LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeBusiness and Professions CodeDiv. 2Ch. 5Art. 9§ 2177 Medical Licensing Exam Attempts

§ 2177 Medical Licensing Exam Attempts

Business and Professions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 2177 Medical Licensing Exam Attempts

Key Takeaways

  • •You must pass all parts of the medical exam to get your doctor's license.
  • •You can take the written exam in separate parts if you want.
  • •You get up to 4 tries to pass the final part of the exam. If you fail 4 times, you usually can't get a license.
  • •If you fail more than 4 times but meet special rules (like extra training), you might still get a chance.

Example

A person takes the final medical exam 5 times and finally passes.

Normally, they wouldn’t get a doctor’s license because they failed too many times. But if they did extra training or met other special rules, they might still get their license.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 2177 Medical Licensing Exam Attempts

(a) A passing score is required for an entire examination or for each part of an examination, as established by resolution of the board. (b) Applicants may elect to take the written examinations conducted or accepted by the board in separate parts. (c) (1) An applicant shall have obtained a passing score on all parts of Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination within not more than four attempts in order to be eligible for a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an applicant who obtains a passing score on all parts of Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination in more than four attempts and who meets the requirements of Section 2135 or 2135.5 shall be eligible to be considered for issuance of a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 612, Sec. 1. (AB 359) Effective October 7, 2021.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

passing scoreUnited States Medical Licensing ExaminationStep 3physician’s and surgeon’s certificate

Related Statutes

  • § 2170 Physician Examination Requirement
  • § 2176 Physician Licensing Examinations
  • § 2183 Medical Licensing Exam Requirements
  • § 2184 Medical Licensing Exam Validity
  • § 19920 Gambling Establishment Operations Standards

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Business and Professions Code. Section 2177.
View Official Source