How to Request Test Accommodations

1. Read the guidelines carefully.
2. Complete the Questionnaire for CSA^® Applicants Requesting Test Accommodations.
3. Be sure to sign the questionnaire where indicated.
4. If appropriate, have your medical school complete the Certification of Documentation for Test Accommodations.
5. Attach documentation of the disability and your need for accommodation.
6. Send only your questionnaire and documentation in the envelope provided to:

ECFMG / CSA Test Accommodations Committee
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA

Requests for test accommodations and accompanying documentation must be received no later than the application for CSA.

Guidelines for ECFMG/CSA Examinees with Disabilities Requesting Test Accommodations

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations for CSA examinees with documented disabilities. Examinees are informed of the availability of test accommodations in the ECFMG Information Booklet.

Test Accommodations are adjustments to the testing activity for an individual with a disability in order to ease the effect of the disability on the testing process. Reasonable accommodations vary according to the type and extent of the disability, documentation provided, and the requirements of the examination. ECFMG will provide the qualified CSA examinees who have documented disabilities with appropriate auxiliary aids and services that do not fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the examination is intended to test and that would not result in an undue burden to ECFMG.

Documentation

Applicants requesting reasonable accommodations because of disabilities must provide appropriate documentation of the disability and specify the extent to which the standard testing procedures need to be modified.

The following documentation should be submitted to support a request for accommodations.

1. A completed Questionnaire for CSA^® Applicants Requesting Test Accommodations.
2. A detailed report from a qualified professional appropriate for evaluating the disability, describing the applicant’s condition and its severity. Given that the manifestations of a disability may vary over time, the evaluation should be no more than three years old. The report should include:
• a specific diagnosis;
• specific findings in support of the diagnosis (relevant history, tests administered, test results in standard score format and interpretation of those test results);
• a description of the individual’s functional limitations due to the stated disabilities;
• specific recommendations for test accommodations, including a detailed explanation of why the accommodations are needed;
• name, address, telephone number and qualifications of each professional expert who provides documentation.
3. If no prior accommodations have been provided, the professional expert should include a detailed explanation as to why no accommodations were given in the past, and why accommodations are needed now.
4. If the applicant has received prior test accommodations from a medical school, a Certification of Documentation for Test Accommodations must be completed by an appropriate medical school official.

ECFMG reserves the right to request further verification, if necessary, of the professional’s credentials and expertise relevant to the diagnosis being made. ECFMG also reserves the right to require further evaluation of the applicant by a professional of its choice at its expense.

Learning Disabilities

For those applicants claiming a learning disability, documentation should be provided by a diagnostician with formal training in written and oral language and should consist of:

• relevant psychoeducational testing
• an educational history
• a demonstrated impact on academic functioning

Because learning disabilities are most commonly manifested during childhood, historical information of learning difficulties in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education is usually available, as well as records of previous classroom and/or test accommodations. Therefore, as much historical information as possible, including any previous psychoeducational testing, should be included in the request for accommodations.

The basic test battery should include individually administered measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement and information processing, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R), the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised, and the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude (DTLA-A). In addition, recognized tests of reading related processes including comprehension and word attack, as well as measures of language, memory, attention and concentration and auditory and perceptual functioning should be included to determine if there are any deficits in the information processing systems undergirding the learning process.

Timeline for Submitting Documentation

An applicant must notify ECFMG in writing that he or she has a disability and is requesting test accommodations. The notification and accompanying documentation must be received no later than the application for CSA itself. Scheduling CSA means accepting ECFMG’s conditions for the test; therefore no requests for test accommodations will be accepted after scheduling has occurred. To accelerate the review process, applicants are urged to submit their request and supporting documentation as early as possible.

If there is a need for further verification of the disability or the need for accommodation, it is possible that the decision on granting the accommodation will be delayed. Applicants having any questions are encouraged to contact the ECFMG / CSA Test Accommodations Committee staff at 215-823-2220.

Cancellation

If an applicant requesting test accommodations decides not to take the examination, the applicant must notify the ECFMG/CSA Test Accommodations Committee two weeks before the test administration to allow time to cancel the arrangements at the Center.

Score Reporting

ECFMG will not annotate score reports and transcripts for CSA administrations for which test accommodations were granted.

Application for Subsequent Test Accommodations

The applicant must notify the ECFMG/CSA Test Accommodations Committee in writing of a request for accommodations for any subsequent test administration.

1. If requesting identical accommodations for the same disability, send a letter of request indicating the previous test administration for which accommodations were provided. The letter must be received no later than the application for CSA itself.
2. If there is a change in the nature or extent of the disability and/or additional or different accommodations are being requested, documentation for the new request must be submitted according to appropriate deadlines.
3. To facilitate arranging for test accommodations, applicants are urged to submit their requests as early as possible.

Address all requests and inquiries to:

ECFMG/CSA Test Accommodations Committee
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
(215) 823-2220