So, before applying for a medical license in the United States, one must pass the three-step test called USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination), or also commonly called “the board exam”.

Any interested parties out there? You should know that each part of the test you’ll take at a different stage of your medical education, and none of these are easy tasks. But of course, I’m guessing you’re not surprised, “easy” is not a word commonly heard when talking about medical studies. And rightfully so, there should be no room for error when it comes to getting medical license. Consult Unlock Legal for better guidance.

The First Part

The first part tests the student’s basic knowledge of sciences. This can be any of the following: anatomy, biochemistry, behavioral sciences, microbiology, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology, and also covers topics like nutrition, aging, or genetics. Students may find it more beneficial to study anatomy and physiology, this is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system, crucial when it comes to studying medical care. A multiple-choice test is given usually at the end of the second year of med school. The first part of USMLE testing lasts one day. 

The Second Part

Usually taken in the 4th year of med school, this part of the test has two components.  The first component is a multiple-choise test on topics such as internal medicine, gynecology, surgery, and pediatrics, and is called Clinical Knowledge. The second, titled Clinical Skills requires students to examine and diagnose patients (or to be exact – actors posing as patients). 

The Third Part

At this point (taken after the first year of residence) comes the final assessment of whether or not you’re capable to practice general medicine without supervision. It also focuses on diagnosis and treatment of patients and includes both questions with multiple choices and computer-simulated patient care tests. At this part, the examinees are tested on a wide range of subjects, the central nervous system, eye/ear/nose/mouth/throat, respiratory system, digestive system, etc. 

USMLE Scores

At the end of the testing process, you won’t receive a numerical score, but a simple “pass” or “fail”, based on all three parts, the ability you’ve shown at gathering data, communicating with patients and writing effective reports.

Now, if you’re getting nervous already, the good news is that there’s a great place online that could guide you through the whole USMLE step by step. Just have a glance at crushtheusmleexam.com, and you can thank me later. Having a guide through the whole process will make for a better experience.

There you can find all the information on the whole USMLE process, but in a simpler format than if you start cruising the search engines and get overwhelmed with the amount of info.

Created by James Edge, an ex-student who struggled with the same tests and realized that these exams weren’t really straightforward with people who’ve never taken them before. James made an effort and made the groundwork for what is today a comprehensive, yet simple and logical guide from start to the end, or to say from step 1 to 3. 

Think of the website as a friend who is doing so great at school giving you all their notes, highlighted books, and meticulously gathered and simplified material that helped them achieve good grades. Do you think of it as a shortcut or a helping hand? Doesn’t matter, what matters is that it will definitely help you have that slight upper hand when the examination process finally begins.

The Purpose of USMLE

Becoming a practicing doctor is not an easy job! There’ll be a lot of challenges and obstacles along the way. Some of these obstacles are planned, though, and such is the USMLE examination process. It is meant to assess a physician’s ability to apply knowledge, principles, and concepts and to determine fundamental patient-centered skills that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care. The examination committees are made up of medical educators and clinicians from all around the United States. They are the ones who create the exam materials each year.  

USMLE is used as sort of a filtering process, making extra sure that, when you do finally finish those long and famously troublesome medical studies, you’re absolutely fit to be a functioning medical practician.

Crush the USMLE is there to take a load off your busy schedule, by getting you the information you want easily, reliably, and in a format laying out the big picture info quickly, which is perfect for busy medical students who can appreciate distilled information. This is not just a step-by-step guide on how to pass the exam, it also provides a wealth of study tips and tricks to maintain motivation and wellness throughout the examination.