The USMLE also has oversight from a governing committee that includes members from the FSMB, NBME, ECFMG and the public. The USMLE program is owned by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). The aggregate cost of registering for and taking the USMLE exams is staggering. Additionally, the USMLE charges physicians a minimum $70 fee to deliver official transcripts to employers and licensing bodies. Of note, the USMLE also takes in $2.7 million dollars annually from IMGs with J-1 visas (9,575 IMGs last year) that must pay a $285 annual fee during post-graduate training.

Medical students typically fund these costs, including registration fees, with student loans that accrue interest adding to the total expense. IMGs are also not allowed to take Step 3 in their home countries. and IMG medical students must travel significant distances to take Step 2 CS as this exam is only offered in five U.S. USMLE test takers also pay tens of millions of dollars in travel and test preparation expenses. Step 3 data is based on the number of U.S. test takers and number of IMG registrants. Calculations for Step 1 and Step 2 exams are based on the number of U.S.

(Data includes MD and DO test takers and repeat examinations.

Doctors in training step 2 ck 2015