Plz help! Years bw med school & steps

[Docta Kitty Kitty]

Asking for a friend- An IMG student that didn't take the USMLE exams for 4-6 years after graduating medical school. Is this a deal breaker when applying to residency? Wondering if the friend should go through the years of work of studying, taking steps, and then applying to residency? What if after years of all that work, the PDs don't take this person just because they took so many "years off"... Any success stories out there or are there any resources/articles, etc. you can point me to where my friend and I could find this out

Thank you!!!!

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[NotAProgDirector]

There is no simple answer. Many programs have a cut off of 5 years or so, but some don't. if your friend was practicing clinically in another country, some programs might be happy with that. If they have not been doing anything clinically, then they are very unlikely to get a spot. But it's not good overall. Needing a visa will further decrease chances. They would need to score well on the USMLE.

No one can give you a certain answer.