The Part II CSPE: Which Classes Took It and Why Boards Still Ask

Most podiatrists think of the APMLE as three parts. For a stretch of graduating classes it was really four components, because Part II had a written exam and a separate clinical skills exam, the Part II CSPE. Boards still check for it, and the boards' own lists of which classes needed it disagree. If your class year sits in the disputed range, sort it out before you apply, not after a deficiency letter.

What is the Part II CSPE?

New York's Office of the Professions describes the APMLE as "consisting of four components: Part I, Part II written, Part II clinical skills patient encounter (Part II CSPE: EFF. 2016*) and Part III." According to the same page, Meazure Learning conducts the Part I and Part II written exams, while the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) conducts the Part II CSPE. Candidates must pass both the Part II written exam and the CSPE before they can take Part III.

The national exam's own eligibility rule says the same thing in general terms: to sit Part III, a candidate must have passed Parts I and II, "including, where applicable, both Part II written examination and the Part II CSPE," according to the APMLE FAQ. The words "where applicable" are where the class-year question comes in.

Which graduating classes had to pass it?

Two large boards publish a list, and the lists differ:

• New York: "Beginning with the Class of 2015, and excluding the Classes of 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, there are two components to the Part II examination."
• Texas (TDLR): "Beginning with the Class of 2015 (excluding the Class of 2016, 2021, and 2022) there are two components to the Part II examination." TDLR adds that "persons from earlier classes are neither required nor eligible to take the Part II CSPE."

Both agree that classes before 2015 never took it, that 2015 and 2017 through 2020 did, and that 2016, 2021 and 2022 are excluded. They part ways on the Classes of 2023 and 2024: New York lists them as excluded, and the Texas page, read literally, does not.

A third board adds its own notice. Michigan's licensing page tells applicants that the graduating class of 2021 does not need to meet the CSPE requirement and may apply as long as they meet the other requirements in the board's general rules.

Why do boards still ask about it?

Because their rules name it. A board cannot ignore a requirement written into its own regulation, even if the exam landscape has moved on:

• Utah requires an applicant to pass "Part I, Part II written, Part II CSPE, and Part III" (Utah Admin. Code R156-5a-302b). Utah's endorsement document also flags jurisdictions whose licensees must document passing all four components.
• Wisconsin uses as its examination "the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination, Parts I, II, II Clinical Skills Patient Encounter, and III" (Wis. Admin. Code Pod 1.06(2)).
• Texas lists passing scores for Part I, Part II written, Part II CSPE and Part III on its application page.
• Florida's board page lists Part II as "Written Examination and the (CSPE) Clinical Skills Patient Encounter Examination."

Each of these rules is satisfied for most podiatrists simply by being in a class that was not required to take the CSPE, or by having passed it. Trouble starts when a reviewer reads the rule without a class-year exception, or reads a different list from the one your school followed.

How do you handle a class year in the gap?

If you graduated in 2023 or 2024 and are applying somewhere other than New York, plan for the question:

1. Check the board's own wording. Find the target board's rule or application page and see whether it names the CSPE and whether it lists exempt classes.
2. Know what your record shows. Your Part II result in Meazure Learning's Connect portal is what the board will see. If you passed the CSPE, send that result. If your class did not take it, be ready to explain that in writing, citing NBPME's eligibility rule.
3. Ask in writing before you file. Where a board's list does not cover your class, a short written question to licensing staff now is faster than a deficiency notice later.
4. Send scores from the current source. Since April 1, 2026, scores go through Meazure Learning's Connect portal, not FPMB. FPMB's transition letter notes that it added Part II CSPE score reporting to its systems in 2018, which is why older score reports show it. See where APMLE scores come from now.

Can the CSPE question hold up an endorsement?

It can, because endorsement still rests on proof that you passed the exams the new state requires. A podiatrist licensed for years in one state can be asked for a CSPE result when applying in Utah or Texas. The fix is rarely hard, but it adds weeks if it starts after the application is filed. A Podiatry Licensure Readiness Review ($149, credited toward your first application) checks your class year against each target state's wording before you pay a board fee. More on the exam sequence is in how podiatrists get licensed.