Candidates Examined by State Licensing Boards Table 1 is a summary of licenses issued MD candidates by the several licensing boards in calendar year 1972. The total for that year was 33,400, or 3,994 more licenses than were issued in the previous calendar year. There were 12,869 licenses granted following examination and 20,531 by reciprocity or endorsement. This represented, respectively, a 20% and 10% increase over the previous year's figures, the largest percentage increase in medical licenses issued over a 12-month period. The large increase in medical licenses issued in 1972 is attributed to the almost universal FLEX examination, which is now used by all but three states as their board examination, and the relaxation of citizenship requirements by the boards. Michigan and Virginia each issued twice as many licenses in 1972 than in 1971, and some of the less populous states such as Arizona and Kansas enjoyed substantial increases.