Scores Common Questions
In this section
When will I get my scores?
Scores for USMLE Step exams are released on Wednesdays. Generally these will include scores for examinees who tested within four weeks before the release date. However, there are many factors that may delay an individual score release. Your registration entity will notify you by email when your score becomes available. When released, your scores will be posted to your registration entity’s secure website: for Step 1 and Step 2, either NBME or ECFMG; for Step 3, FSMB. If you have not received your score within eight weeks of your test date, please contact us to determine the status of your score report.
Please note that new scores are not released during the week of 4th of July or the last week of December.
Why isn’t my score available right after testing?
In order to ensure that both the processing and scoring of USMLE examinations are done in a secure and accurate fashion, it is necessary to follow a number of quality assurance steps. These steps include monitoring reports from test centers about test delivery problems and about possible security violations.
What are the passing scores for the three Steps, and do they ever change? If so, why?
USMLE results are reported on a 3-digit scale.
The current minimum passing scores are as follows:
Step 1: Reported as Pass/Fail only*
Step 2 CK: 214
Step 3: 198
Information on minimum passing scores for USMLE examinations is posted on the Scores and Transcripts page.
The USMLE Management Committee establishes the minimum passing score. The USMLE Management Committee reviews data for each component in the USMLE sequence approximately once every four years and decides whether to change the recommended minimum passing score.
* USMLE Step 1 score reporting is reported as pass/fail only for exams taken on or after January 26, 2022. On the three-digit score scale, the passing standard is 196. Future reviews of the Step 1 passing standard will not be reported in terms of a three-digit score.
What are the current pass rates for the Steps?
The content-based standard used for setting the passing score means that as many as 100% of candidates could theoretically pass, or conceivably 0%. The number is not arbitrarily predetermined. Similarly, the pass rate can vary from one accredited medical school in the United States to another, and from one year to another. Recent performance data for first-time takers and repeaters for each Step are available.
What are the group pass rates by medical school for the Steps?
For accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada, performance by medical school is reported by NBME only to individual schools and is available only from those schools. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) has responsibility for reporting scores for students and graduates of international medical schools.
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