Changes in Licensing

Each state institutes its own rules for medical licensing. Recently, Indiana has made some notable changes.

Applicants now may have a maximum of only three attempts to pass each step of the exam, rather than the five previously. However, the Board did change from seven to ten the number of years applicants have to attain a passing score.

After bringing together the Medical Licensing Board (MLB), ISMA and the IU School of Medicine, the consensus of the interested parties was that three attempts at each step of the USMLE were adequate.

The switch from seven to 10 years was done to show the Board's understanding of life situations that may cause a qualified applicant to postpone completion of all three steps.

The parties felt that by having the rule set at seven years, more qualified physicians were excluded from licensure than any under-qualified physicians being prevented from practicing in Indiana – which was the intent of the rule.

So from now on, three strikes and you’re out.