# USMLE Step 1 passing score 2026: what 196 means, the pass/fail report and the last percentile table

_Updated 2026-10-15. 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 | January 1, 2018 to January 25, 2022 | USMLE[1][13] |
| Minimum passing score before 2018 | 192 | through December 31, 2017 | USMLE[13] |
| Score reporting | Pass/Fail only | January 26, 2022 | USMLE[2] |
| Numeric score scale, exams through January 25, 2022 | 1 to 300 | reported with Pass or Fail until January 25, 2022 | USMLE[10][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] |

_Each change applies by test date: 194 to Step 1 examinations that began on or after January 1, 2018, and 196 to examinees testing on or after January 26, 2022.[13][1]_

USMLE's scoring page still gives 196 as the Step 1 standard on the three-digit scale, and USMLE has said that future reviews of the Step 1 passing standard will not be reported in terms of a three-digit score, because every Step 1 result from January 26, 2022 is reported as Pass or Fail.[8][1] The most recent review, at the USMLE Management Committee's December 2024 meeting, kept the standard unchanged.[14] If a later review moves the line, there will be no new number to set against 196.

> **See where you stand against the passing line** Step 1 reports only Pass or Fail, so the number worth watching before test day is your own accuracy. Try practice questions without an account, or read an NBME, UWSA or Free 120 result against the passing line with the [NBME and UWSA score converter](https://www.stepgenie.app/tools/nbme-score-converter). A free account includes 5 Visual QBank questions a day in practice blocks you build by subject and organ system, plus 10 Pattern Mastery questions a day. [Try 3 questions without an account](https://dashboard.stepgenie.app/try?utm_source=stepgenie_site&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=step-1-passing-score&utm_content=score-page-step) - [Create a free account](https://dashboard.stepgenie.app/sign-up?utm_source=stepgenie_site&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=step-1-passing-score&utm_content=score-page-step)

## 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] NBME's guidance defines a Step 1 low-pass range, performance above but near the passing standard, only in words and publishes no numbers for it.[5] Elite Medical Prep reads it as roughly 62 to 68 equated percent correct[6] and the University of Arizona as 61 to 70.[9] 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, with no score, no percentile and 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] USMLE's sample failing report, for a test on May 1, 2026, shows the distance as a chart: your result and the minimum passing score placed on the performance distribution of first-time takers from LCME-accredited schools in 2025, with no number printed.[11] That profile is the only diagnostic information USMLE gives you, so keep the PDF.

## Step 1 percentiles: the last official table

USMLE no longer publishes Step 1 percentiles: its current guidelines list Step 1 as pass/fail only.[12] The last edition with a Step 1 column, updated August 18, 2022, covers first-time takers from LCME-accredited US and Canadian schools who tested from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 (N = 63,210), and USMLE marked it for Step 1 attempts before January 26, 2022.[10] Use it to read a three-digit score from an exam taken on or before January 25, 2022; transcripts still report those scores as numbers.[2] What a current examinee gets instead is the report described above: Pass, or for a fail, the distance from the passing standard and a content-area profile. Step 2 CK still reports a three-digit score, and its current percentile table is on the [Step 2 CK percentiles page](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-2-ck-score-percentiles).

**Step 1 three-digit score to percentile rank (last USMLE table, first-time takers 2019 to 2021)**

| Step 1 score | Percentile rank |
| --- | ---: |
| 270 and above | 100 |
| 265 | 98 |
| 260 | 95 |
| 255 | 89 |
| 250 | 81 |
| 245 | 71 |
| 240 | 60 |
| 235 | 50 |
| 230 | 40 |
| 225 | 31 |
| 220 | 23 |
| 215 | 17 |
| 210 | 12 |
| 205 | 8 |
| 200 | 5 |
| 195 | 3 |
| 190 | 2 |
| 185 | 1 |
| 180 | 1 |
| 175 | 1 |
| 170 and below | 0 |

_Percentage of first-time takers from LCME-accredited US and Canadian medical schools, January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 (N = 63,210), who scored lower. Mean scores in the same edition: 232 (SD 19) in 2019, 235 (SD 18) in 2020 and 231 (SD 19) in 2021. Published in 5-point steps. The passing standard was 194 for exams through January 25, 2022.[10][1]_

## 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] NBME publishes no table or curve behind that probability: Elite Medical Prep reports that NBME's July 2024 update put an EPC of 64 at a 92 percent chance of passing and 68 at 97 percent.[6] The probability printed on your own report is NBME's.
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. The [NBME and UWSA score converter](https://www.stepgenie.app/tools/nbme-score-converter) reads a CBSSA, UWSA or Free 120 result against the passing line and labels which figures are NBME's and which are estimates.
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 was the Step 1 passing score before 2022?

194, for Step 1 examinations that began on or after January 1, 2018 and were taken on or before January 25, 2022. Before 2018 it was 192. The standard rose to 196 for examinees testing on or after January 26, 2022, the same day Step 1 moved to pass/fail-only reporting.

### Will the Step 1 passing score change again?

USMLE reviews the passing standard for each Step approximately once every four years and decides whether to change it. At its most recent Step 1 review, in December 2024, the USMLE Management Committee voted to keep the standard unchanged. USMLE has said that future Step 1 reviews will not be reported in terms of a three-digit score, because results are reported as Pass or Fail only, and its scoring page still gives 196 as the standard on the three-digit scale.

### 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. NBME describes a Step 1 low-pass range, performance above but near the passing standard, but publishes no numbers for it; Elite Medical Prep reads it as roughly 62 to 68 equated percent correct and the University of Arizona as 61 to 70. 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.

### When do Step 1 results come out?

USMLE says results for Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 are typically available within four weeks of the test date, but asks you to allow at least eight weeks, because a number of factors can delay reporting. The organization that registered you emails you when the report is ready, and the report stays on its website for approximately 365 days.

### 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.

### Is there a Step 1 percentile table?

Not for current exams. The last USMLE table with Step 1 percentiles, in the guidelines edition updated August 18, 2022, covered first-time takers from LCME-accredited US and Canadian schools in 2019 to 2021 (N = 63,210). On it a 220 was the 23rd percentile, 230 the 40th, 240 the 60th, 250 the 81st and 260 the 95th. It applies only to numeric scores from exams taken on or before January 25, 2022.

### What was the Step 1 score range?

Numeric Step 1 scores, reported for exams taken on or before January 25, 2022, used the same 1 to 300 scale as Step 2 CK and Step 3. First-time takers from LCME-accredited US and Canadian schools averaged 232 (SD 19) in 2019, 235 (SD 18) in 2020 and 231 (SD 19) in 2021. Exams taken on or after January 26, 2022 are reported as Pass or Fail only.

### Do old numeric Step 1 scores still appear on transcripts?

Yes. For Step 1 exams taken on or before January 25, 2022, score reports and transcripts, including those produced by NBME, ECFMG, FSMB and through ERAS, show the numeric score and the pass/fail outcome. Exams taken on or after January 26, 2022 show the pass/fail outcome only.

### 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. NBME publishes no table or curve for that probability; Elite Medical Prep reports that NBME's July 2024 update put an EPC of 64 at a 92 percent chance of passing and 68 at 97 percent. The probability printed on your own report is NBME's.

## Related

- [USMLE Step 1 pass rate](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-1-pass-rate) -- Pass rates for every year since 2019 by school type, repeat examinees, and the latest Step 2 CK and Step 3 rates.
- [Step 2 CK score percentiles](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-2-ck-score-percentiles) -- The August 2026 percentile table, the 251 average, the 218 passing score, earlier editions, and Step 1 and Step 3 percentiles.
- [USMLE Step 3 passing score](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-3-passing-score) -- 200 since January 2024, the current percentile table, the 227 mean and pass rates.
- [NBME and UWSA score converter](https://www.stepgenie.app/tools/nbme-score-converter) -- Read a CBSSA, UWSA or Free 120 result against the Step 1 passing line, with every estimate labelled.
- [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 (posted December 9, 2021): 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 October 14, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/bulletin-information/scoring-and-score-reporting
4. USMLE Performance Data (accessed October 14, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/performance-data
5. NBME, Gauging Readiness for USMLE Step 1: CBSSA and CBSE Guidance (PDF) (September 2026 edition): https://www.nbme.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CBSSA_CBSE_Guidance-f43.pdf
6. Elite Medical Prep, NBME 25 to NBME 30: best predictor for passing Step 1 (second-hand account of 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 October 14, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts/examination-results-and-scoring
9. University of Arizona Student Development, Step 1 FAQs (reads the CBSSA low-pass range as 61-70%) (accessed October 14, 2026) -- secondary source: https://www.studentdevelopment.arizona.edu/step-1-faqs
10. USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, edition updated August 18, 2022, the last with a Step 1 norm table (archived copy) (captured October 8, 2022): https://web.archive.org/web/20221008032229/https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf
11. USMLE, Sample Step 1 failing score report (PDF) (sample test date May 1, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/STEP1_No_Scores_Fail.pdf
12. USMLE Step Examination Score Interpretation Guidelines (PDF) (updated August 17, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf
13. USMLE, Change in minimum passing score for Step 1: 192 to 194 from January 1, 2018 (archived copy) (posted December 1, 2017; captured June 12, 2018): https://web.archive.org/web/20180612112532/http://www.usmle.org/announcements/?ContentId=216
14. USMLE, No change to minimum passing standard for Step 1 (posted December 5, 2024): https://www.usmle.org/no-change-minimum-passing-standard-step-1

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