This is typically caused when users frequently change their internet connection provider (Work, Library, Personal, Public Wi-Fi etc.), or if the software does not properly update (which should occur automatically without prompting). It can also occur when your Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, or cache management software removes portions of the Java cache necessary for our program to properly function.

If you find yourself switching internet access point on a frequent basis, always launch your web browser to verify you have direct internet access before launching our course material via desktop shortcut to avoid future cache corruption. If connecting via Wi-Fi, we also recommend that you make sure that your computer always has the best signal possible after verifying internet access via web browser.

Click here if using Macintosh OS X 10.7.4 or higher (10.8.x) or

Click here if using Macintosh OS X 10.5.x upto 10.7.3 or

Click here if using Microsoft Windows XP or higher (Vista, 7, etc.)

If the issue persists, please provide details that are provided on the error message dialog box (specifically information from the "Details" section for "Exception")? You can send us a screen shot of that specific section instead of typing all of the details being displayed. You can use instructions outlined on this page on how to capture the error message screenshot.

There are few possible reasons for this issue:

• Personal Firewall: There may be a firewall on your computer and/or network that is preventing download of necessary components. You may need to completely turn off any internet security or firewall software on your computer, as many common security software (i.e. AVG, Norton, McAfee, ZoneAlarm, etc.) block such access by default
• Connection related issue: Your internet connection may be down, or you may be connecting on an unreliable internet connection. If you are using a wireless connection, we recommend that you try repositioning your device to get the best signal possible. Additionally, if you are connecting via a wireless network with many users, it's possible that there may be insufficient bandwidth for your device to receive a response from our servers in a timely manner. In this instance, we recommend that you access internet from a dedicated home/personal infrastructure based internet network (DSL, Cable, etc.)
• DNS maintenance/outage: Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) performs DNS lookup function each time you access a name on the internet (e.g. turns an internet name like www.usmleworld.com into an internet address, such as 72.32.48.106). Sometimes you can experience problems with your ISP connection, including conversion of the website name to an IP name and performing a time-consuming lookup. You will have to raise this issue with them. (Most of the times this issue resolves in 3-5 hours depending on the DNS cache your ISP is refreshing or rechecking.)

A renewal is basically an extension of time to continue access to an active subscription. Since a renewal is an extension to an already active subscription, it is effective from the existing expiration date, NOT from the day of purchase and cannot be deferred to start at a later date/time.

All renewals are effective from the existing expiration time, NOT from the time of purchase and cannot be deferred to start at a later time. To qualify for renewal, you will need to renew the course before it expires. Renewals are not offered for expired subscriptions, and you will have to purchase a new subscription at regular price directly from our website.

Please log into your account via http://www.usmleworld.com and click on "Renew" button. This option provides a list of available "renewal durations and their prices" for the selected course. You can select and renew your existing course for a desired duration of time.

Note: All of our subscriptions are based according to the Eastern Time Zone (GMT/UTC -5 hours or New York Time), which may be different than your local time zone.

Note: If your initial purchase was a combination package, you will need to renew each active subscription individually. You do not need to renew a course that has not been activated.

Please keep in mind that reset eligibility is based on the concurrent duration of your currently active subscription and does not take into account previous subscription(s). A reset is basically a permanent and irreversible purge (delete) of all of your test and performance data from our system. This option is available in only two scenarios outlined below:

• Purchase of a new subscription: You purchased a brand new subscription (i.e. your previous subscription has expired and you did not renew) and still have the old information in your Qbank
• Continuous subscription for 6-months or more without a reset: For users who have continuously subscribed to a particular course for 6 months or more and whose subscription has never been reset, we provide a one-time only opportunity to reset your test information/Qbank
  • If you purchased a 180-day or more subscription outright (6 months or greater duration when you purchased your active subscription) you can perform a reset yourself by accessing "Utilities" -> "Reset" section of your Java based qbank interface
  • If you have held your active subscription continuously for 6 or more months without any intermediate breaks and it has not been reset previously, please email us your reset request including your username so we can make the reset option available via the Java based qbank interface

Renewal of an active subscription does NOT qualify as a new subscription. Qbank test information cannot be deleted or reset in the middle of a subscription except in above two scenarios.

New Purchase: All subscriptions go into effect from the time they are activated and not the time of setup/purchase. It can be activated immediately or anytime thereafter. If your initial purchase consists of multiple courses (qbank, self-assessment exam, CCS, etc.), each of them can be activated individually and independently via your account on our website as preferred. This process of activating a subscription after purchase allows you flexibility of starting a subscription when you are truly ready to utilize it.

Our self-assessment exam subscription is independent of other subscription duration. It can be activated via your account on our website and will stay active for 2-weeks from the time of activation. You can activate it before, during or after your other subscribed course material.

We recommend that all subscription be activated within 180 days of setup/purchase. Once a subscription is activated, it cannot be paused or suspended for any reason and will run continuously for the duration of said course material.

Renewal: A renewal is basically an extension of time to continue access to an previously activated subscription. Since a renewal is an extension to an already active subscription, it is effective from the existing expiration date, NOT from the day of purchase and cannot be deferred to start at a later date/time.

Note: All of our subscriptions are based according to the Eastern Time Zone (GMT/UTC -5 hours or New York Time), which may be different than your local time zone.