Requirements for ECFMG Certification for 2022 Match

ECFMG is no longer accepting new Pathways applications for applicants who wish to participate in the 2022 Match. If you submitted a Pathways application, you can continue to check its status using the on-line application. For information for 2023 Match participants, please monitor the ECFMG News page.

Pathway 2: Already Passed a Standardized Clinical Skills Exam for Medical Licensure

Who Should Apply

Pathway 2 is for applicants who have not yet obtained a license/registration to practice medicine without supervision (Pathway 1), but who successfully completed a secure, standardized clinical skills exam as a requirement for medical licensure or registration in a country other than the United States.

Applicants who failed the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) Component of the United States Medical Licensing Examination^® (USMLE^®) one or more times are not eligible to apply to Pathway 2. Applicants who failed Step 2 CS one or more times must apply to Pathway 6 in order to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification, regardless of whether they meet the eligibility requirements for other Pathways. For information on applying to Pathway 6, see the Pathway 6 page.

If you applied to a Pathway for the 2021 Match, please see Important Information for 2021 Pathway Applicants before applying to a Pathway for the 2022 Match.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant has recently passed a secure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for medical licensure/registration in a country other than the United States that ECFMG has determined is acceptable. Exams that currently meet this requirement are:
  • Australian Medical Council: Clinical Examination Part 2
  • Australian Medical Council: Workplace Based Assessment
  • Chile: Examen Único Nacional de Conocimientos de Medicina de Chile – SP (EUNACOM-SP)
  • General Medical Council: Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) Part 2
  • Malaysian Medical Council: Examination for Provisional Registration (EPR)
  • Medical Council of Canada: National Assessment Collaboration Examination
  • Medical Council of Canada: Qualifying Examination Part II
  • Medical Council of Ireland: Pre-Registration Examination System (PRES), Level 3
  • Medical Council of New Zealand: New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX) Clinical
  • Switzerland: Swiss Federal Licensing Examination Clinical Skills (FLE CS)
  • UK Foundation Programme Clinical Assessment, Stage 1
• Date of examination must be on or after January 1, 2018.
  
  OR
  
  
• Applicant attends or has graduated from a medical school that administers an OSCE specifically required by the medical regulatory authority (MRA) in that country, and the applicant has successfully completed that exam. The following also apply:
  • The medical school is located in a region/country that is not served by an accrediting agency recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) or the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA);
  • The medical school is accredited by the MRA or MRA-designated accrediting agency in that region/country;
  • The MRA’s requirement was established before 2020; and
  • The applicant’s graduation date is on or after January 1, 2018.
  
  To determine whether a medical school’s students and recent graduates are eligible to apply to Pathway 2 because the school administers an OSCE specifically required by the medical regulatory authority (MRA) in that country, search the list of Medical Schools Eligible for 2022 Pathways.

If ECFMG determines that additional exams or medical schools are acceptable for this Pathway, they will be added to the appropriate list.

In addition to the requirements listed above, the applicant must meet the requirements in General Eligibility for All Pathways and Assessment of Communication Skills, Including English Language Proficiency, as well as all other eligibility requirements for ECFMG Certification.

Application Timing

If you meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 2, you may apply now using the on-line Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2022 Match.

Your application must be submitted no later than December 15, 2021.

In order for you to participate in the 2022 Match, ECFMG must determine the outcome of your Pathway application; determine your overall eligibility for the 2022 Match, including verifying your passing performance on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK); then report your eligibility status to the National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) by the NRMP Rank Order List Certification deadline. ECFMG will not determine the outcome of your Pathway application until all required supporting documentation and/or verification(s) have been received. Therefore, the time needed to complete the processing of your application is contingent upon receipt of all supporting documentation and verifications, including the ECFMG Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Attestation Form, if required for your application (see Application Instructions below). The OSCE Attestation form must be received by ECFMG by December 31, 2021.

Please plan the timing of your application accordingly.

Application Instructions

1. Access the Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2022 Match and determine general eligibility.
   • To begin the application, you will need to log in with your USMLE/ECFMG ID and ECFMG On-line Services password. Once you begin the application, you will have five days to complete and submit it. If the application is not submitted within five days, it will be deleted, and you will need to begin a new application if you wish to apply to a Pathway.
   • After you log in, the application will indicate whether you meet the eligibility requirements that pertain to all Pathways.
   • If you have failed Step 2 CS one or more times, the application will indicate that you will be required to apply to Pathway 6. For information on applying to Pathway 6, see the Pathway 6 page.
2. If you meet the general eligibility requirements, you will proceed to questions regarding your eligibility for the specific Pathways. If you do not meet the Pathway 1 eligibility requirements, you will proceed to provide information regarding your eligibility for Pathway 2.
   • You will be asked whether you passed a secure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for medical licensure/registration (as listed above) on or after January 1, 2018.
   • If your answer is “Yes,” you will be asked to:
     • select the exam that you passed from the list of acceptable exams,
     • indicate your exam date, and
     • upload appropriate documentation from the authority that administered the exam demonstrating that you successfully completed and passed the exam. ECFMG will primary-source verify the documentation that you upload with the authority.
   • If your answer is “No,” the application will automatically determine whether your medical school and graduation date meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 2, based on the information in your ECFMG record.
     • If the application indicates that your medical school and graduation date meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 2, and you are a graduate of the medical school:
       • Upload a copy of your final medical diploma.
       • If the diploma is not in English, also upload an English translation of the document (see Important Information on Documentation Submitted in Support of Your Application below for more information).
       • ECFMG will primary-source verify your diploma directly with the medical school. Please note: If your final medical diploma already has been primary-source verified by ECFMG, ECFMG will use the prior verification to complete your application.
     • If the application indicates that your medical school and graduation date meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 2 and you are a student or a graduate of the medical school whose final medical diploma has not yet been issued:
       • Your medical school will be required to confirm your eligibility by completing the ECFMG Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Attestation form. The form will be available for you to download once you have submitted your application.
       • The OSCE Attestation form must be completed by an authorized official of your medical school and sent directly to ECFMG by the medical school.
       • It is your responsibility to ensure that your medical school completes and sends the OSCE Attestation form in support of your application; your application cannot be approved until the completed attestation is received and accepted by ECFMG. The form must be received by ECFMG no later than December 31, 2021.
     • If the application indicates that you are not eligible for Pathway 2 and you believe your ECFMG record is incorrect, please contact us for assistance.
3. Complete and submit the application. After providing the required information and uploading supporting documentation, you will be asked to certify your application, provide payment, and submit your application to ECFMG.

Once your application is received, ECFMG will evaluate it. A case manager will contact you if there are any issues with your application or if we require additional information.

• Primary-source verification. ECFMG will verify the authenticity of any document that you provide directly with the authority that issued the document. ECFMG also may verify with the issuing authority any documents submitted on your behalf.
  • If the authority charges a fee for verification, payment of the fee is your responsibility. If you are unsure whether the authority charges a fee for verification, please contact the authority.
  • Your Pathway application cannot be approved until verification is received and accepted by ECFMG.
• Documents not in English. Any document submitted to ECFMG that is not in English must be accompanied by an English translation that meets ECFMG’s translation requirements. ECFMG strongly encourages you to obtain translations from its recommended translation service, Straker Translations. See Translation Service for more information. If a document submitted on your behalf is not in English, ECFMG will have the document translated and will charge your financial account for this service. Fees charged by Straker Translations vary depending on the source language and number of pages in the document.
• The name on your document. If the name on your document does not match the name in your ECFMG record, ECFMG may contact you to request documentation to confirm your name as it appears on your document.

Fees and Payment

The fee for applying to a Pathway is $900. Full payment is due when you submit your application. If the application is not submitted within five days of when you begin it, it will be deleted, and you will need to begin a new application if you wish to apply to a Pathway.

You must use a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card with a security code; credit available in your ECFMG Financial Account cannot be used to pay for a Pathway application.

Fees related to your application are not refundable. If you submit a Pathway application and ECFMG determines that you are ineligible for the Pathway, your application will be rejected and the fee will not be refunded. In addition, if ECFMG does not receive all required documentation in support of your application, as well as any required verifications of submitted documentation from the issuing authority, your application will not be complete, and the application fee will not be refunded.

Application Processing Time

Once your application has been submitted, you can use the on-line Application for Pathways for ECFMG Certification for 2022 Match to check the status of your application. The following guidelines may be helpful:

• Please allow five business days after submission of your application for a case manager to begin reviewing your application.
• If any documentation is required for your Pathway application, such as documentation demonstrating that you have completed an OSCE or an attestation from your medical school, please allow five business days for the submitted document to be added to your previously submitted application.
• Once your eligibility review has been completed, ECFMG will conduct a final review of your application. Please allow five business days for this final review.

The time needed to complete the processing of your application is contingent upon receipt of all supporting documentation and verifications.

The preceding information is current as of January 13, 2022 and is subject to change. Please visit the ECFMG website frequently for updates regarding these requirements.