7
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Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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New Hampshire Board of Medicine Applicants shall pass each examination section within 3 attempts. Failure to pass that section after 3 attempts shall invalidate the entire examination.
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2 / 2
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No
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3 attempts per step/ none
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New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners
Graduates of L.C.M.E./A.O.A. approved medical schools and graduates of foreign medical schools who graduated prior to July 1, 1985, must successfully complete at least one year of A.C.G.M.E. or A.O.A. approved postgraduate training.
Graduates of foreign medical schools who graduated after July 1, 1985 and prior to July 1, 2003, must successfully complete a minimum of three (3) years of A.C.G.M.E. or A.O.A. approved postgraduate training.
All applicants who graduated from medical school after July 1, 2003, must successfully complete a minimum of two (2) years of postgraduate training in an A.C.G.M.E. or A.O.A. accredited program and have a signed contract for a third year of training in an accredited program where at least two years of that training are in the same field or would, when considered together, be credited toward the criteria for certification by a single specialty board.
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1yr if < 7/85
IMGs - 3 yrs if between 7/85 and 7/03
2 yrs + contract for 3rd yr or 3 yrs for AMG and IMG if > 7/03
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No
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5 / 7 waiver
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New Mexico State Board of Medical Examiners
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2 / 2
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No
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6 per step / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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New Mexico Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
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2 / N/A
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N / A
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New York State Board for Medicine
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1 / 3
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No
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none / none
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North Carolina Medical Board
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1 / 3
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Yes Exception = AMA PR Award
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none / 7
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North Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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No
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3/7
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State Medical Board of Ohio USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. All three Steps must have been passed within a ten year period and the performance achieved on each Step must have been recognized by the USMLE program as a recommended passing performance. No Step may have been failed more than three times. If an applicant has failed any Step more than three times, the applicant must complete an additional year of graduate medical education as defined in section 4731.091 of the Revised Code in addition to the graduate medical education required by section 4731.14 and must be completed subsequent to the final Step that has been failed more than three times. Following the completion of the additional training, the entire examination sequence must be retaken and successfully completed. An applicant who has not failed any Step more than three times but who did not complete the sequence within the ten year period must either retake the appropriate Steps to bring the testing sequence within the ten-year time period or demonstrate good cause, as determined by the Board, for not having completed the sequence within the ten-year time period.
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1 / 2
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No
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3/10 waiver
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Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision All steps of the licensure examination must be passed within ten (10) years. Any applicant who fails any part of a licensing examination three times is not eligible for a license. A score of incomplete is considered a failing score. If a combination of NBME, FLEX and/or USMLE is utilized, any applicant who has failed more than six (6) examinations is not eligible for a license. If an applicant has achieved certification by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Board, the Board may grant an exception.
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1 / 2
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No
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see side notes
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Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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Oregon Board of Medical Examiners * USMLE Steps 1 and 2 - there is currently no limit to the number of attempts. * USMLE Step 3 must be passed within four attempts. Any applicant who fails a third attempt on Step 3 must do one of the following: * Successfully complete one full year of Board approved training prior to making a fourth attempt * Obtain current certification by a specialty board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists
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1 / 3
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Yes if worked last 3 years and did 150 CMEs in any increment can send letter w/ app requesting waiver on SPEX and include proof of CMES
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4 / 7 waiver
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Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
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2 / 3
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No
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3 / 7 waiver
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Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
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1 / N/A
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Board of Medical Examiners of Puerto Rico (787) 782-8937 / Fax:(787) 706-0304
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1 / 3
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No
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none / 7
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Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline
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2 / 3
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No
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5 / 7
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South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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Yes
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4 attempts per step / 7
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South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners An applicant who has failed to successfully complete and pass any one of the three steps of the USMLE in three attempts is required to be ABMS certified.
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3 / 3
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No
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3 attempts per step / 7
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Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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No
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3 / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examiners
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2 / N/A
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N / A
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Texas State Board of Medical Examiners
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1 / 3
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Yes
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3 attempts per step / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD waiver
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Utah Department of Commerce Physicians Licensing Board
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2 / 2
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No
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3 / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD
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Utah Department of Commerce Board of Osteopathic Medicine
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2 / 2
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N / A
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Vermont Board of Medical Practice
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1 / 3
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No
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3 / 7
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Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
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1 / 3
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N / A
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Virginia Board of Medicine
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1 / 2
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No
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none / 10 waiver
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Virgin Islands Board of Medical Examiners (340) 774-0117/ Fax:(340) 777-4001 Requirements
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1 / 3
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No
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none / 7 SPEX is required
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Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission
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2 / 2 1 / 1 if < 7/1985
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No
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3 / 7 or 10 if MD/PhD waiver
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Washington State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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West Virginia Board of Medicine An applicant who has failed to successfully complete and pass any one of the three steps of the USMLE in three attempts is required to appear before the Board for a determination by the Board, in its discretion, as to what, if any, further education, evaluation and training is required for further consideration of licensure. 06/08
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1 / 3 or 1 if ABMS
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No
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3 attempts per step / 10
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West Virginia Board of Osteopathy
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1 / N/A
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N / A
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Wisconsin Medical Examining Board Applicants who have completed a standard M.D. training program shall complete all 3 steps of the examination sequence within 10 years from the date upon which the applicant first passes a step, either step 1 or step 2. Applicants who have completed a combined M.D. and Ph.D. medical scientist training program shall complete all 3 steps of the examination sequence within 12 years from the date upon which the applicant first passes a step, either step 1 or step 2. Applicants who have passed a step may not repeat the step unless required to do so in order to comply with the 10−year or 12−year time limit. If the applicant fails to achieve a passing grade on any step, the applicant may apply for and be reexamined on only the step failed according to the reexamination provisions of s. Med 1.08 (1).
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1 / 1
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No
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3 attempts per step / 10
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Wyoming Board of Medicine
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1 / 1
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No
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7 total attempts in 7 years
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