Every Published USMLE Pass Rate

Step 1 first-time pass rates

Step 1 switched to pass/fail in January 2022, and the passing standard rose from 194 to 196 at the same time. The drop that followed is known as the "pass/fail effect." Note the 2025 row: starting that year, Canadian examinees were regrouped with non-U.S. examinees in USMLE reporting, so year-to-year comparisons across that line need care.

Year	U.S. MD, first-time	U.S. DO, first-time	Non-U.S. schools, first-time	All first-time
2021 (scored)	95%	94%	77%	90%
2022 (pass/fail)	91%	91%	71%	84%
2023	90%	86%	68%	83%
2024	89%	86%	70%	82%
2025	93%	89%	75%*	—

*2025 non-U.S. figure reflects the regrouping of Canadian examinees with non-U.S. examinees. Sources: USMLE Performance Data as summarized by MedSchoolCoach (2021–2024) and reporting of 2025 USMLE data.

Step 2 CK first-time pass rates

Step 2 CK is the scored exam residency programs see. Pass rates run far higher than Step 1's, and the mean score has held steady even as the passing standard moved.

Period	U.S. MD, first-time	U.S. DO, first-time	Non-U.S. schools, first-time
2022–2024	98%	96%	—
2024–2025	98% (n=22,249)	—	90% (n=16,186)

Mean score: 249 (2023–2024 testing cycle), per USMLE data via the AMA.
Passing standard: raised to 218 in July 2025 (from 214).
Why the stakes are high anyway: the 2024 NRMP Program Director Survey found 77% of program directors consider failed Step attempts when deciding whom to interview.

Step 3 first-time pass rates (2024)

Step 3 is usually taken during residency — included here for completeness. It doesn't affect your residency application.

Examinee group	First-time pass rate
U.S. MD graduates	97%
U.S. DO graduates	83%
Non-U.S./non-Canadian graduates	89%
Repeat takers (all groups)	∼77%

Source: NBME-compiled data via the AMA's Step 3 FAQs (2024 figures; repeat-taker figure from 2023 USMLE data).

What NBME publishes — and what it doesn't

Honesty matters more than completeness, so here's the boundary of public knowledge:

Published: USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3 performance data — first-time pass rates by broad examinee group (U.S. MD, U.S. DO, non-U.S.), score norms, and passing-standard changes. The USMLE program (co-sponsored by the NBME and FSMB) releases this annually.
Not published: NBME subject ("shelf") exam national norms are not released publicly — schools receive them, the public doesn't. NBME self-assessment (CBSSA/CBSE) score data isn't published either. Treat anyone quoting "national shelf averages" without a citable source with skepticism.
Not published: pass rates by individual school. The USMLE reports only broad groups. If a school quotes its own rate, ask whether it's first-time or eventual — those are different numbers, and the eventual rate is always higher.

How to read these numbers

First-time vs. eventual. Every figure above is first-attempt. Eventual pass rates (after retakes) are higher. Never conflate them.
Don't compare across regroupings. The 2025 Canadian-examinee regrouping means 2025 non-U.S. figures aren't directly comparable to 2024.
Your school's numbers come from your school. National figures describe the pool, not your cohort. Your school reports its own first-time rates to you directly.

Sources

USMLE Performance Data (NBME/FSMB), via MedSchoolCoach's Step 1 pass/fail summary and 2025 reporting.
AMA: Step 2 CK pass rates and mean score (USMLE data).
AMA: Step 3 FAQs (NBME-compiled 2024 data).
2024–2025 Step 2 CK first-time figures by group (USMLE data).
2024 NRMP Program Director Survey: 77% weigh failed Step attempts.