USMLE & COMLEX Tutor in Alabama

Alabama's two MD schools are both public and both draw mostly from within the state: 82.1% of the 2025-26 entering class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, and 93.7% at the University of South Alabama Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in Mobile (AAMC FACTS).

Its two DO colleges are private: the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dothan (2010) and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Auburn (2014) (school list).

Medical schools in Alabama

Several of these schools teach students at more than one site: University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine also lists Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama.

School list: LCME and COCA accreditation lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.

Teaching hospitals in Alabama by city

• Birmingham: St. Vincents East; Callahan Eye Foundation Hosp; University of Alabama Hospital; St. Vincents Birmingham; Princeton Baptist Medical Center; Grandview Medical Center; Cooper Green Mercy Hospital; The Childrens Hospital of Alabama
• Mobile: USA Health University Hospital; Providence Hospital; Mobile Infirmary Medical Center; Infirmary West; USA Childrens and Womens Hospital
• Dothan: Southeast Health Medical Center
• Florence: North Alabama Medical Center
• Montgomery: Baptist Medical Center South
• Opelika: East Alabama Medical Center
• Huntsville: Huntsville Hospital
• Gadsden: Gadsden Regional Medical Center
• Foley: South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
• Tuscaloosa: DCH Regional Medical Center
• Fairhope: Thomas Hospital
• Selma: Vaughan Regional Medical Center
• Phenix City: Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital

Facts about Alabama

Accreditation: LCME directory; applications, places and in-state share: AAMC FACTS, Table A-1.

ABIM internal medicine certification exam by residency program: ABIM residency program pass rates; ABIM says to read rates from under 25 takers with caution.

• The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine reports a 97.21% first-time pass rate on COMLEX Level 1 for 2025-2026, against a national average of 90.19%. (Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine)
• ACOM reports 99.5% residency placement for its class of 2026. (Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine)
• ACOM reports 4,514 applications for its class of 2030 and 1,626 graduates since 2017. (Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine)
• UAB Heersink students become eligible for USMLE Step 1 after all preclinical coursework and must sit it before clerkships; not sitting it within six months of finishing second-year coursework, or not passing within twelve months, may be grounds for dismissal. (UAB Heersink School of Medicine)
• UAB Heersink students must take Step 2 CK by November 1 of their MS4 year, and those graduating in May must pass it at least 1 week before graduation. (UAB Heersink School of Medicine)
• Under UAB Heersink's policy, a student who fails Step 1 or Step 2 CK on the third attempt is withdrawn from coursework and subject to dismissal; after a Step 1 failure a student may take up to eight weeks away from clinical coursework to remediate. (UAB Heersink School of Medicine)
• The Huntsville Regional Medical Campus, one of the four campuses of UAB's Heersink School of Medicine, has 30 faculty, 87 staff and 130 students and residents, and offers required and elective third- and fourth-year clinical experiences and a Rural Medicine Program. (UAB Heersink School of Medicine)

Sources: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, institutional effectiveness (checked October 29, 2026); UAB Heersink School of Medicine, United States Medical Licensing Examination Policy (checked November 1, 2026); UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus (checked November 1, 2026); ABIM, residency program pass rates 2023-2025 (checked October 29, 2026).

UAB's own Step 1 and Step 2 CK deadlines

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Heersink School of Medicine writes its own exam clock on top of the state's. Students become eligible for Step 1 after all preclinical coursework and must sit it before starting clerkships, electives or a research leave; not sitting it within six months of finishing second-year coursework, or not passing within twelve months, may be grounds for dismissal (UAB USMLE policy).

Step 2 CK follows the clerkships a student's track requires. UAB students must attempt it by November 1 of the MS4 year, have a passing score by the date the school verifies their Match eligibility with the NRMP if they plan to match, and, for a May graduation, pass at least 1 week before the ceremony (UAB USMLE policy).

The policy is just as specific about a fail. After a first Step 1 failure a student may not begin a new clerkship until the retake, may take up to eight weeks away from clinical coursework to prepare, and moves to a school-initiated leave if more time is needed; a third failure of Step 1 or Step 2 CK means immediate withdrawal from coursework and review for dismissal (UAB USMLE policy).

Those limits arrive before the state's. Alabama's board counts ten attempts across all USMLE Steps (FSMB) and the USMLE program allows four per Step (USMLE eligibility rules), but a UAB student faces dismissal review at the third. We plan a UAB student's dedicated Step 1 period inside that six-month window and put a first NBME practice exam early, so a weak spot shows up while there is still time to move the date.

Where Alabama's MD students train

UAB teaches beyond Birmingham: the school list places it in Tuscaloosa, Huntsville and Montgomery as well (school list). The Huntsville Regional Medical Campus alone has 30 faculty, 87 staff and 130 students and residents; it offers required and elective third- and fourth-year clinical experiences, a Rural Medicine Program for students from rural backgrounds, and family medicine and internal medicine residencies (UAB Huntsville campus).

The University of South Alabama's Whiddon College of Medicine trains in Mobile, where five hospitals are on the CMS teaching hospital list, among them USA Health University Hospital and USA Children's and Women's Hospital (CMS teaching hospital list). Clerkship years in either city end in NBME shelf exams and then Step 2 CK, the scored exam now that Step 1 is pass/fail.

Which board exams Alabama students take

Students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and the University of South Alabama Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine take the USMLE: Step 1 (pass/fail since January 26, 2022), Step 2 CK and Step 3 (USMLE).

The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) in Dothan and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Auburn send DO students to COMLEX-USA: Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3 (NBOME). ACOM reports a 97.21% first-time pass rate on COMLEX Level 1 for 2025-2026, against a national average of 90.19% (ACOM institutional effectiveness).

Internal medicine residents face the ABIM exam: 97% of 116 first-time takers from the University of Alabama Medical Center (Birmingham) program passed in 2023-2025 (ABIM).

Alabama licensing rules that affect your exam plan

Alabama's board sets three limits on the USMLE: ten attempts across all Steps, a fourth attempt at Step 3 only after proof of formal training following the third, and seven years to complete them all (FSMB). COMLEX carries no limit, and a first license needs one year of ACGME training, or two for international graduates (FSMB).

Source: FSMB state licensure requirements, checked October 2026; confirm with the board before relying on them.

What Alabama's rules mean for how you study

• Alabama counts ten attempts across all USMLE Steps combined (FSMB). A retake at Step 1 or Step 2 CK spends from the same pool Step 3 needs.
• At Step 3 the board allows a fourth attempt only with proof of formal training after the third (FSMB), and the USMLE program stops at four per Step (USMLE eligibility rules). Plan formal training before a fourth try.
• Alabama gives seven years to complete all USMLE Steps, and FSMB notes that anyone board certified by an ABMS-approved board can complete all parts in 10 years (FSMB).
• Alabama sets no attempt or time limit on COMLEX, but a DO student who adds a USMLE Step brings the ten-attempt pool and seven-year window into play for it (FSMB).

Many Alabama students rotate, interview or match next door. Alabama's neighbors on our list: Florida (8 MD, 4 DO), Georgia (4 MD, 1 DO), Mississippi (1 MD, 1 DO), Tennessee (5 MD, 2 DO).

How much Alabama searches for board prep

Alabama ranks 10th of 51 for “COMLEX”, well ahead of its 25th for “USMLE” (Google Trends, United States, October 2021 to October 2026), which fits a state with two DO colleges beside two MD schools. Among USMLE terms, “USMLE Step 2” is strongest at 20th and “USMLE Step 1” sits at 27th; “Shelf exam”, the end-of-rotation test, is its weakest at 31st.

Source: Google Trends, United States, past 5 years, retrieved October 2026; ranks show relative interest, not student numbers.