In This Issue:

Detailed Information on Pathway 6 Now Available for Applicants and Physician Evaluators
OET@Home Available in August on Limited Basis
Availability of ECFMG's 2022 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and Application Materials
USMLE^® Step 1 Updates on Score Reporting and Standard Setting

Detailed Information on Pathway 6 Now Available for Applicants and Physician Evaluators

Detailed information is now available on the ECFMG website for individuals planning to apply to Pathway 6 and for the physicians who will be evaluating their clinical skills. This new information includes step-by-step instructions for applicants and comprehensive information and instructions for physician evaluators. The on-line application process for Pathway 6 will open in August. Applicants should prepare now by reviewing this information carefully, identifying their physician evaluators if they have not already done so, and directing their physician evaluators to review the newly published information.

About the Pathways and Pathway 6

The 2022 Pathways allow qualified international medical graduates (IMGs) who have not passed the former Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component of the United States Medical Licensing Examination^® (USMLE) to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification and for participation in the National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) 2022 Main Residency Match^® (The Match^®). Pathway 6 is for applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements for Pathway 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 and/or have failed Step 2 CS one or more times. Pathway 6 requires an applicant’s clinical skills to be evaluated by licensed physicians through in-person clinical encounters.

OET@Home Available in August on Limited Basis

OET@Home, a version of the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine that can be taken at home through remote proctoring, is available to certain Pathways applicants for test dates in August. OET@Home is available only to applicants who do not have a physical test venue (for paper-based or computer-based testing) in their country. Applicants with a test venue in their country should plan to take OET on paper or OET on computer at a physical test center to ensure that they test in time to meet Pathways requirements for participation in the 2022 Match. Please visit Test Dates and Locations on the OET website to determine whether there is a test venue in your country.

Eligible applicants can book OET@Home now on the OET website. If you have questions regarding OET@Home, please contact OET.

About the Pathways and OET Medicine

The 2022 Pathways allow qualified IMGs who have not passed the former Step 2 CS component of USMLE to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification and for participation in the 2022 Match. A satisfactory score on OET Medicine is required for IMGs applying to a 2022 Pathway. To meet ECFMG’s requirements, applicants must attain a minimum score of 350 (Grade B) on each of the four measured sub-tests of OET Medicine (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) in one test administration. Applicants must take OET Medicine on or before the last scheduled test date in December 2021. See the ECFMG website for more information.

Availability of ECFMG's 2022 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and Application Materials

ECFMG's 2022 Information Booklet on ECFMG Certification and the 2022 exam application materials for IMGs are expected to be available on the ECFMG website in mid-August 2021. The ECFMG Information Booklet is the definitive source of information on ECFMG Certification and is required reading for applicants.

To be eligible for ECFMG Certification, IMGs must satisfy a number of requirements, including the medical science examination requirement, the clinical skills requirement, and the communication skills requirement.

To meet the medical science examination requirement for ECFMG Certification, applicants must pass Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) of USMLE.
To meet the clinical skills requirement and communication skills requirement for ECFMG Certification, applicants must:
- Complete an ECFMG Pathway, which includes attaining a satisfactory score on OET Medicine, OR
- Have earned a passing performance on the former Step 2 CS component of USMLE that satisfies ECFMG requirements for ECFMG Certification.

Application Materials and USMLE Step 1/Step 2 CK Eligibility Periods

For USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, applicants can use the 2022 materials to apply for all available eligibility periods ending in 2021 and all eligibility periods ending in 2022, beginning with the November 2021-January 2022 eligibility period.

Please monitor the ECFMG website, and follow ECFMG on Facebook and Twitter for updates and important information

USMLE Step 1 Updates on Score Reporting and Standard Setting

Two USMLE Step 1 changes may coincide in early 2022. First, Step 1 score reporting will transition to pass/fail only for administrations on or after January 26, 2022. Second, as part of best practices for licensing and certification examinations, the USMLE program reviews the minimum passing score of each Step exam every three to four years. The standard review process for the Step 1 minimum passing score is currently underway, which includes substantial input from licensing authorities, medical educators, and subject matter experts. If any change to the minimum passing score is determined appropriate by the USMLE Management Committee, it will become effective for examinees who take Step 1 on or after January 26, 2022. While the timing may overlap, the standard review process is unrelated to the upcoming transition to pass/fail score reporting.

Examinees should read the full announcement on the USMLE website for more information.