What time do Step 1 scores come out 2022?
Results for computer-based examinations (Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3) are typically available two to four weeks after your test date.
Your Step 1 score release will most likely be the Wednesday 3-4 weeks after you sit for your exam. However, sometimes scores may be delayed. If you are testing around any national US holiday, your Step 1 score release may be delayed 1-2 weeks. Occasionally, the Step 1 score release has been delayed up to 8 weeks.
Step 1 Passing Rates | 2017 | 2020 |
---|---|---|
IMG Fails* | 4,645 | 2,230 |
Total Step 1 Exams | 42,420 | 38,734 |
Overall Step 1 Pass Rate | 86% | 92% |
Total Step 1 Fails | 6,119 | 3,104 |
Score Reports for Step 1, 2 CK, & 3 are released each Wednesday. A release typically includes scores for examinees who tested 3-4 weeks prior to the release date, but it could take up to 8 weeks to receive your Score Report.
Results are typically available two to four weeks after your test date. However, a number of factors may delay score reporting. When selecting your test date and inquiring about results, you should allow at least eight weeks to receive notification that your score report is available.
Note that the USMLE examination is not scored “on a curve”. Students are not scored against each other, but relative to a per-set annual standard. This standard is constant for the year. Both US medical students and IMGs are scored using the same standard.
Until the scoring system for Step 1 changes to Pass/Fail, the scores on Step 1 can be interpreted based on historical percentiles. While 194 represents the 5th percentile, the average (50th percentile) falls between 230 and 235. Scores at or just above the mean are good scores!
That's true, but it's also not quite the right way of looking at things. You could also note that a 240 on Step 1 is in the 66th percentile, while a 240 on Step 2 CK is only in the 39th percentile.
Finally, 3-5 weeks after you take your test, the NBME will send you an email around midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning notifying you of your pending score release. Later that morning (around 11am Eastern Time), you will receive a second email with your score report attached.
First, consider that to the great majority of medical students pass the Step 1 exam.
Can you get a residency if you fail Step 1?
One USMLE failure isn't going to preclude you from obtaining a residency position. Two will make it very difficult. There is some encouraging trends on that front; data from the NBME indicates that repeat test-takers passed the exam about two-thirds of the time in 2019 and 2020, the most recent year data was available.
The difference is that a doctor can still practice if s/he does not pass–they might be excluded from certain jobs or hospital staffs; but certification, while important, is a bit of gilding the lily. [Licensure to practice comes from a different set of exams.] There's no doubt it's a hard test.

Is UWorld harder than Step. UWorld is harder than Step for sure! The UWorld exams are harder because they have more detailed information. So make sure if you want to score well on the real thing, that you study hard and do great on these practice tests as well!
Remember, there are 200 scored items on Step 1. But you have to answer 60% of them correctly to pass. That's 120/200.
You can retake USMLE Step 1 up to six times if you've failed. You can take Step 1 a maximum of three times within a span of 12 months. Your fourth attempt and any beyond that must be at least 12 months after your first attempt. Also, they must be at least six months after your third attempt.
Generally speaking, however, a USMLE® Step 1 score between 230 and 245 is considered a good and a score between 245 and 255 is considered very good.
In late January, the influential Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) changed from numerical to pass-fail scoring. Program sponsors wanted to shift the emphasis away numeric scores but preserve the exam for determining physician licensure eligibility.
If you need to receive your Step 1 results before July 6, 2022, the USMLE program recommends that you take the exam before May 2, 2022. The target date for reporting Step 1 results for most examinees testing May 2, 2022 through mid-June 2022 will be Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
A CBSE score of 70 is approximately equivalent to a score of 200 on the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) Step 1. The vast majority of scores range from 45 to 95, and although the scores have the "look and feel" of percent-correct scores, they are not.
USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) is said to be a very tough test. No wonder it is considered one of the top 20 toughest exams in world. This one among the top 20 toughest exams in world is sponsored by National Board of Medical Examiners and Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).
Does Step 1 become harder?
The Step 1 exam itself might change, and if so, it's likely to get harder. When dental exams became pass/fail, the test-makers designed the exams to be more difficult in order to compensate for the pass/fail switch. It's possible that this could happen to Step 1 as well.
Until the scoring system for Step 1 changes to Pass/Fail, the scores on Step 1 can be interpreted based on historical percentiles. While 194 represents the 5th percentile, the average (50th percentile) falls between 230 and 235. Scores at or just above the mean are good scores!
If you need to receive your Step 1 results before July 6, 2022, the USMLE program recommends that you take the exam before May 2, 2022. The target date for reporting Step 1 results for most examinees testing May 2, 2022 through mid-June 2022 will be Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Is UWorld harder than Step. UWorld is harder than Step for sure! The UWorld exams are harder because they have more detailed information. So make sure if you want to score well on the real thing, that you study hard and do great on these practice tests as well!
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What is a Good Step 1 Score?
Specialty | Step 1 score range | Percentage of first-year residents matched in this range in 2020 |
---|---|---|
Radiology-diagnostic | 230–259 | 66.7% |
A 230 on Step 1 might get you screened out by nearly 75% of programs. Many students studying for Step 1 want to keep as many doors open as possible. The median score of matched applicants in the most competitive specialties was roughly 245-250.
The weight carried previously by Step 1 scores as a factor for deciding which residency application to pursue will now be passed to Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) score. However, Step 1 will remain important as it is still a requirement to pass it in order to take Step 2.
Rather than wasting time trying to figure out the exact minimum score needed to be “competitive,” do your best to score as highly as possible. Of all exams a medical student will have taken, the Step 1 score will the most accurate and predictive of scoring on Step 2 CK.
First Aid STEP1: Is it enough for the USMLE STEP1? First Aid STEP 1 is a great review book. However, it will not provide you with explanations to form a solid understanding of the complicated STEP 1 concepts.
It is common practice for USMLE Step 1 candidates to take up to five or six weeks of dedicated study time – with 8-12 hours of exam prep every day. US Med students typically have between 45 and 90 days between second year final exams and the USMLE Step 1 exam – which is used for dedicated study.
How many times can you take Step 1?
1. What is the USMLE policy on attempt limits? The total number of attempts allowed per Step is four (4).
The difficulty of this medical licensing exam comes down to the sheer breadth and volume of information. And the prospect of regurgitating everything during a single, 8-hour day is daunting. Especially because you only get about one minute per question.
UWorld alone is not enough. You should use UWorld along with these tips to effectively prepare for Step 1: Combine UWorld with other resources, such as First Aid and NBME self-assessments. Start with a small question pool at the beginning of each topic to determine which concepts you need to focus on the most.
For most students, this means getting through three blocks of 40 questions per day, 5-6 days per week. Reserving 1-2 days per week to take a UWorld self-assessment exam or NBME practice exam and review it is also important because students must get a sense of their scores.
- General Surgery.
- Neurosurgery.
- Orthopedic Surgery.
- Ophthalmology.
- Otolaryngology.
- Plastic Surgery.
- Urology.
- Radiation Oncology.
What are the highest paid residencies in the US? Allergy & immunology, hematology, medical geneticists, rheumatology, and most forms of specialized surgery top the list. However, it's important to remember that these are subspecialty residencies, aka fellowships, and so are effectively PGY4+ residencies.
Yes, of course, I believe that any medical student can pass the USMLE exam easily and get a high score if you have a good medical knowledge base, just make sure to use proper sources that mos of medical students use such as Uworld Qbank which is the gold standard and make the best combination with the FA textbook and ...