[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-201694-en":3,"doc-seo-201694-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":89},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":11,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":26,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},201694,687197207057,"Sage","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0",4,"Exam","USMLE Step Examination Score Interpretation Guidelines - Version 5 - 24 - 22","Guidelines explain how to interpret USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) and Step 3 scores, including score ranges, statistical adjustments across forms and years, and cautions about comparing scores taken far apart. Percentile ranks are derived from norm tables based on LCME-accredited medical school examinees within defined testing windows. The document also clarifies that Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores are not directly comparable and summarizes how passing is determined for each administration based on predefined proficiency levels.","USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines  \nDescription of Examinations  \nStep 1 * assesses whether the examinee understands and can apply important concepts of the sciences basic to the practice of medicine, with special emphasis on principles and mechanisms underlying health, disease, and modes of therapy. Step 1 ensures mastery of not only the sciences that provide a foundation for the safe and competent practice of medicine in the present, but also the scientific principles required for the maintenance of competence through lifelong learning.  \nStep 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) assesses whether the examinee can apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision and includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Step 2 ensures that due attention is devoted to principles of clinical sciences and basic patient-centered skills that provide the foundation for the safe and competent practice of medicine.  \nStep 3 assesses whether the examinee can apply medical knowledge and understanding of biomedical and clinical science essential for the unsupervised practice of medicine, with emphasis on patient management in ambulatory settings. The inclusion of Step 3 in the USMLE sequence of licensing examinations ensures that attention is devoted to the importance of assessing the knowledge and skills of physicians who are assuming independent responsibility for providing general medical care to patients.  \nUnderstanding Your Score  \nReported scores for Step 2 CK and Step 3 range from 1 to 300. Small differences in difficulty across forms and years are adjusted for using statistical procedures; thus, scores for a given Step are comparable across years and across forms. However, it is important to note that all USMLE examinations evolve over time in terms of test content, and that examinations taken at two substantially different points in time may vary somewhat in terms of inclusion or emphasis of certain content areas. USMLE stakeholders should avoid comparing scores that were obtained at dramatically different points in time. Because the content and format of each examination change over time, comparisons should not be made of individual scores separated in time by more than 3-4 years. Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviation (SD) for first-takers from LCME-accredited medical schools who tested over the past 3 years.  \n\n| Table 1. Means (SDs) for First Takers from LCME-accredited Medical Schools* |  |\n| --- | --- |\n| Step 1 |  |\n| Calendar Year |  |\n| 2025 | Examination is reported as pass/fail only. |\n| Step 2 Clinical Knowledge |  |\n| Academic Year | Mean (SD) |\n| 2023-2024 | 249 (15) |\n| 2024-2025 | 250 (15) |\n| 2025-2026 | 251 (15) |\n| Step 3 |  |\n| Calendar Year | Mean (SD) |\n| 2023 | 227 (15) |\n| 2024 | 227 (15) |\n| 2025 | 227 (15) |\n\n* In 2023 and 2024, the LCME-accredited medical school group included both U.S. and Canadian medical schools. Beginning in the 2025 calendar year for Step 3 and the 2025-2026 academic year for Step 2 CK, Canadian medical schools were removed from this group.  \nThe norm table (Table 2) enables you to determine the percentage of first-takers from LCMEaccredited medical schools testing between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026 for Step 2 CK, and between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025 for Step 3 who scored lower than a given USMLE Step Examination score. For example, to compare a given score with the scores of LCMEaccredited first-takers on Step 2 CK, locate the score in the column labeled USMLE Score. Read across the table to the percentile rank column labeled Step 2 CK. An examinee with a Step 2 CK score of 240 is at the 23rd percentile. The 23rd percentile means that 23% of the Step 2 CK firsttakers from LCME-accredited medical schools in the three-year cohort described previously scored lower than 240.  \nNorm tables are updated annually by dropping earlier groups of examinees and adding newer ones. Beca","cbCaihuL1SDeoU2z","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihuL1SDeoU2z","pdf",300604,1,"English","en",105,"# Understanding the Examinations\n## Step 1 Overview\n## Step 2 CK Overview\n## Step 3 Overview\n# Understanding Your Score\n## Score Ranges and Comparability\n## Norm Tables and Percentile Ranks\n## Cautions on Cross-Step Comparisons\n# Passing Scores","[{\"question\":\"How are USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores adjusted for difficulty across forms and years?\",\"answer\":\"Small differences in difficulty across forms and years are adjusted using statistical procedures, making scores for a given Step comparable across years and forms.\"},{\"question\":\"How should a percentile rank for a Step 2 CK score be interpreted?\",\"answer\":\"A percentile rank indicates the percentage of first-takers in the relevant LCME-accredited cohort scoring lower than the given score (e.g., the 23rd percentile means 23% scored lower).\"},{\"question\":\"Can Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores be directly compared?\",\"answer\":\"No. Although percentile ranks appear in the same norm table, scores across the two Steps are not directly comparable, and the same numeric score does not represent the same level of performance.\"}]","USMLE Step Examination Score Interpretation Guidelines - Version 5 - 24 - 22 | PDF",1788537124,10,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":84,"head_meta":86,"extra_data":88,"updated_unix":27},"usmle-step-examination-score-interpretation-guidelines-version-5-24-22","",{"@graph":35,"@context":83},[36,52,66],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/usmle-step-examination-score-interpretation-guidelines-version-5-24-22/201694/",{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":60,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":61,"interactionStatistic":62},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":40,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-04",true,{"@type":63,"interactionType":64,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":65},"ViewAction",{"@type":67,"mainEntity":68},"FAQPage",[69,75,79],{"name":70,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":72},"How are USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores adjusted for difficulty across forms and years?","Question",{"text":73,"@type":74},"Small differences in difficulty across forms and years are adjusted using statistical procedures, making scores for a given Step comparable across years and forms.","Answer",{"name":76,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":77},"How should a percentile rank for a Step 2 CK score be interpreted?",{"text":78,"@type":74},"A percentile rank indicates the percentage of first-takers in the relevant LCME-accredited cohort scoring lower than the given score (e.g., the 23rd percentile means 23% scored lower).",{"name":80,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":81},"Can Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores be directly compared?",{"text":82,"@type":74},"No. Although percentile ranks appear in the same norm table, scores across the two Steps are not directly comparable, and the same numeric score does not represent the same level of performance.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":85,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":87,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":23},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":90},[91,95,99,102,107,112,117,122,127,130,133],{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},70,"exam",{"id":103,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":108,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":113,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":28,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":28,"slug":132},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":134,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":136},19,"General","general"]