# USMLE Step 1 passing score: what 196 means on a pass/fail exam

_Updated 2026-09-05. Every figure is cited to the numbered sources at the end._

## What is the passing score for USMLE Step 1?

The USMLE Step 1 minimum passing score is 196 on the three-digit scale, in effect since January 26, 2022, when it rose from 194.[1] You never see that number: since the same date, Step 1 reports Pass or Fail only.[2] USMLE's bulletin says examinees typically need to answer approximately 60 percent of items correctly to pass a Step examination.[3]

## The Step 1 passing standard in numbers

**USMLE Step 1 passing standard and score reporting**

| Item | Value | Since | Source |
| --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Minimum passing score (three-digit scale, not reported to examinees) | 196 | January 26, 2022 | USMLE[1] |
| Previous minimum passing score | 194 | through January 25, 2022 | USMLE[1] |
| Score reporting | Pass/Fail only | January 26, 2022 | USMLE[2] |
| Share of items typically needed to pass | about 60% | current bulletin; stated for all Steps, not Step 1 specifically | USMLE Bulletin[3] |
| Passing-standard review cycle | approximately every 4 years | ongoing | USMLE[8] |

## Is 60 percent correct really the passing line?

USMLE's figure is deliberately generic: the bulletin says the percentage required varies by Step and by form, and approximately 60 percent is the only number it commits to.[3] Prep-company estimates for Step 1 specifically run a little higher. Yousmle's conversion work puts the 196 line at roughly 63 to 65 percent of items correct,[7] and NBME's own self-assessments describe a Step 1 low pass at roughly 62 to 68 equated percent correct, a range quoted from NBME's July 2024 update by Elite Medical Prep.[6] Treat all of these as estimates. There is no official Step 1-specific percent-correct figure.

## What the Step 1 score report shows now

A passing report says Pass and nothing else: no score, no percentile, no content-area feedback.[2] A failing report gives two things: how far you were from the passing standard, and a content-area performance profile that shows, for each area, whether you performed below, about the same as, or above a low-passing examinee.[2] That profile is the only diagnostic information USMLE gives you, so keep the PDF.

## First-attempt pass rates by school type

**USMLE Step 1 first-attempt pass rate by examinee group**

| Year | US MD schools | US DO schools | Non-US schools |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 2023 | 92% | 87% | 72% |
| 2024 | 91% | 86% | 73% |
| 2025 | 93% | 89% | 75% |

_First-time examinees only. Through 2024 Canadian schools are counted with US schools; from 2025 USMLE groups them with non-US schools, so the 2025 columns are not strictly comparable with earlier years. Number tested in 2025: 23,028 US MD, 4,623 US DO, 22,066 non-US.[4] Repeat-examinee and all-examinee rates are on the [Step 1 pass rate page](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-1-pass-rate)._

## What to do after a failed Step 1

A fail is common enough that USMLE publishes repeat-examinee pass rates: in 2025, 71 percent of US MD repeaters and 54 percent of non-US repeaters passed.[4] Both figures are well below the first-attempt rates, which is a reason to change the approach and not just the date. The sequence below is what the published data supports.

1. **Read the performance profile first.** The failing report marks each content area as below, about the same as, or above a low-passing examinee.[2] Areas marked below are where the points are; areas marked about the same are where a small slip costs you.
2. **Take an NBME CBSSA before you pick a new date.** Its report prints your equated percent correct (EPC) and a probability of passing Step 1 within a week, with a likely range of about plus or minus 4 EPC points.[5] NBME's guidance: a likely range fully below the low-pass band means at risk; partly below means borderline; fully above means likely ready.[5] Anchor points quoted from NBME's July 2024 recalibration put an EPC of 64 at a 92 percent chance of passing and 68 at 97 percent.[6]
3. **Read every practice score against the same line.** Write down each CBSSA and Free 120 result with its date and compare all of them against the low-pass band, so that one good form does not decide your date.
4. **Work the weak systems with questions, not rereading.** StepGenie's free [Step 1 self-assessment](https://www.stepgenie.app/self-assessment) gives you a system-by-system readout, and the [AI tutor](https://dashboard.stepgenie.app/sign-up?utm_source=stepgenie_site&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=step-1-passing-score&utm_content=body-ai-tutor&callback=%2Fdashboard%2Fai-tutor) answers the concepts you keep missing with short visual explanations.
5. **Reschedule when the CBSSA says likely ready, not before.** Two consecutive forms in the ready band are a safer signal than one.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is USMLE Step 1 pass/fail?

Yes. Since January 26, 2022, Step 1 reports only Pass or Fail. A passing report carries no score or content feedback; a failing report shows how far you were from the passing standard and a content-area performance profile.

### What score do you need to pass Step 1?

196 on the three-digit scale, in effect since January 26, 2022 (up from 194). The number is used for scoring but is not reported to examinees. USMLE's bulletin says examinees typically need to answer approximately 60 percent of items correctly to pass a Step examination.

### What percentage of questions do you need to get right to pass Step 1?

USMLE's official statement is approximately 60 percent, and it applies to all Steps rather than Step 1 alone. Prep-company estimates for Step 1 put the 196 line at about 63 to 65 percent correct, and NBME's self-assessments describe a low pass at roughly 62 to 68 equated percent correct. None of these is an official Step 1 figure.

### Do you get a numeric score on Step 1?

No. Since January 26, 2022, the score report says Pass or Fail. If you fail, the report also states your distance from the passing standard and shows a performance profile by content area compared with a low-passing examinee.

### What is the Step 1 pass rate?

In 2025, 93 percent of first-time examinees from US MD schools passed, 89 percent from US DO schools and 75 percent from non-US schools, according to USMLE performance data. Repeat examinees passed at 71, 79 and 54 percent respectively.

### What NBME score means I am ready for Step 1?

NBME prints a probability of passing on each CBSSA report and reads your likely range (about plus or minus 4 EPC points) against a low-pass band: fully below means at risk, partly below means borderline, fully above means likely ready. Anchor points quoted from NBME's July 2024 update put an EPC of 64 at a 92 percent chance of passing and 68 at 97 percent.

## Related

- [USMLE Step 1 pass rate](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-1-pass-rate) -- 2023 to 2025 pass rates by school type, first-time and repeat examinees, with numbers tested.
- [Step 2 CK score percentiles](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-2-ck-score-percentiles) -- The August 2026 percentile table, the 218 passing score, the mean and SD, and the pass rates.
- [USMLE Step 3 passing score](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-3-passing-score) -- 200 since January 2024, the 227 mean, percentiles and pass rates.
- [Free Step 1 self-assessment](https://www.stepgenie.app/self-assessment) -- A system-by-system readout of where you stand, in one sitting.

## Sources

1. USMLE, Change to the Step 1 passing standard begins January 26, 2022 (2022): https://www.usmle.org/change-step-1-passing-standard-begins-january-26-2022
2. USMLE, Step 1 transition to pass/fail-only score reporting (2022): https://www.usmle.org/usmle-step-1-transition-passfail-only-score-reporting
3. USMLE Bulletin of Information, Scoring and Score Reporting (accessed September 5, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/bulletin-information/scoring-and-score-reporting
4. USMLE Performance Data (accessed September 5, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/performance-data
5. NBME, CBSSA and CBSE Score Interpretation Guidance (PDF) (2026 edition): https://www.nbme.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CBSSA_CBSE_Guidance.pdf
6. Elite Medical Prep, quoting NBME's July 2024 CBSSA probability update (September 2025) -- secondary source: https://elitemedicalprep.com/nbme-25-nbme-30-best-predictor-for-passing-step-1/
7. Yousmle, NBME score conversion (community estimate of percent correct at the 196 standard) (February 2023) -- secondary source: https://www.yousmle.com/nbme-score-conversion/
8. USMLE, Examination Results and Scoring (accessed September 5, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts/examination-results-and-scoring

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