A lot of students/graduates give up on applying for the USMLE because they do not have the patience to learn and understand the application process. It can be complicated, but you will have to spend a few hours researching on the steps to apply.
I have outlined the basic steps below.
Terminology:
ECFMG: This is the official group which takes care of us foreign medical graduate.
IWA: this is a website which allows you to register for the USMLE
Prometric center: test taking center
EMSWP: this is a new program launched recently by ECFMG to improve speed of communication between ECFMG and foreign medical schools. Not all medical schools have EMSWP. If your medical school is enrolled with EMSWP, communication between them and ECFMG will be mostly online (instead of paper mail).
OASIS: website to check your status on USMLE exam registration
1. Check IMED
Check if your medical school is listed under IMED: https://imed.faimer.org/. If your medical school is not listed, you need to contact your medical school and have them register with IMED.
2. Get the USMLE ID
You need to visit this website: https://secure2.ecfmg.org/usmleidrequest/usmleidrequestnavigator.aspx.
Enter your information as directed. They will then send you an email within one week with your “ECFMG ID”, which is an 8-digit ID number. This will be your ID number which you will use in the future to apply for USMLE exams or get your exam results.
If in one week, you do not receive your ID number, check your email thoroughly. If you still do not have it, call ECFMG at +1 (215) 386 5900.
3. IWA application
Ensure that you have a good internet access, and a computer linked to a printer.
Enter the IWA website: https://secure2.ecfmg.org/emain.asp?app=iwa
Enter your USMLE ID and password and log into the website.
If you do not have a password, look at the bottom of the page and follow the link: “If you have a USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number, but you are a first-time user of ECFMG On-line Services, click here to establish an account.”
Fill up the forms on the website as directed.
Following that, you will be required to send ECFMG some paperwork. The most important is : Form 186.
Form 186 are forms that let ECFMG make sure that you (your name and a your photo) are in fact existent and that this is your signature and this is your ECFMG ID. These forms may have to be signed by your medical school official.
4. Certifying that what you said is true
During the IWA process, you will be required to have your medical school send documentations to ECFMG to ensure that you do exist and studied or are studying in the said medical school.
This step can be pretty confusing, and I would recommend that
you give ECFMG a call at 1 (215) 386 5900 to clarify anything and
everything. You probably need to get a calling card that allows you to
call ECFMG at a cheap rate.
If you are already graduated: please read through: http://www.ecfmg.org/2016ib/credentials-for-certification.html. The basic idea is that if you already graduate, ECFMG wants to make sure that you in fact did graduate from whichever medical school you said you graduated from even before they approve you for a USMLE exam. You will need to have your medical school complete FORM 186.
If you are still a medical student: you will need to have your medical school complete Form 186 and Form 183. Also take time and read through Appendix 1. Basically, there is someone in your medical school that has been assigned to be the point person that is authorized to certify Form 186 and Form 183. You need to ask your medical school. If your medical school does not know, you need to get your medical school to contact ECFMG (this will be challenging because of time difference, so you really need to harass/bribe/sweet talk your academic affairs department of student affairs department.
Read Appendix 1 below for more information.
5- Wait for confirmation
ECFMG will contact you by email and by mail. If you do not hear back, do not hesitate to call them at 1 (215) 386 5900. You really need to be proactive in this step.
6. Communication between ECFMG and Medical School
At this stage, ECFMG will be communicating with your medical school. Your role at this stage is to make sure your medical school receives and responds to ECFMG’s communication.
7. OASIS
The final step is ECFMG receives your medical education credentials/certification directly from your medical school.
When you log into OASIS, you will get to see: "Medical education credentials received and verified".
Congratulations!
8. Apply
Congratulations. Now you will be able to apply for the exam. After paying for the exam, you will receive a scheduling permit. You can use this scheduling permit to schedule your exam in your local prometric center.
APPENDIX 1
Certification Form
Medical School Graduates: To be registered for USMLE, an international
medical graduate must provide copies of his/her final medical diploma with the
exam application, if the diploma has not been submitted to ECFMG previously.
ECFMG also requires that, before an international medical graduate can be
registered for USMLE, the applicant's status as a medical graduate must be
verified directly by his/her medical school. As a result, the process of
applying for examination as a medical school graduate will vary depending on
whether your medical education credentials have been verified by ECFMG and
whether you are a graduate of a medical school that participates in the ECFMG
Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP) Status Verification program.
For complete information on the medical education credentials that may be
required at the time of exam application, see Credentials for ECFMG
Certification in the ECFMG Information Booklet. You can check the
status of your medical education credentials using ECFMG's OASIS. The
certification form you will be required to complete as part of your exam
application will vary depending on whether or not your medical education
credentials have been primary-source verified by ECFMG.
You will be required to complete a Certification of Identification Form (Form
186) if you do not have a valid Certification of Identification Form (Form 186)
on file with ECFMG. The Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) must be
completed by you and an authorized official of your medical school and/or a
Consular Official, First Class Magistrate, Notary Public, or Commissioner of
Oaths. Each medical school has been requested to provide ECFMG with a list of
medical school officials authorized by the school to certify Form 186. Your
form must be certified by an official on this list. Contact your medical school
to determine the officials authorized by your medical school for this purpose;
ECFMG will not provide this information to applicants.
The on-line part of your application will be transmitted to ECFMG only when you
click on one of the links to proceed to the Certification of Identification
Form (Form 186).
There are three Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) options for
medical school graduates:
- "Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186) - Certification by Medical School
Official," for all medical school graduates
- "Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186) - Certification by Notary Public," for
graduates of medical schools that participate in EMSWP Status Verification
and for graduates whose medical education credentials have been
primary-source verified by ECFMG
- "Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186) - Certification by Notary Public and
Medical School Official," for graduates of medical schools that do
not participate in EMSWP Status Verification and whose medical education
credentials have not been primary-source verified by ECFMG
When you have completed the on-line part of the application, you will be able
to view the Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) options available
to you.
If you complete a "Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) -
Certification by Medical School Official" or a "Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186) - Certification by Notary Public and Medical
School Official," your Form 186 must be sent to ECFMG directly from the
office of the medical school official who signed the form. If the form is
not sent to ECFMG from the office of the medical school official, it will not
be accepted.
If you complete a "Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) -
Certification by Notary Public," the form can be sent to ECFMG by you.
In either case, the signature(s) of the official(s) must be current; the
official(s) must have signed the Certification of Identification Form (Form
186) within four months of the date that it is received at ECFMG.
Additionally, ECFMG must receive the Certification of Identification Form (Form
186) and any additional documents and photographs as soon as possible but no
later than 12 months from the date you submit the on-line part of your
application. ECFMG must receive the on-line part of your application, the
Certification of Identification Form (Form 186), and all required documents to
process your application.
Your application will not be considered complete until the completed Form 186
(if you do not have a valid Form 186 on file with ECFMG) and any other required
documents are received at ECFMG.
Once accepted by ECFMG, Form 186 remains valid for five years for exam
applications and requests to extend Step 1 and Step 2 CK eligibility periods.
Applications and requests submitted during this five-year period can be
completed entirely on-line.
If you are a graduate of a medical school that participates in EMSWP Status
Verification and your medical education credentials have not been
primary-source verified by ECFMG, ECFMG cannot complete the processing of your
application until your medical school verifies your status through EMSWP. ECFMG
will make your record available to your medical school and request verification
typically within three weeks of receipt of a complete application. The time
needed to complete the processing of your application is contingent upon your
medical school’s response to the EMSWP verification request. You will not be
registered for examination until your medical school verifies your status.
Medical School Students: The certification form that you are required to complete
will vary depending on whether your medical school participates in the ECFMG
Medical School Web Portal (EMSWP) Status Verification program. Medical school
students enrolled in medical schools that participate in EMSWP Status
Verification will be required to complete a Certification of Identification
Form (Form 186), if they do not have a valid Form 186 on file with ECFMG.
Students enrolled in medical schools that do not participate in EMSWP Status
Verification will be required to complete a Certification Statement (Form 183).
Once accepted by ECFMG, Form 186 remains valid for five years for exam applications
and requests to extend Step 1 and Step 2 CK eligibility periods. Applications
and requests submitted during this five-year period can be completed entirely
on-line. A completed Form 183 must be submitted for each exam application.
Both the Certification of Identification Form (Form 186) and Certification
Statement (Form 183) must be completed by you and an authorized official of
your medical school. The on-line part of your application will be transmitted
to ECFMG only when you click on the link to proceed to the Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186) or Certification Statement (Form 183).
Each medical school has been requested to provide ECFMG with a list of medical
school officials authorized by the school to certify Form 186 and Form 183.
Your form must be certified by an official on this list. Contact you medical
school to determine the officials authorized by your medical school for this
purpose; ECFMG will not provide this information to applicants. The signature
of the medical school official who signs your Certification of Identification
Form (Form 186) or Certification Statement (Form 183) must be current; the
official must have signed the form within four months of the date that
it is received at ECFMG. The form must be sent to ECFMG directly from the
office of this official. If the form is not sent to ECFMG from the office of
the medical school official, it will not be accepted.
If you are required to complete a Certification of Identification Form (Form
186), ECFMG must receive the Certification of Identification Form (Form 186)
and any additional documents as soon as possible but no later than 12 months
from the date you submit the on-line part of your application. ECFMG must
receive the on-line part of your application, the Certification of
Identification Form (Form 186), and all required documents to process your
application. To complete the processing of your application, your medical
school must verify your status through EMSWP. ECFMG will make your record
available to your medical school and request verification typically within
three weeks of receipt of a complete application. The time needed to complete
the processing of your application is contingent upon your medical school's
response to the EMSWP verification request. You will not be registered for
examination until your medical school verifies your status.
All forms and documents required to complete your application must be sent to
ECFMG in one envelope. If you are required to complete a Form 186 or a Form
183, this envelope must be sent to ECFMG from the office of the medical school
official who certifies your form. If you are not required to complete a Form
186 or a Form 183, this envelope can be sent to ECFMG by you.
If you are required to complete a Certification Statement (Form 183), ECFMG
must receive the Certification Statement (Form 183) and any additional
documents as soon as possible but no later than four months from the date you
submit the on-line part of your application. ECFMG must receive the on-line
part of your application, the Certification Statement (Form 183), and all
required documents to process your application.
