medical exams

Medical Council of India Screening Test, also known as Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), is a licensure examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) in India. The test is one of the mandatory requirements for an Indian citizen who has a medical degree from a college outside India, to practice medicine in the country. The other requirement is a compulsory one-year internship at an Indian hospital attached to a medical college (teaching hospital) at MCI recognized hospital or even outside India but internship completion certificate has to counter attested by Indian mission embassy or consulate office there The screening test was introduced in 2002 as a qualifying examination for Indian students obtaining their medical degrees from countries other than India, such as countries belonging to the former Soviet Union, Eastern European countries, China, Nepal, Philippines, and Caribbean countries. Indian doctors holding basic medical degrees from any country have to take the MCI screening test. The Medical School should have been listed in the WHO international directory of Medical Schools. He / She had obtained “Eligibility Certificate' from the Medical Council of India (applicable only in respect to students who took admission abroad on or after 15.03.2002). This requirement shall not be necessary in respect of Indian citizens who have obtained admission in foreign medical institute before 15th March 2002.

Introduction

• The Examination is held twice a year at New Delhi in Month of June and December on last Sunday of the month
• The test is conducted in English language
• There will be 300 multiple-choice questions (MCQ) of single response type in the paper (Divided in two sittings of 150 questions each).
• There is NO negative marking
• An applicant shall be declared as having passed only if he/she obtains a minimum of 50% of marks in the examination.
• Results (Pass/Fail) for eligible candidates will be displayed at the website and office of NBE. There is no provision for declaration of marks obtained or reevaluation / retotalling.
• There are no restrictions on number of attempts that can be availed by an applicant

Verification of Document / Credential

Applicants are required to submit attested (self attested and by Gazette Officer) copies of

• Proof of Date of Birth
• Copy of Passport of the applicant/Nationality Proof
• 10+2 passing certificate and Mark Sheet issued by the respective Board of Examination
• Equivalence Certificate : From Association of Indian Universities (for e done 10+2 abroad)
• Certificate of Passing Primary Medical Qualification i.e. MBBS or equivalent or equivalent degree certificate with mark sheet. Candidates are required to submit copies of degrees, duly attested by a Gazetted Officer and self-certified. The degrees should be attested either by the Embassy of India or should be Apostilled by the appropriate authority. For details regarding Apostilled documents
• Internship Certificate (if done abroad)
• Eligibility Certificate issued by MCI (if available) for candidates joined on or after 15.03.2009
• Translated copies (in English / Hindi) to be furnished if the certificates are in language other than English / Hindi

The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a multi-part professional exam sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Physicians with an M.D. degree are required to pass this examination before being permitted to practice medicine in the United States of America see below for requirements of physicians with a D.O. degree.

All three steps of the USMLE exam must be passed before a physician with an M.D. degree is eligible to apply for an unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States. U.S. osteopathic medical school graduates are permitted to take the USMLE for medical license, which they can also obtain by passing the multi-part Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) professional exam. Students who have graduated from medical schools outside the US and Canada must pass all three steps of the USMLE to be licensed to practice in the US, regardless of the title of their degree. Overall pass rates for first time USMLE Step 1 test takers are: 94% for U.S. M.D. medical school graduates, 89% for U.S. D.O. osteopathic medical school graduates, and 73% for international medical school graduates. First-time USMLE Step 2 CK test taker pass rates are: 97% for U.S. M.D. medical school graduates and 93% for U.S. D.O. medical school graduates. First-time USMLE Step 2 CS test taker pass rates are: 98% for U.S. M.D. medical school graduates and 88% for U.S. D.O. medical school graduates. Overall pass rates for first time USMLE Step 3 test takers are: 97% for U.S. M.D. medical school graduates, 94% for U.S. D.O. medical school graduates, and 78% for international medical school graduates. (In these statistics, "U.S. M.D. medical school graduates" includes graduates of Canadian M.D. programs.

The USMLE first started out as a paper examination, converting to a computer based multiple choice examination. The test can be taken at parametric test centers worldwide. However, the Step 2 CS and the Step 3 can only be taken in the USA

Step 1

The USMLE Step 1 (more commonly just Step 1 or colloquially, The Boards) is the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. It assesses whether medical school students or graduates can apply important concepts of the sciences fundamental to the practice of medicine. US medical students typically take Step 1 at the end of the second year of medical school. Graduates of international medical schools must also take Step 1 if they want to practice in the US.

Step 2

USMLE Step 2 is designed to assess whether medical school students or graduates can apply medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical science essential for provision of patient care under supervision. US medical students typically take Step 2 during the fourth year of medical school. Step 2 is further divided into two separate exams.

Step 2-CK

The USMLE-Step 2-CK ("Clinical Knowledge") is the nine-hour long multiple-choice portion of the second part of the United States Medical Licensure Examination. It assesses clinical knowledge through a traditional, multiple-choice examination. In contrast to the USMLE Step 1, the focus is much more on clinical application of medical knowledge. It assesses the ability to apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision. The USMLE Step 2 is generally taken during the 4th year of medical school by medical students The subjects included in this exam are clinical sciences like Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Step 2-CS

USMLE Step 2 CS is designed to assess clinical skills through simulated patient interactions, in which the examinee interacts with standardized patients portrayed by actors. Each examinee faces 12 Standardized Patients (SPs) and has 15 minutes to complete history taking and clinical examination for each patient, and then 10 more minutes to write a patient note describing the findings, initial differential diagnosis list and a list of initial tests. Administration of the Step 2-CS began in 2004. The examination is only offered in five cities across the country:

• Philadelphia
• Chicago
• Atlanta
• Houston
• Los Angeles

Step 3

Step 3 is the final exam in the USMLE series of examinations. It is part of the licensing requirements for Doctors of Medicine (M.D.), Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), and international medical graduates to practice medicine in the United States. The USMLE Step 3 exam is considered as the final step in the series of medical licensure examinations. Generally, it is a pre-requisite of the majority of the state licensing boards.

USMLE Step 3 tests several concepts that are often required to provide general health care to a patient. USMLE Step 3 is a mandatory exam that must be passed in order to obtain license as a practicing physician. Some International Medical Graduates are required to pass USMLE Step 3 in order to obtain an H1 Visa.

Most of the USMLE Step 3 exam (75 percent) consists of multiple choice questions, while the remaining 25 percent are clinical case simulations. A full description of the content of the exam can be found on the USMLE website. USMLE Step 3 exams are delivered online and are available throughout the year to the examinees. The examinee needs to register via a state licensing board for this exam.

Starting from 2014 USMLE Step 3 will be divided into two parts.

University Clinical Aptitude Test

The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is an admissions test used in the selection process by a consortium of universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand for their medical and dental degree programmes. Launched in 2006 as the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT), it was renamed in 2019 following the launch of the test in Australia and New Zealand.

It is one of two main admissions tests used in the UK for medical, dental and other health-related courses, the other being the

Format

The UCAT is designed to be a test of aptitude and attitude, not academic achievement. The latter is already demonstrated by A-Levels, Scottish Highers or undergraduate degrees. It attempts to assess a certain range of mental abilities and behavioural attributes identified as useful. These mental abilities include critical thinking as well as logical reasoning and inference.

For candidates sitting the examination in summer 2019, the UCAT consists of five subtests: four cognitive tests, and one testing your professional demeanour. Each test has a time allocation as below:^[1]

• Verbal Reasoning – assesses candidates' ability to think logically about written information and arrive at a reasoned conclusion. The candidate is given 22 minutes, with 11 passages to read and 44 questions to answer in that time.
• Decision Making – assesses ability to apply logic to reach a decision or conclusion, evaluate arguments and analyse statistical information. The candidate is allocated 32 minutes to answer 29 items associated with text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams.
• Quantitative Reasoning – assesses candidates' ability to solve numerical problems. The candidate is given 25 minutes to answer 36 questions associated with either tables, charts, graphs etc. as information.
• Abstract Reasoning – assesses candidates' ability to infer relationships from information by convergent and divergent thinking. The candidate is allocated 14 minutes to answer 55 questions associated with sets of shapes.

The situational judgement test is a different type of test from the tests above:^[2]

• Situational Judgement – measures candidates' responses in situations and their grasp of medical ethics. This section of the test is 27 minutes long, with 69 questions associated with 22 scenarios.

The test is an online test taken at a Pearson Vue centre near the candidate. Candidates are not allowed to bring external materials in to the exam. A basic calculator is provided on the screen in the quantitative reasoning and decision making tests, along with a white board and a marker pen for taking notes. The equipment and conditions vary slightly between different test centers.

Including warm-up time (time allocated to reading the instructions), the test lasts a maximum of 2 hours (or 2.5 hours for the UCATSEN version of the test). Each of the UCAT subtests is in a multiple choice format and is separately timed.

The test must be sat in the summer of 2019 by candidates who want to apply to member universities for entry in 2020 (or deferred entry in 2021).

https://www.ucat.ac.uk

UK PLAB

You about the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) for overseas qualified or qualification not recognized in the UK doctors who want to practice medicine in the UK must register with the General Medical Council (GMC) Before coming to the UK, they must pass a pre-assessment International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. This is designed to find out if the doctor has a reasonable command of the English language before they can sit the PLAB test. IELTS tests can be taken in various countries, including the UK.

If the doctor passes the different stages of the test, they can sit the PLAB test in the UK. Doctors must take the PLAB test to demonstrate their knowledge of medical English and their medical skills and knowledge. The PLAB test consists of two separate assessments, part 1 and part 2. The GMC requires doctors to pass part 1 before they can take part 2 of the test. If a candidate fails part 1 by a wide margin, the GMC does not allow them to reset part 1 for a period of at least four months from the date of the failed test.

The test is in two parts

Part 1 is a computer-marked written examination consisting of single best answer (SBA) questions. The paper contains 200 questions and may contain images. It lasts three hours. You can have an unlimited number of attempts but you must pass Part 1 within two years of the date of your IELTS certificate or the date we specify when accepting alterative evidence of your proficiency in English.

Part 2 is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). It is made up of:

• 14 clinical scenarios or 'stations'
• a rest station
• One or more pilot stations run for statistical purposes, where the marks do not count towards your result.

Each station lasts five minutes. You must pass Part 2 within three years of passing Part 1. You can have four attempts at Part 2. If you fail at the fourth attempt you will have to retake IELTS (unless we have accepted alternative evidence from you and it is still valid) and both parts of the PLAB test. You must apply for, and have been granted, registration with a license to practice within three years of passing Part 2 of the test.

Eligibility criteria

• Be a graduate from a medical school and intend to take the PLAB test
• Provide documentary evidence of a confirmed test date or of their eligibility to take the PLAB test by way of a letter or email from the General Medical Council or a test admission card
• Not intend to take employment in the UK
• Not intend to produce goods or provide services within the UK, including the selling of goods or services direct to members of the public
• Not intend to do a course of study
• Maintain and accommodate themselves and any dependants adequately without using public funds
• Be able to meet the cost of their onward journey
• Intend to leave the UK when their leave in this category expires unless they pass the PLAB test and are granted leave to do a clinical attachment
• Not spend more than 18 months in the UK in this category
• Already have leave in this category, if they are applying for an extension of stay in this category