1. (1) Pursuant to Section 456.017(1)(c), F.S., the Board hereby approves and designates the use of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) prepared by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. and the National Board of Medical Examiners. Use of the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) and the National Board of Medical Examiners Parts Exam (NBME), the predecessor exams to the USMLE, are acceptable as set forth below.
2. (2) Any applicant who attempts to qualify for licensure who successfully completed the USMLE first used in 1994 through December 31, 1999 must have achieved a weighted score of no less than 75 on each step in order to be eligible for licensure in Florida. Any applicant who attempts to qualify for licensure who successfully completed the USMLE on or after January 1, 2000, shall obtain a passing score on the USMLE.

3. (3) Any applicant for licensure who began taking an examination for licensure prior to 1994 may utilize any of the examinations set forth in subsections (1) or (2) above or a combination thereof as follows up to the year 2000:

   1. (a) NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1 plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2 plus NBME Part III or USMLE Step 3;
   2. (b) FLEX Component 1 plus USMLE Step 3, or
   3. (c) NBME Part I or USMLE Step 1 plus NBME Part II or USMLE Step 2 plus FLEX Component 2.
4. (4) A passing score on the licensure examination of the FLEX or on the NBME Parts examination as used in Sections 456.0145, 458.311(1)(h), 458.313, and 458.3115, F.S., shall mean a FLEX weighted average of no less than 75 percent on the FLEX taken in the organization and format used prior to 1985; a score of no less than 75 on both Part I and Part II on the FLEX taken in the new organization and format in 1985 or later, both of which parts shall have been passed within a five-year period; an average score of no less than 75 on the NBME; or a score of no less than 75 on NBME Part III.
5. (5) Any applicant or licensee who takes the Special Purpose Examination of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States (SPEX) must achieve a score of no less than 75 for the score to be considered a passing score in Florida. If such score was obtained outside of Florida, the applicant or licensee will not be required to re-take the SPEX.
6. (6) For purposes of complying with the clinical competency examination requirement of Section 458.313(2), F.S., the Board approves the use of passing either the SPEX or a regular or subspecialty examination by a board recognized and certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties within the year preceding the application.

Rulemaking Authority 456.017, 456.0145, 458.309, 458.311, 458.3115, 458.313 FS. Law Implemented 456.017, 456.0145, 458.311, 458.3115, 458.313 FS. History–New 12-5-79, Amended 11-10-82, 11-28-84, 3-13-85, 8-11-85, 12-4-85, Formerly 21M-21.01, Amended 2-16-86, 12-16-86, 5-10-89, Formerly 21M-21.001, Amended 5-9-94, Formerly 61F6-21.001, Amended 10-18-94, 1-2-95, Formerly 59R-5.001, Amended 8-18-98, 2-3-00, 8-20-02, 6-9-05, 3-12-08, 3-18-13, 10-18-15, 12-4-22, 11-24-25.