The USMLE Step 1 (more commonly just Step 1 or colloquially, The Boards) is the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. It aims to assess whether medical school students or graduates can apply important concepts of the foundational sciences fundamental to the practice of medicine. US medical students who wish to seek licensure to practice medicine in the US, typically take Step 1 at the end of the second year of medical school. Graduates of international medical schools (i.e., those outside the US or Canada) must also take Step 1 if they want to practise in the US. Graduates from international medical schools must apply through ECFMG, and the registration fee is $915.[1] For 2019, the NBME registration fee for the test is $630, with additional charges for applicants who choose a testing region outside the United States or Canada.