USMLE Step 1 Passing Score (2026): What Pass/Fail Means and How to Read Your NBME Report
The short answer
USMLE has reported Step 1 as pass/fail only for exams taken on or after 26 January 2022. On the old three-digit scale the standard was 196; for current exams there is no numeric passing score to aim at. What you can use is the probability of passing printed on your NBME self-assessment report, read alongside its likely score range.
Is there a Step 1 passing score?
Not one you will ever see. USMLE’s Examination Results and Scoring page lists Step 1 as reported pass/fail for exams on or after 26 January 2022, and adds a note on the old scale: “On the three-digit score scale, the passing standard is 196.” The same note says future reviews of the Step 1 passing standard will not be reported in terms of a three-digit score.
Put plainly: on the old three-digit scale the standard was 196, and Step 1 is now reported pass/fail only. If you take Step 1 now, your result is Pass or Fail. There is no score, and the USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines publish no Step 1 percentile table.
| Exam | How it is reported | Passing standard | Applies to exams on or after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Pass/fail only | 196 on the old three-digit scale | 26 January 2022 (pass/fail) |
| Step 2 CK | Three-digit score | 218 | 1 July 2025 |
| Step 3 | Three-digit score | 200 (under scheduled review) | 1 January 2024 |
Step 3’s standard is currently 200, but USMLE has scheduled a review: a decision is expected after its November 2026 meeting, and any change would apply from 1 January 2027. See our Step 3 passing score guide.
USMLE also states that scores and pass/fail decisions are not determined using a curve, so your result does not depend on how other people in your sitting performed.
Is there a passing percent correct?
USMLE gives one number, with qualifiers. The 2027 Bulletin of Information says that examinees typically must answer approximately 60% of questions correctly to achieve a passing score, that the percentage required to pass varies by Step and from form to form, and that no predetermined percentage of examinees will pass or fail.
Read that as a rough statement about the real exam, nothing more. It is not a threshold for NBME self-assessments: an NBME equated percent correct is adjusted for form difficulty and is a different measure from a raw percent of items right, and neither USMLE nor NBME publishes a conversion between the two. A practice score of “60%” on any resource is not a pass mark.
How to read your NBME CBSSA report
Since the three-digit CBSSA score was retired, NBME reports an equated percent correct (EPC) and asks you to read several things together. This is NBME’s own guidance on gauging readiness for Step 1 (September 2026 revision), in summary:
| On the report | What NBME says it is | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Equated percent correct | An estimate of the percentage of content you have mastered, on a 0–100 scale, equated for form difficulty | Not the same as the percent of questions you answered correctly |
| Likely score range | On a retest at the same level of knowledge, your score would fall within about 4 points of the reported score two-thirds of the time | A single form is a range, not a point |
| Step 1 low-pass range | Performance above, but near, the passing standard: enough to pass, but only by a small margin | If your likely range overlaps it, NBME advises extra caution |
| Estimated probability of passing | From 1% to 99%, from a statistical model based on a large group of examinees who tested within one week before taking Step 1 for the first time; updated annually | Less reliable if you took the form more than a week before, self-paced, used resources, or repeated a form |
The caution NBME attaches to the probability is worth memorising: at a 90% estimated probability, approximately 1 in 10 examinees with comparable performance would be expected not to pass. A high probability is reassuring, not a guarantee, and NBME publishes no lookup table that converts an EPC into a probability — the model runs on your report.
For a form-by-form walk-through of reading several reports together, see how to calculate your Step 1 pass probability. If you want a rough planning figure from your forms, our Step 1 pass probability calculator uses our own approximation; where it disagrees with your NBME report, trust the report.
Step 1 pass rates
USMLE’s performance data (excerpts of NBME annual reports) give the 2025 Step 1 pass rates below. They describe groups of examinees, not your odds: nothing here can be converted into an individual probability.
| 2025 group | First-time takers | Repeaters |
|---|---|---|
| US MD | 93% (23,028 tested) | 71% (2,098) |
| US DO | 89% (4,623 tested) | 79% (121, small number) |
| Non-US | 75% (22,066 tested) | 54% (3,594) |
From 2025, examinees from Canadian schools are grouped with non-US examinees, so comparisons with earlier years are not clean. USMLE notes that the repeater figures count examinations given, not examinees.
What the Free 120 can and cannot tell you
The free sample questions on usmle.org are commonly called the Free 120; that is a community nickname, not an official exam name. USMLE describes them as a way to become familiar with the test software and functionality and publishes no score interpretation for them.
In self-reported results we collected, the share who passed was about the same across Free 120 score bands: Free 120 percent alone did not separate people who passed from people who did not. Those results were self-reported by examinees and are not a random sample, so treat them as a caution against reading a pass or fail into the number rather than as a finding about the exam. It is a good check of stamina, format and timing. For readiness, use the probability on your NBME report. Our Free 120 score page has the details.
Turn your NBME forms into a planning estimate
Enter NBME CBSSA forms 29–34 for a rough pass-probability estimate, free and without an account. Your NBME report’s own probability remains the reference.
Check my Step 1 pass probability →References
- USMLE — Examination Results and Scoring (Step 1 pass/fail from 26 January 2022; note on the three-digit standard; Step 2 CK and Step 3 standards).
- USMLE — Bulletin of Information: Scoring and Score Reporting (2027 Bulletin: approximate percent correct, variation by Step and form, no predetermined pass percentage).
- USMLE — Performance Data (2025 pass rates).
- USMLE — Scheduled Review of USMLE Step 3 Passing Standard (2 September 2026).
- NBME — CBSSA and CBSE: Gauging Readiness for USMLE Step 1 (equated percent correct, likely score range, low-pass range, estimated probability of passing).
Educational content. Sources last checked 28 October 2026. USMLEPredictor is not affiliated with the NBME or the USMLE program. Always confirm current policy on usmle.org.
Frequently asked questions
What is the passing score for USMLE Step 1?
Step 1 is reported as pass/fail only for exams taken on or after January 26, 2022, so there is no three-digit passing score for current exams. On the old three-digit scale the standard was 196, and USMLE says future reviews of the Step 1 standard will not be reported as a three-digit number.
What percent do you need to get right to pass Step 1?
USMLE publishes no exact percentage. The Bulletin of Information says examinees typically must answer approximately 60% of questions correctly to pass, but that the percentage required varies by Step and from form to form, and that no predetermined percentage of examinees will pass or fail. That is a statement about the real exam, not a cut-off for NBME self-assessments.
What was the Step 1 pass rate in 2025?
In USMLE’s 2025 performance data, first-time Step 1 pass rates were 93% for US MD students, 89% for US DO students and 75% for examinees from non-US schools (Canadian schools are grouped with non-US from 2025). Repeaters passed less often: 71% of US MD, 79% of US DO (121 examinations) and 54% of non-US examinations.
Can I find out my Step 1 score?
No. Step 1 is reported as pass/fail only, so there is no three-digit score and no percentile for the real exam. USMLE’s Score Interpretation Guidelines contain norm tables for Step 2 CK and Step 3 but none for Step 1.
Does a 90% NBME pass probability mean I will pass Step 1?
No. NBME’s guidance says that among examinees with comparable performance, approximately 1 in 10 would be expected not to pass at a 90% estimated probability, and that this is not the same as having mastered 90% of the content. The probability also assumes you tested within about a week of your first Step 1 attempt under standard conditions.
Does the Free 120 predict whether I will pass Step 1?
USMLE publishes no score interpretation for its free sample questions, which are commonly called the Free 120. In self-reported results we collected, the share who passed was about the same across Free 120 score bands, so Free 120 percent alone did not separate people who passed from people who did not. For readiness use the probability on your NBME self-assessment report.