After careful consideration of the response from the medical education community through various engagement sessions, the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE ®) program has decided to implement the Designated Testing Dates exam administration model during January 2029. As previously announced, the transition to Designated Testing Dates will reduce the number of Step exam administrations each year. The updated implementation date of January 2029 will provide schools with additional time to review and adjust policies and curricula.  

By the end of August, the USMLE program will establish a Designated Testing Dates Implementation Panel composed of representatives from across the medical education community, including educators, U.S. and international examinees, state medical boards, and members of the public. This panel will provide considerations and perspectives to help ensure the transition to Designated Testing Dates is informed by the needs and concerns of essential stakeholder groups.

The USMLE program is committed to providing support for examinees and the medical education community during this transition and is actively working through details around applying and scheduling for exams, exam day logistics and other operational processes. Also in late August, the USMLE program will share a resource detailing testing appointment availability and anticipated appointment use based on historical testing volumes. This information will help educators and examinees understand testing capacity in their region and provide greater visibility into expected appointment availability under the Designated Testing Dates model.

The Designated Testing Dates model will provide additional safeguards that are designed to reduce security risks and promote fairness for examinees. This transition will strengthen exam integrity, support standardization, and protect the value of exam results used for medical licensure in the United States.  

We encourage schools to evaluate and modify institutional policies tied to USMLE performance or completion that contribute to current restrictions on students regarding when they need to take the Step exams.

Please continue to monitor the Designated Testing Dates Information Hub for additional FAQs and updates. LCME-accredited medical schools can refer to the customized planning tools that highlight student testing patterns and test center usage in the MyNBME® Services Portal.  

The USMLE program will continue to release more information on the transition to Designated Testing Dates as it becomes available.

The United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) is a joint program of FSMB and NBME.