# USMLE Step 3 passing score: 200, and how the exam is scored _Updated 2026-09-05. Every figure is cited to the numbered sources at the end._ ## What is the passing score for USMLE Step 3? The USMLE Step 3 minimum passing score is 200 on the three-digit scale, for examinations taken on or after January 1, 2024; it was 198 before that.[1] First-time takers from US LCME-accredited schools averaged 227 (SD 15) in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025, and 96 percent of US MD first-time takers passed in 2025.[2][3] ## Step 3 scoring at a glance **USMLE Step 3 passing standard, mean and measurement error** | Item | Value | Detail | | --- | ---: | --- | | Minimum passing score | 200 | Effective January 1, 2024; announced December 14, 2023[1] | | Previous passing score | 198 | Through December 31, 2023[1] | | Mean score, first-time takers from LCME-accredited schools | 227 | SD 15 in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025; the 2025 figure excludes Canadian schools[2] | | Standard error of measurement | 5 | Standard error of difference 7, standard error of estimate 7[2] | | Percentile norm group | N = 64,576 | First-time takers, January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025[2] | | Passing-standard review cycle | approximately every 4 years | USMLE reviews the data for each Step on that cycle and decides whether to change the standard[4] | ## Step 3 score to percentile **Step 3 three-digit score to percentile rank (USMLE norms, first-time takers 2023 to 2025)** | Step 3 score | Percentile rank | | --- | ---: | | 265 and above | 100 | | 260 | 99 | | 255 | 97 | | 250 | 93 | | 245 | 88 | | 240 | 80 | | 235 | 69 | | 230 | 56 | | 225 | 43 | | 220 | 31 | | 215 | 20 | | 210 | 12 | | 205 | 7 | | 200 | 4 | | 195 | 2 | | 190 | 1 | | 185 and below | 0 | _Percentage of first-time takers from LCME-accredited schools (January 2023 to December 2025, N = 64,576) who scored lower. USMLE publishes the table in 5-point steps; read a score in between as sitting between the neighbouring rows.[2]_ A Step 3 score is not comparable with a Step 2 CK score at the same number. The exams have different content, different norm groups and different passing standards, and USMLE warns against reading them side by side.[2] A 230, for instance, is the 56th percentile on Step 3 but the 9th on [Step 2 CK](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-2-ck-score-percentiles). ## Step 3 pass rates **USMLE Step 3 percent passing by examinee group and calendar year** | Group | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | | US MD schools, first-time takers | 97% (n = 21,703) | 97% (n = 21,213) | 96% (n = 21,589) | | US MD schools, repeat examinees | -- | -- | 77% (n = 910) | | US DO schools, first-time takers | -- | -- | 97% (n = 129) | | Non-US schools, first-time takers | 92% (n = 11,500) | 89% (n = 12,134) | 88% (n = 12,480) | | Non-US schools, repeat examinees | -- | -- | 63% (n = 1,824) | _USMLE Performance Data. Through 2024 the US group includes Canadian schools; from 2025 they are counted with non-US schools. The US DO count is small because most DO residents take COMLEX Level 3 instead, so read that 97 percent with care.[3]_ ## Format, and when people take it Step 3 is the last of the three examinations and the only one aimed at unsupervised practice. It runs over two test days. The first day (Foundations of Independent Practice) is multiple-choice questions; the second (Advanced Clinical Medicine) combines multiple-choice questions with computer-based case simulations, in which you manage a patient over simulated time. The exact item counts and timing for each day are set out in the current USMLE bulletin. Most examinees are residents. Step 3 is required for an unrestricted medical license in the United States, so it is usually taken during or after the first year of residency, once the program's own requirements and the state licensing board's timing rules are known. Because it is a US-licensure examination, nearly all examinees are already in US training. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the passing score for USMLE Step 3? 200 on the three-digit scale, for any examination taken on or after January 1, 2024. USMLE announced the change on December 14, 2023; the previous standard was 198. ### What is the average Step 3 score? 227, with a standard deviation of 15, for first-time takers from LCME-accredited medical schools in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025. On the current percentile table a 230 is the 56th percentile and a 240 the 80th. ### What percentage of people pass Step 3? In 2025, 96 percent of first-time takers from US MD schools passed (21,589 tested), 88 percent of first-time takers from non-US schools (12,480 tested) and 77 percent of US MD repeat examinees. The US MD first-attempt rate was 97 percent in both 2023 and 2024. ### When do you take Step 3? Usually during or after the first year of residency. It is the examination required for an unrestricted medical license in the United States, and program and state licensing rules decide the earliest sensible date. ### Is a Step 3 score comparable to a Step 2 CK score? No. The two examinations have different content, norm groups and passing standards (200 for Step 3, 218 for Step 2 CK), and USMLE says the scores should not be compared at the same number. Step 3 percentiles run higher at a given score: a 230 is about the 56th percentile on Step 3 but the 9th on Step 2 CK. ## Related - [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 1 passing score](https://www.stepgenie.app/usmle/step-1-passing-score) -- 196 on a scale you never see, what the pass/fail report shows, and what to do after a fail. - [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. - [Free USMLE self-assessment](https://www.stepgenie.app/self-assessment) -- A timed, exam-format form for Step 1 or Step 2 with a system-by-system readout. ## Sources 1. USMLE, Change to the Step 3 passing standard begins January 1, 2024 (announced December 14, 2023): https://www.usmle.org/change-step-3-passing-standard-begins-january-1-2024 2. 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 3. USMLE Performance Data (accessed September 5, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/performance-data 4. USMLE, Examination Results and Scoring (accessed September 5, 2026): https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts/examination-results-and-scoring --- StepGenie's question bank covers Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 with image-based explanations you can get through in the gaps of a residency day. Start on the free plan. [Start practicing free](https://dashboard.stepgenie.app/sign-up?utm_source=stepgenie_site&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=step-3-passing-score&utm_content=md-footer-cta)