CHANGES TO ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR IMGS TAKING USMLE STEP 2 CK AND

To apply for and take the exams required for ECFMG(r) Certification,
international medical students and graduates (IMGs) must satisfy certain
requirements. Some of the eligibility requirements for taking Step 2
Clinical Knowledge (Step 2 CK) and Step 2 Clinical Skills (Step 2 CS)
will change for individuals who apply for these exams using the 2005
USMLE application materials.

These changes do not affect the requirements for ECFMG Certification.
The requirements for ECFMG Certification remain unchanged. The changes
affect only the point at which medical school students can apply for and
take Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS, and the sequence in which applicants can
take the exams required for ECFMG Certification.

This announcement provides important information on:

- Requirements That Will Change
- Requirements That Will Not Change
- When These Changes Take Effect
- Recommendations to Applicants
- Sources of Additional Information

REQUIREMENTS THAT WILL CHANGE

Change #1 - Medical Education Requirement for Students Applying for Step
2 CK or Step 2 CS

- New Requirement: To take Step 2 CK or Step 2 CS, medical school
students must have completed at least two years of medical school. This
eligibility requirement means that students must have completed the
basic medical science component of the medical school curriculum. For
Step 2 CK, students who apply must meet this requirement by the
beginning of the three-month eligibility period they select on the
application. For Step 2 CS, students must meet this requirement at the
time of application, since the eligibility period assigned for Step 2 CS
begins upon completion of registration.

For individuals who apply using the 2005 application materials, this
requirement replaces the current requirement, described below.

- Current Requirement: To take Step 2 CK or Step 2 CS, medical school
students must be within twelve months of completing the full didactic
curriculum at their medical school.

Change #2 - Examination Prerequisite for Step 2 CS

- New Requirement: There is no examination prerequisite for Step 2 CS.
This means that applicants are no longer required to have passed Step 1
before applying for Step 2 CS. Applicants for ECFMG Certification may
take Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS in any sequence, provided that
they meet all other eligibility requirements.

For individuals who apply using the 2005 application materials, this
requirement replaces the current requirement, described below.

- Current Requirement: To apply for Step 2 CS, all applicants (students
and graduates) must have passed Step 1.

When Changes #1 and #2 above are implemented, the eligibility
requirements for Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS will be the same as those
currently in place for Step 1. As a result, the same eligibility
requirements will apply to all examinations required for ECFMG
Certification.

These changes do not affect the requirements for ECFMG Certification.
The requirements for ECFMG Certification remain unchanged. The changes
affect only the point at which medical school students can apply for and
take Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS, and the sequence in which applicants can
take the exams required for ECFMG Certification.

REQUIREMENTS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE

Other exam eligibility requirements and the requirements for ECFMG
Certification will not change. The following exam eligibility
requirements will continue to apply to applicants for all examinations
(Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS).

If you are a medical school student, you must be officially enrolled in
a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is
listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED),
both at the time that you apply and at the time you take the exam. The
"Graduation Years" in IMED for your medical school must be listed as
"Current" at the time you apply and at the time you take the exam.

If you are a medical school graduate, you must have graduated from a
medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is
listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED).
Your graduation year must be included in the medical school's IMED
listing. You must have had at least four credit years (academic years
for which credit has been given toward completion of the medical
curriculum) in attendance at a medical school that is listed in IMED.
Finally, medical school graduates must continue to supply copies of
their medical diploma with the exam application, if they have not sent
the diploma to ECFMG previously.

WHEN THESE CHANGES TAKE EFFECT

The new eligibility requirements will take effect for individuals who
apply for Step 2 CK and / or Step 2 CS using the 2005 USMLE application
materials. The 2005 application materials are expected to be available
on the ECFMG website by the end of August 2004.

If you apply for Step 2 CK / Step 2 CS using the 2004 application
materials, you must meet the current eligibility requirements, as
published in the ECFMG 2004 Information Booklet.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO APPLICANTS

Although you may apply for and take all examinations required for ECFMG
Certification after completing the basic medical science component of
your medical school curriculum, you should consider the following
recommendations before applying for Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS.

- Before taking Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS, it is recommended that you
complete your core clinical clerkships, including actual patient
contact.

- If English is not your first language, it is recommended that you take
the Test of Spoken English(tm) (TSE(r)), offered by the Educational
Testing Service(r) (ETS(r)), and achieve a score of at least 45 before
taking Step 2 CS. For more information on the TSE exam or to obtain
application materials, visit www.ets.org/tse or call ETS at (609)
921-9000. This recommendation is for self-assessment purposes only; if
you take the TSE exam, do not send your TSE score to ECFMG.

SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you plan to apply for examination using the 2004 USMLE application
materials, refer to the ECFMG 2004 Information Booklet for complete
information on eligibility. The 2004 Information Booklet / application
materials are available on the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org.

If you plan to apply for examination using the 2005 USMLE application
materials, refer to the 2005 Information Booklet for complete
information on eligibility, including the changes described above. The
2005 Information Booklet / application materials are expected to be
available on the ECFMG website by the end of August 2004.