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GENERAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Before applying for examination, please review the following general information. The information in this section pertains to all exams for which you may register with ECFMG (USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK and the ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Application and other requests for services will not be processed if it is determined that doing so would be violative of any applicable federal laws or regulations.

USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number

When you apply for the first time to ECFMG for an exam, you will be assigned an eight-digit USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number. If you provide an e-mail address on your application, ECFMG will send notification of your USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number by e-mail. If you do not provide an e-mail address, ECFMG will notify you of your number by mail.

Your USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number cannot be changed. It will become a part of your permanent ECFMG record. Once ECFMG informs you of this number, you must include it on all communications, medical education credentials, application forms, and payments that you send to ECFMG. You will also need your USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number to use ECFMG's on-line services. If you forget or lose your USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number, you should contact ECFMG, and your Identification Number will be sent to you.

Name of Applicant

Your ECFMG record contains your name as it appears on your initial application (unless you legally change your name and submit to ECFMG acceptable documentation of this name change). The name in your ECFMG record will appear on all communications that ECFMG sends to you. This name will also appear on your Standard ECFMG Certificate once you have met all requirements for certification. You can check the name in your ECFMG record on-line using OASIS.

You must ensure that the name in your ECFMG record is your correct and current legal name. You must use this name consistently in all communications you send to ECFMG, including exam applications and requests for other services. Additionally, your name as it appears on all medical education credentials that you send to ECFMG, such as your medical diploma and medical school transcript, must match the name in your ECFMG record. Failure to use the name in your ECFMG record consistently in all communications with ECFMG may delay exam registration and verification of your medical education credentials. It may also prevent you from taking an exam for which you are registered and scheduled. For example:

• If the name you enter on an exam application does not match exactly your name as it appears in your ECFMG record, you must submit legal documentation with the application to change the name in your ECFMG record. Otherwise, your application will be rejected. Refer to Changing or Verifying Your Name.



• The name you enter on your USMLE application will appear on your Step 1 / Step 2 CK scheduling permit. The name on your scheduling permit, including the spelling, must match exactly the name on the form(s) of identification you present at the test center. See Acceptable Identification for more information.

  If you change the name in your ECFMG record while you are registered for Step 1 / Step 2 CK, a document reflecting this change will be mailed to you. You must bring this document to the test center on your exam date.

  If the name on your application and in your ECFMG record is correct, but your name on the scheduling permit has been misspelled, contact ECFMG immediately by e-mail at permits@ecfmg.org or by telephone or fax (see General Inquiries).

• The name on your medical diploma, transcript, or other credential must match exactly the name in your ECFMG record. If the names do not match exactly, you must submit legal documentation that verifies the name on your medical diploma, transcript, or other credential is (or was) your name. Refer to Credentials for ECFMG Certification for examples of common name discrepancies that require name verification.

Changing or Verifying Your Name

If you have legally changed your name and want to request a change of name in your ECFMG record, send a completed Request to Change Applicant Contact Information (Form 182) to ECFMG. Form 182 is available on this website and from ECFMG, upon request. Form 182 must be accompanied by a copy of one of the legal documents listed below:

• Passport (including the page with your photograph),
• Birth certificate,
• Marriage certificate,
• Official court order,
• U.S. Resident Alien Card, or
• U.S. Naturalization Certificate.

Please do not submit an original document; a copy of the document is sufficient.

If the name in your ECFMG record is correct but this name does not match exactly your name as listed on your medical diploma, transcript, or other credential, you must verify that the name on these documents is (or was) your name. To verify your name, send to ECFMG a copy of one of the documents listed above. As an alternative to one of the documents listed above, ECFMG will accept for purposes of verifying your name a letter from the Dean, Vice Dean, or Registrar of your medical school that verifies that the name on your medical diploma, transcript, or other credential is (or was) your name. If you choose to submit a letter from your medical school to verify the name on your medical diploma, transcript, or other credential, the letter must be signed by the Dean, Vice Dean, or Registrar and must be written on the medical school's official letterhead stationery.

All documents submitted to change or verify your name that are not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation. See English Translations.

All documents submitted to change or verify your name will become part of your permanent ECFMG record.

Attestations and affidavits are not acceptable as documentation to change or verify your name.

Contact Information

The contact information in your ECFMG record consists of your e-mail and mailing addresses, your telephone number, and your fax number (if applicable). If you provide an e-mail address, ECFMG will send information on the status of your exam applications by e-mail. You will also need an e-mail address to use ECFMG's on-line services. If you reside with an individual whose name is different from yours, you should include that individual's name in the mailing address.

You should ensure that the contact information in your ECFMG record is current. You can check and update your contact information on-line using OASIS. You can also change your contact information by submitting a completed Request to Change Applicant Contact Information (Form 182) to ECFMG. Form 182 is available on this website and from ECFMG, upon request. ECFMG will not process address changes received from any person other than the applicant.

Payment

Full payment for all services is due at the time of application. If the funds in your ECFMG financial account are not sufficient to cover all fees at the time that your exam application or other service request (such as TOEFL acceptance or USMLE transcripts) is processed, your application / request will be rejected. If you apply for two exams at the same time, you must pay all applicable fees for both exams, or your application will be rejected.

If you apply on-line, you can pay on-line by:

• Credit Card - Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
• Electronic Check - To use this option, you must have a checking account at a U.S. bank and either a U.S. Social Security Number or U.S. driver's license.

If you submit a paper exam application or request for service and have a USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number, you can pay on-line, as described above. To make an advance, on-line payment to your ECFMG financial account, access OASIS.

ECFMG's on-line payment is secured using industry-standard encryption technology. Please note that it takes at least 24 hours for on-line payments to be reflected in your ECFMG financial account.

All applicants who submit paper applications / requests can pay by completing the payment section of the paper application / request form. If you complete the payment section of the paper application / request form, you can pay by:

• Credit Card - Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
• Check, bank draft, or money order made payable to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (or ECFMG). All payments must be made in U.S. funds. You must write your full name and USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number, if one has been assigned, on your payment.
• Wire Transfer - Funds may be wire transferred through most banks in the United States (Fedwire) to the ECFMG ACCOUNT NUMBER 361024284 at COMMERCE BANK, ROUTING / TRANSIT NUMBER 036001808. However, in order for a wire transfer to be credited to your ECFMG financial account, it must be identified with your full name and USMLE / ECFMG Identification Number, if one has been assigned. If you pay by wire transfer, you must also include the following information in the payment section of the application / request form: the date that the wire transfer was sent, its bank reference number, name of the originating bank, amount, and the name of sender, if different from your name.

Do not send payments in cash.

If you owe money to ECFMG at the time that your application / service request is processed, ECFMG will apply the payment included with your application / service request to the amount that you owe. Any money that is left after this will be used to pay for the exam(s) / service that you request. If there is not enough money remaining to pay for the exam(s) / service you request, your application / request for service will be rejected.

If you have money in your ECFMG financial account at the time that your application / service request is processed, it will be used to pay for the next exam / service request processed by ECFMG.

You can check the status of your ECFMG financial account and make on-line payments using OASIS.

Refunds

If you have money in your ECFMG financial account and will not request additional exams / services, you may send a written request to ECFMG for a refund. Your request must include your signature. If the money in your account was a payment for an exam application that was rejected (because you were not eligible or the application was incomplete or otherwise deficient), your refund will be subject to a $100 processing fee.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You should consider carefully the timing of your exam application and the selection of your eligibility period and scheduled test date. Once registered, you cannot cancel or postpone your registration. If you do not schedule and take the exam, you will not receive a refund or credit of your exam fee(s), and you will be required to reapply, including payment of all applicable fees, to take the exam.

Although you cannot cancel or postpone your registration, there are options that provide registered applicants with flexibility regarding their exam dates. Registered USMLE Step 1 / Step 2 CK applicants may change the date and location of scheduled testing appointments (see Rescheduling Your Testing Appointment) or request extension of their eligibility periods (see Eligibility Period Extension). Registered CSA applicants have four months from the date of their notification of registration to schedule an assessment date. CSA applicants can schedule their assessments for any available date during the twelve-month period following the date of their notification of registration (see Scheduling). CSA applicants who are unable to obtain the appropriate visa to enter the United States to take the CSA may request a full refund of the assessment fee. Other requests for exceptions from CSA applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis.