Section 1285.60  Examinations

a)         Examinations for Licensure to Practice Medicine in All of Its Branches:

1)         Effective July 1, 2016, examinations conducted by the Division or its designated testing service for licensure to practice medicine in all of its branches shall be conducted in the English language and shall, prior to December 31, 1993, consist of:

A)        The Federation Licensing Examination − FLEX Component 1 – an examination placing emphasis on basic and clinical science principles and mechanisms underlying high-impact diseases and problems encountered in an in-patient, supervised setting, during the delivery of health care; and

B)        The Federation Licensing Examination − FLEX Component 2 − emphasis on issues related to the general delivery of health care to patients in an ambulatory setting encountered in an independent practice.

2)         For those applicants who have passed FLEX Component 2 but have not successfully completed FLEX Component 1 prior to 1994, the Division shall administer FLEX Component 1 twice in 1994.  Any applicant who does not successfully complete FLEX Component 1 during 1994 shall be required to successfully complete USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 in accordance with this Section.

3)         Beginning January 1, 1994, the examinations for licensure to practice medicine in all of its branches shall be Steps 1, 2 and 3 of the United State Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) − a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States Inc. and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

A)        USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 will be administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

B)        USMLE Step 3 will be administered by the Division or its designated testing service.  Examinees shall successfully complete Step 1 and Step 2 before applying to the Division to take Step 3 of the examination.

4)         The Division will accept the following combinations of examinations completed prior to January 1, 2000:

A)        FLEX Component 1 taken prior to January 1, 1995, and FLEX Component 2 taken prior to January 1, 1994;

B)        FLEX Component 1 plus USMLE Step 3;

C)        National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part 1 or USMLE Step 1 plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2 plus FLEX Component 2; or

D)        NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1 plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2 plus NBME Part III or USMLE Step 3.

5)         The passing score on all components, parts or steps of the examinations set forth in subsections (a)(2), (3) and (4) shall be a minimum of 75 or the passing score set by the authorized testing entity.

6)         In the case of failure on the examination, examinees shall be required to retake only that component, part or step of the examination on which they did not achieve a passing score.

7)         In the event all USMLE Steps are not successfully completed within 7 years after passing the first step taken, either Step 1 or Step 2, credit for any step passed shall be forfeited.

8)         Any applicant for licensure to practice medicine in all of its branches who has been unsuccessful in 5 examinations (any component, part or step of the examinations accepted by the Division as set forth in subsection (a)(4)), conducted in this State or any other jurisdiction, shall be deemed ineligible for further examination and/or licensure until the Division is in receipt of proof that the applicant has completed, subsequent to his/her fifth failure:

A)        a course of clinical training of not less than 12 months in an accredited clinical training program in the United States or Canada in accordance with Section 1285.40; or

B)        a course of study of 9 months in length (one academic year) that includes no less than 25 clock hours per week of basic sciences as set forth in Section 1285.20(b) of this Part and no less than 40 clock hours per week of clinical sciences as set forth in Section 1285.20(d) of this Part; or

C)        any other formal professional study or training in an accredited medical college or hospital, deemed by the Division to meet the requirements of subsection (a)(8)(A) or (B).

9)         Failure to appear for any component, part or step of the examination for which the applicant has been scheduled shall be considered a failure of the examination.

b)         Examinations for Licensure to Practice Chiropractic

1)         Effective July 1, 2016, examinations for licensure to practice chiropractic shall be conducted in the English language and shall consist of the examination administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and shall consist of Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.

2)         To be successful, examinees must receive a score of at least 375 on all 4 parts of the examination.

3)         Any applicant for licensure as a chiropractic physician who has been unsuccessful in 5 examinations conducted in this State or any other jurisdiction shall be deemed ineligible for further examination or licensure until the Division is in receipt of proof (i.e., certificate of completion of training, transcript) that the applicant has completed, subsequent to his/her fifth failure, a course of study of 960 classroom hours (one academic year) in an accredited chiropractic program or any other equivalent formal professional study or training in an accredited chiropractic program as approved by the Division.

(Source:  Amended at 40 Ill. Reg. 3503, effective March 4, 2016)