How to apply for LEK Exam?

A brief overview, and an easy step-by-step guide of the application process of Lekarski Egzamin Końcowy(LEK Exam) also known as the Final Medical Examination of Poland.

It is difficult to find how the LEK application process works. Moreover, the Center for Medical Examination (Centrum Egzaminów Medycznych: CEM), Łódź has not provided much detail either and what is there only confuses one further.

That’s why we finally resort to asking our peers and scrambling to get any information in English that can be helpful. Worry no more, I have created a detailed and easy-to-follow step-by-step guide.

What is the LEK Exam?

LEK is the final medical exam in Poland which is necessary to pass to apply for the licence to practice medicine in Poland as well as to complete your medical education under Polish and EU laws.

It is conducted in Polish as well as English.

Read more: LEK (Lekarski Egzamin Końcowy): The Final Medical Examination of Poland.

When can I apply for LEK?

What documents to prepare?

How to apply?

The application process for the LEK exam has 4 broad steps. Which involves:

1. Create an account on the Education Monitoring System (SMK: System Monitorowania Kształcenia) website.
2. Apply for a role on SMK.
3. Take a printout from SMK and visit the district medical chamber (OIL) or the Supreme Medical Chamber (NIL) alongside your documents. Moreover, students can only choose OIL to verify their applications and graduates can choose between  OIL and NIL.
   • Applicants (only graduates) who are not currently present in the Republic of Poland do have an alternative pathway to physically visiting OIL or NIL. More detailed information is in Step 3 with more exceptions.
     
4. After account approval from OIL or NIL, apply for LEK exam on SMK

Step 1 – Create an account on the SMK website.

1. Visit the SMK website and click ”Zaloguj się”, as shown in the screenshot above (Unfortunately, it is available only in Polish).
2. Once you are on the e-PLOZ log-in page, please select the language ‘EN (English)‘ in the upper right corner.
   
3. Click on ‘Register’ either at the upper right corner or under the red button with ‘Log In’. It will redirect to the UEOZ-registration form which is also available in Polish and English (the upper right corner).
   • • Alternatively, one can use login.gov.pl. But this is only recommended to the person who has been issued a Polish Social Security number (PESEL), already has a verified profile (Profil zaufany) and is well versed with the Polish System. Moreover, it is only available in Polish and Ukrainian language.
4. Fill in the form with personal details. I recommend using your passport to sign up, even if you are a foreigner with a PESEL number. The document which mentions the PESEL number highly depends on immigration status in Poland.
5. Click ‘Save’ after completing the registration form. An activation email will arrive at the given email address.
6. After clicking on the activation link, you have to give consent to process your data by clicking ‘Zgadzam się’ (Blue Box). Unfortunately, this step onward webpages are in Polish. If you are using a browser to translate the web pages, then please also check the Polish titles as I will be quoting the Polish titles from here on.
   
7. On the next page, you have to select your role (Rola). See ‘Step 2’ below.

Step 2 – Apply for your role.

1. After logging in to SMK / giving consent, choose a suitable role for your situation from the drop-down menu and click ‘Wnioskuj o rolę’. Below are relevant choices.
   • • Absolwent kierunku lekarsiego (Medical Gradute).
     • Absolwent kierunku lekarsko-dentystycznego (Dentistry Graduate).
     • Studnet kierunku lekarskiego (Merdical Student).
     • Studnet kierunku lekarsko-dentystycznego (Dentistry Student).
2. On the next page, complete the form with further contact details.
3. After filling out your contact details you shall select the relevant Medical Chamber from the drop-down menu.
   
   • Under “Informacje dodatkowe dotyczące wnioskowanej roli:
     Przynależność do izby lekarskiej*” choose ‘OIL: Okręgowa Izba Lekarska w …….’ based on your current residence address in Poland  or ‘NIL: Naczelna Izba Lekarska’ (if you do not have polish address anymore).
     

   The list of district medical chambers: https://nil.org.pl/dzialalnosc/izby-okregowe

4. Under ”Ukończona uczelnia” select your University from the ‘Wybierz z listy’ and fill in further required details. Here, graduates will have three extra fields such as ‘Wydział‘, ‘Numer dyplomu’ and ‘Data wydania dyplomu’.
5. After accepting the statement of  truthfulness. Send your application without electronic signature (”Wyślij bez podpisu elektronicznego”). Please read below for explanations of the different available options.
   

   • • ”Wyślij bez podpisu elektronicznego” (Without electronic signature)

       • After sending the application, you will have to go in person to the entity that will process your application and confirm your identity.

     • ”Wyślij z podpisem elektronicznym” (With electronic signature)

       • You will be redirected to a page where you can choose to sign the application using a trusted profile, a qualified signature or a personal signature. You will not have to report to the entity that is considering your application. This entity will only verify your eligibility to perform the role you are applying for at SMK

6. To submit, my recommendation is to submit the application by choosing ”Wyślij bez podpisu elektronicznego” (Without electronic signature).
   • • ‘‘Wyślij z podpisem elektronicznym” (With electronic signature) is only recommended to the person, as explained in ‘Step 1 Point 3’  who has been issued a Polish Social Security number (PESEL), and already has a verified profile (Profil zaufany) and is well versed with the Polish System.
7. Once the submission has been completed go to the “Moje wnioski o rolę” by clicking on the drop-down menu in the upper right corner.
   
8. The page will show the previously completed application form. Here you can download your application in PDF and print it for the next step.
   

Step 3 – Verify your application at OIL or NIL.

 You can verify your application either by a personal visit to the OIL/NIL or by post to the NIL. A verification by post to NIL is typically only available to Graduate applicants only (but you can email NIL for further information and help regarding it), and other options are available for everyone, including students and graduates.

Important Information:

Due to recent changes, many candidates have reported that as students, you can get verified also directly at the Dean’s Office of your respective University. I can not verify this information, so please get in contact with your Dean’s Office if you are applying as a student. Furthermore, from here on this article (somewhat Step 3 and mainly Step 4) has many steps and screenshots, which might not be up-to-date as the Application Website (SMK) has been recently updated (and made further more complicated), but in principle, the steps remain very much similar. Please get in contact with SMK or OIL or NIL or your Dean’s Office for further guidance.

You are also more than welcome to contact me using any of the possible platforms under the ‘Contact’ tab of this website or through my Instagram.

• By personal visit to OIL or NIL (typically only for graduates).

  

  1. Take the printout along with the documents (Diploma or Dean’s Certificate and an Identity document) to the previously opted OIL or NIL.
  2. The OIL or NIL will verify and mark the ”Status wniosku” as accepted/approved, then only ‘Vocational exam -application forms’ could be visible.

• By post to the NIL (only for graduates). You need to send a post with the following.

  

  1. Printed application hand-signed by the graduate.
  2. Copies of the Identity document and the diploma – certified by a notary or by the Polish Consulate or Polish Embassy.
  3. Similar to a personal visit, after receiving your documents in full, the NIL will verify and mark the status of the application as “Accepted”, then only ‘Vocational exam -application forms’ could be visible.
     • Please send your application to this address:
       Naczelna Izba Lekarska
       ul. Jana Sobieskiego 110
       00-764 Warszawa

In case, the OIL/NIL sees a problem with the application the employees of the OIL/NIL are happy to help and find a solution on the same visit.

Step 4 – Apply for LEK.

1. Log in to SMK.
2. Select the approved profile.
3. Click ‘Vocational exam -application forms’ and on the next page Click ‘Vocational exam – new application forms’.
4. Fill in the details and leave “Number of the right to practice” and “Registration number in the Medical Chamber” empty. The preferred session, language and place of the LEK can be selected here. In case, all the locations are showing “0” available places, then you can choose “without preference” (More Below). It only means that you have not provided any preference, and the CEM will assign you a location 2 weeks before the exam.
   
5. Click ‘Save’ and ‘Send’.
6. Click the ‘Detail’ button of the newly registered exam. Individual account numbers and Application numbers will be on the top of the page.
7. Pay the exam fee. The cost of LEK in English is 340 PLN which is non-refundable. Pay the fee using the individual account number in under 5 working days using the following details:
   • Name: Centrum Egzaminów Medycznych
   • Address: Rzgowska Str 281/289, Lodz, Poland
   • IBAN: PL .. …. …. …. …. …. …. (find your individual account on the SMK)
   • SWIFT/BIC: NBPLPLPW
   • Title of Payment: The name of the examination & Session of the exam (February/September). e.g. Jan Kowalski September.
8. After payment of fee the “Is it paid?” will show “Paid” in a couple of days.

Congratulations!! You are finally done with the registration part.

Finally, 2-3 weeks before the exam more details via email and on SMK under “Information about the exam” will follow, such as examination code, place, time and rules and regulations.

What should I do when available places show “0”?

Nowadays due to a very high demand to write LEK, CEM usually runs out of places to choose from but it does not mean you can not sign up for the exam. It just means you can not choose a preferred location at the time of your submission.

When will I get the result?

The first Tuesday evening after the exam on Saturday is the official time when CEM usually publishes the results.

According to the law, the CEM will have to send out the certificates within 4 weeks from the result day to the registered address on the LEK application. The certificates will be in the official language, polish, of Poland.

LEK Certificate is only sent to the successful GRADUATES. That means, if you applied as a student, then you have to wait till you get your diploma and again follow STEP 2 and STEP 3 to change your status to a Graduate. Afterwards, you will receive your certificate in due time. In case you do not get it in 4-5 Weeks, then do not hesitate to contact the CEM.

Read more about – How to study for LEK?