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ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST
When USMLE Step 2 CS is implemented in mid-2004, the English language proficiency test will no longer be a requirement for ECFMG Certification. Passing an English language proficiency test will continue to be a requirement for applicants who wish to be certified by ECFMG prior to the implementation of Step 2 CS and for those who apply to take the ECFMG CSA. Refer to New for 2004 for important resources that you should monitor closely as the implementation of this change approaches.
English Language Proficiency Requirement for ECFMG Certification
To satisfy the English language proficiency requirement for ECFMG Certification, you must achieve a score acceptable to ECFMG on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If you passed the former ECFMG English Test (administered for the last time on March 3, 1999), you may use your passing performance on this exam to satisfy this requirement.
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.
Revalidation of the English Test Date
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.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
The TOEFL exam is offered throughout the world by Educational Testing Service (ETS). You should contact ETS directly for information and application materials:
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 a computer-based format or paper-based format, depending on where you take the test. ECFMG accepts scores from both the computer-based and the 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 a paper-based test center, mark and grid ECFMG's designated institution code number 9108 and department code 00 on your answer sheet. At a computer-based test center, 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 score report to ECFMG, it will not be accepted. ECFMG will receive your TOEFL score from ETS on a disk. A paper score report 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 record and as you reported it on the TOEFL application; and
- Change in contact information, if any.
Form 163 is available on the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org 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.
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Copyright © 2003 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
Portions reprinted, with permission, from the USMLE 2004 Bulletin of Information. Copyright © 2003 by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc., and the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®).