USMLE Step 1 Passing Score (2026): What Pass/Fail Means
Step 1 has been pass/fail since 26 January 2022. What USMLE says about the passing standard, what its “approximately 60%” sentence does and does not mean, how to read an NBME report, and 2025 first-taker pass rates.
USMLE Step 3 Passing Score, Pass Rate & Percentiles (2026)
Step 3 passing is currently 200 (since January 2024, under scheduled review) — roughly the 4th percentile, so a misleading target. Full percentile table, pass rates and the retake rules most students get wrong.
Step 3 CCS Cases (2026): How Many, What’s Scored, Strategy
Step 3 Day 2 still includes 13–14 case simulations — the “reduced to 9” claim is a misreading of USMLE’s own change table. The real format, the scoring rules quoted verbatim, and why CCS tests something your QBank score cannot predict.
NBME 6, 7 & 8 to Step 3 Conversion & UWSA Correlation
How NBME 6, 7 and 8 (CCMSA) and UWSA scores feed a Step 3 estimate, what the published Step 2 CK → Step 3 research shows, why CCS cases swing your score, and an honest look at the FSMB early pass/fail check.
How to Calculate Your Step 1 Pass Probability
Step 1 is Pass/Fail — so the goal is a safe margin above the passing standard, not a 3-digit score. Here is how to read your NBME self-assessments (Forms 29–34) into a real pass probability, form by form.
Which NBME Form Is Most Accurate for Step 2 CK? (2026)
Which practice exam should you trust before Step 2 CK? What NBME’s own published research shows, why no honest per-form ranking exists, and how to pick, time and combine your forms.
USMLE Step 2 CK Score Prediction Guide (2026)
How modern score predictors work: what the published research says about NBME self-assessments, how a forecast is built, and how to read your 3-digit prediction as a range.