Understanding Your USMLE Score Report 

Please note: USMLE Step 1 score reporting transitioned from a numeric score and pass/fail outcome to pass/fail only. All Step 1 exam score outcomes will be reported as pass/fail for exams administered on or after January 26, 2022. (Learn more)

Step 1  

Sample Step 1 passing score report

Sample Step 1 failing score report

Step 2 CK & Step 3 Sample Score Reports

The interactive score report below is a sample Step 3 report but can be used to understand Step 1 (taken before January 26, 2022) and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) score reports as well. 

INTERACTIVE SCORE REPORT     

Samples of the content areas that appear in Step 1 and Step 2 CK score reports are provided below.

Content Areas page – Step 1 Score Report

Content Areas page - Step 2 CK Score Report 

Scores 

USMLE results are reported on a 3-digit scale.

The current minimum passing scores are:

Step 1:  Reported as pass/fail only* 
Step 2 CK:  214 
Step 3:  200 

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.

Examination data from USMLE examinations may be used by the USMLE program or made available to third parties for research and other purposes that are disclosed to or authorized by you, as appropriate, at the time any data is collected. In such instances, the data will be confidential, and individual examinees will not be identifiable in any publication. If you do not wish your examination data to be made available for such purposes, you must advise the USMLE Secretariat in writing no later than 30 days before your administration.

For more information about scores, view  Scores Common Questions.

* 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.

Score Availability

Results for computer-based examinations (Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3) are typically available within four weeks of your test date. However, a number of factors may delay score reporting. When selecting your test date and inquiring about results, you should allow at least eight weeks to receive notification that your score report is available. 

When your score is available, you will receive an e-mail notification from the organization that registered you for your examination. Your score report will remain available on the website of the organization that registered you for your examination for approximately 365 days from the date of the e-mail notification. After the score report is removed from the website, your scores will be provided to you only in the form of an official transcript, for a fee, through the organization that registered you for your examination.

Reporting to Third Parties

NBME reports the results of the USMLE to LCME- and COCA-accredited medical school programs for their students and graduates. For Step 1 and Step 2 CK, if you do not want your results reported to your medical school, you must send a request from your email account of record to webmail@nbme.org at least 10 business days before your scheduled test date. A separate request must be submitted for each examination administration. For Step 3, you must specify your reporting preference on your application.

The ECFMG may provide the results of the USMLE to international medical schools for their students and graduates. For Step 1 and Step 2 CK, if you do not want your results reported to your medical school, you must submit a request for each examination administration, via ECFMG’s Interactive Web Applications (IWA), at least 10 business days before your scheduled test date.

Examination data (including performance information and recorded patient encounters) may be used by the USMLE program or made available to third parties for research and other purposes that are disclosed to or authorized by you, as appropriate. In all instances, the data will be confidential, and individual examinees will not be identifiable in any publication. If you do not wish your examination data to be made available for such purposes, you must advise the USMLE Secretariat via e-mail at webmail@nbme.org no later than 30 days before your administration.

Incomplete Scores

If you do not open every block of your Step 1, Step 2 CK, or Step 3 examination, your examination may not be scored and the attempt may be reported as an incomplete on your USMLE transcript.

For privacy purposes, the USMLE program does not provide scores or outcomes by telephone, e-mail, or fax to anyone. Additionally, the scoring process is not expedited or accelerated for any individual or group.