ECFMG Home > Publications > 2003 Information Booklet > English Language Proficiency Test

The 2003 USMLE application materials are no longer valid. The current application materials for USMLE Step 1 / Step 2 CK and CSA are the 2004 editions. If you wish to apply for these exams, you must use the 2004 Information Booklet and application materials.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST

Physicians who assume patient care responsibilities in graduate medical education programs in the United States must be proficient in the English language. Proficiency in English is also one of the requirements for obtaining a visa to enter the United States. As a result, applicants for ECFMG certification are required to demonstrate competence in the English language.

Refer to Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) below for information on the minimum score that ECFMG will accept and instructions on how to have ECFMG evaluate your TOEFL score.

Passing performance on the English language proficiency test is valid for two years from the date passed for the purpose of entering a program of graduate medical education. If you wish to revalidate your English test date for an additional two-year period, you must take the TOEFL exam and achieve at least the minimum score accepted by ECFMG. You may revalidate your English test date before or after you are certified by ECFMG. Refer to Revalidation of the Certificate for additional information and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) below for information on the minimum score that ECFMG will accept and instructions on how to have ECFMG evaluate your TOEFL score.

Educational Testing Service
Princeton, NJ 08541 USA
Telephone: (609) 771-7100
E-mail: toefl@ets.org
Internet: www.toefl.org

The TOEFL exam is administered in either computer-based format or paper-based format. The format that you take will depend on where you take the test. ECFMG accepts both the computer-based and paper-based TOEFL exam to fulfill the English language proficiency requirement for ECFMG certification and to revalidate the English test date.

If you take the paper-based TOEFL exam, you must achieve a minimum overall score of 550. If you take a computer-based administration of the TOEFL exam, you must achieve a minimum overall score of 213.

If you want ECFMG to evaluate your TOEFL score to fulfill the English language proficiency requirement or to revalidate your English test date, you must complete both of the following steps:

1. Request that ETS send your official TOEFL score report to ECFMG.
You should make this request at the test center when you take the TOEFL exam. At paper-based test centers, enter the ECFMG designated institution code number 9108 and department code 00 when you are asked for official score report recipients. At computer-based test centers, select the state Pennsylvania and the institution Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) from the drop-down menus presented to you for selecting your official score report recipients. The TOEFL score report must be sent to ECFMG directly from ETS. If you send a copy of your TOEFL score report to ECFMG, it will not be accepted. ECFMG must receive your TOEFL score from ETS on disk. A paper score sent by ETS is not acceptable. The TOEFL exam date must be within two years of the date that ECFMG receives your TOEFL Acceptance Request Form.

2. Send a TOEFL Acceptance Request Form (Form 163) and payment of the $40 fee for acceptance of your TOEFL score to ECFMG.
On Form 163 you must provide your:

• USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number;
• ETS Registration / Appointment Confirmation Number (ETS assigns a Registration Number to a paper-based TOEFL exam and an Appointment Confirmation Number to a computer-based TOEFL exam.);
• TOEFL exam date;
• Full name, both as it appears in your ECFMG file and as you reported it on the TOEFL application; and
• Change in contact information, if any.

Form 163 is included with printed copies of the ECFMG Information Booklet, on this website, and from ECFMG, upon request.

Mail your TOEFL Acceptance Request Form and payment to:

ECFMG / Registration Services
PO Box 48087
Newark, NJ 07101-4887
USA

If you send your TOEFL Acceptance Request Form and payment by courier, you should use the following address:

ECFMG
c/o Image Remit
205 North Center Drive
Commerce Center
North Brunswick, NJ 08902
USA

Important Note: Even though ECFMG may have received a TOEFL score from ETS, ECFMG cannot evaluate this score until it receives a completed Form 163 and payment. If you do not send your completed Form 163 and payment, or if you do not provide all of the information requested on the form, your request will not be processed. You will not fulfill the English language proficiency requirement for ECFMG certification (or revalidate your English test date) until ECFMG has evaluated and accepted your TOEFL score.

ECFMG typically receives TOEFL scores within five weeks of the test date. ECFMG may require several additional weeks to process your request. If your TOEFL score is accepted, ECFMG will notify you in writing. You can check the status of your TOEFL acceptance request on-line using OASIS.