(1) Eligibility requirements for USMLE Step III are:

(a) an M.D. or D.O. degree, and

(b) completion, or near completion, of one year of postgraduate training in a program of graduate medical education accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and

(c) a score of 75 or more on one of the following:

(i) National Board of Medical Examiners examination ("NBME") Parts I and II, taken before January 1, 2000; or

(ii) Federation Licensing Examination ("FLEX") Component I, taken before January 1, 2000; or

(iii) USMLE Steps I and II, and

(d) for foreign medical graduates not eligible for the fifth pathway, a score of 75 or more on ECFMG.

(2) USMLE Step III must be taken within seven years of the applicant's first examinations under (1) (c) unless the applicant is or has been a student in a recognized M.D./Ph.D. program in a field of biological sciences tested in the Step I content. Applicants seeking an exception to the seven-year rule shall present a verifiable and rational explanation for being unable to meet the seven-year limit.

(3) If an applicant fails to obtain a score or 75 or more in the first attempt at USMLE Step III, the applicant may be reexamined no more than two additional times.

(4) For exams taken prior to January 1, 2000, the board will accept the following combination of examinations passed with a score of 75 or more for each component exam, in satisfaction of the examination requirement for licensure:

(a) NBME Parts I, II and III; or

(b) NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1, plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2, plus NBME Part III or USMLE Step 3; or

(c) FLEX Components 1 and 2; or

(d) FLEX Component 1 plus USMLE Step 3; or

(e) NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1, plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2, plus FLEX Component 2.

(5) For exams taken after January 1, 2000, the board will accept only USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3, passed with a score of 75 or more for each step.

(6) The board will accept an examination by the National Board of Examiners for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, or its successor, passed with a score of 75 or more, regardless of date of examination.