United States Medical Licensing Examination Exam Pattern 2027
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United States Medical Licensing Examination Exam Pattern
The USMLE is a multi-step exam. Each step has a different pattern, number of questions, and duration.
- Step 1: A one-day test. It has only multiple-choice questions. It covers basic science topics like anatomy, biochemistry, and pharmacology.
- Step 2: Taken during the fourth year of medical college. It has two parts:
- Clinical Knowledge (CK): Multiple-choice questions on clinical fields like surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
- Clinical Skills (CS): Involves assessing and diagnosing people acting as patients. This part is discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Step 3: A two-day exam. It includes computer simulations of patient care and multiple-choice questions.
The marking pattern differs by section. For Step 2 CS, you get a "pass" or "fail" result. For other sections, your correct answers are converted into two scores: one on a three-digit scale and one on a two-digit scale. To pass, you need a score of 75 on the two-digit scale.