These are some general FAQs, of course it’s not exhaustive and if there are specific questions, please contact us below and we can answer them.
We can help you by applying certain diagnostic tools after evaluating your information, test scores, number of attempts at the USMLE test, year of graduation, personal statements, USCE and academic portfolio. That is the first step. If there are things we can enhance and improve upon to make you more competitive- we will provide services to do so. We first diagnose and then provide options with respect to the way forward.
The very first day of medical school. Make an early decision as to whether you want to pursue a residency in the US and in what field. When that decision is made, then the planning and fulfilling the necessary pre-requisites to make yourself competitive begins.
Your personal statement in a nutshell should introduce you to the reader. Who are you? How did you get here? Where are you going and how do you plan to get there? These key questions amongst others should be addressed and well-articulated in 4-5 paragraphs.
Absolutely. Your USMLE scores are paramount, so I advise IMGs and International medical students (IMS), planning to undertake residencies in the US — do not take the tests until you are ready and well prepared to take it. Other things that weigh in are your medical school accomplishments, research, scholarly activity/portfolio, volunteering, USCE, your personal statement. This list is obviously not exhaustive.
No it is not. For IMGs (International medical graduates), who are not US citizens or permanent residents, this may influence the visas that are offered to the applicant for the purposes of residency training.
Medical practice and health care in the US is different from what is practiced in a lot of nations. Health information systems, protected information laws, electronic medical records, physician-patient interactions and disease processes are different and unique to the US health care system. So, quite a few programs will look more favorably on applicants who have some USCE.
USCE is United States Clinical Experience.
Yes, it does. Most programs want people who have graduated within the last 5 years. If you look at specific programs, some of that information is posted on-line. However, if you graduated more than 5 years ago, and there is a reasonable explanation for the delay between graduation and applying for residency in the US, some programs will still extend an interview to you.
No, whatever passing score you get stays with you.
They are extremely important. Right now it is probably the only objective, though imperfect, way of assessing medical knowledge. A score of 260 corresponds to about 90 on the old 2 digit scale. The higher your scores, the more competitive your application. Also bear in mind that your first passing score stays with you.
Unlike MCAT, GRE, GMAT you do not have the luxury of multiple attempts at the USMLE to improve scores.