Posted: June 16, 2025
At its June 2025 meeting, the USMLE Management Committee conducted a review of the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) passing standard. Management Committee members include individuals with experience on state medical boards, medical school and residency program faculty from across the United States, practicing physicians, residents, and public members. The Committee decided that a four-point increase in the passing standard – used to determine a Pass or Fail outcome – will apply to Step 2 CK examinees testing on or after July 1, 2025. On the three-digit score scale, the passing standard will change from 214 to 218.
As part of the USMLE program’s operational procedures and in alignment with best practices for licensing and certification exams, a scheduled comprehensive review and analysis of the passing standard for each Step exam typically occurs every three to four years. This ensures that the passing standard reflects current expectations concerning knowledge and skills needed to support effective medical practice and patient care.
The Management Committee determined this adjustment to the passing standard through the careful and thorough consideration of information from multiple sources, including:
- Recommendations from independent groups of physicians and educators unaffiliated with the USMLE who participated in content-based standard-setting panels in March and April 2025;
- Results of surveys of various groups (e.g., residency program directors, medical school faculty, state licensing representatives, examinees) concerning the appropriateness of the current passing standard for the Step 2 CK examination;
- Data on trends in examinee performance; and
- Score precision and its effect on the pass/fail outcome.
The USMLE program provides advanced notice of Step exam passing standard reviews and any adjustments on the USMLE website. Details about the review process also appear in the USMLE Bulletin of Information.