Step 2 CK Score Percentiles 2026 and Step 3 Percentiles
Written by Dr Zartasha Ali, MBBS, FCPS (Medicine). Reviewed by Dr Ammar Hussain, MBBS, FCPS (Pediatrics), MRCPCH.
A Step 2 CK score of 250 is at the 44th percentile, 260 is at the 71st and 240 is at the 23rd, according to the USMLE norm table updated on 17 August 2026. The average Step 2 CK score is 251. For Step 3, the average is 227 and a score of 230 is at the 56th percentile.
Step 2 CK and Step 3 percentile table
The percentile is the share of first takers from US MD schools who scored lower than you. USMLE publishes it in its Score Interpretation Guidelines.
| USMLE score | Step 2 CK percentile | Step 3 percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 280 | 100 | 100 |
| 275 | 98 | 100 |
| 270 | 93 | 100 |
| 265 | 83 | 100 |
| 260 | 71 | 99 |
| 255 | 58 | 97 |
| 250 | 44 | 93 |
| 245 | 32 | 88 |
| 240 | 23 | 80 |
| 235 | 15 | 69 |
| 230 | 9 | 56 |
| 225 | 6 | 43 |
| 220 | 3 | 31 |
| 215 | 2 | 20 |
| 210 | 1 | 12 |
| 205 | 0 | 7 |
| 200 | 0 | 4 |
| 195 | 0 | 2 |
| 190 | 0 | 1 |
Source: USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, Table 2, updated 17 August 2026.
Who is in the table. Step 2 CK: 67,824 first takers from LCME-accredited schools who tested between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2026. Step 3: 64,576 first takers who tested between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025. From 2025, USMLE removed Canadian schools from this group.
Scores between the rows. The table moves in steps of 5. A score of 248 sits between 245 (32nd) and 250 (44th), so it is at roughly the 39th percentile. Our NBME score calculator works this out for any score.
USMLE Step 2 CK score percentile: how to read it
Being at the 44th percentile means 44% of first takers from US MD schools scored lower than you. It does not mean you got 44% of the questions right.
Two points from USMLE matter when you compare scores:
- Scores are not exact. USMLE gives the standard error of measurement as about 6 points for Step 2 CK and 5 points for Step 3. Two scores a few points apart describe almost the same performance.
- Steps are not comparable. A 220 on Step 2 CK is not the same as a 220 on Step 3. The same table shows both, but each column applies to its own exam only.
USMLE updates the table every year, dropping the oldest examinees and adding the newest. A score’s percentile can move by a point or two from one year to the next.
Average Step 2 CK score
The average Step 2 CK score was 251 for first takers from US MD schools in the 2025-2026 academic year. It has risen by one point a year:
| Academic year | Average Step 2 CK score | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 249 | 15 |
| 2024-2025 | 250 | 15 |
| 2025-2026 | 251 | 15 |
Source: USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, Table 1.
A standard deviation of 15 means about two-thirds of these examinees scored between 236 and 266.
What is a good Step 2 CK score?
A good Step 2 CK score depends on what you need it for. In numbers from the official table:
- The pass mark is 218. That is about the 3rd percentile. Passing is the first goal, and almost every first taker from a US MD school clears it.
- The average is 251. A score above 251 is above the average for US MD first takers.
- 260 is the 71st percentile and 265 is the 83rd. Scores in this range are above roughly three-quarters of US MD first takers.
- 270 is the 93rd percentile. Very few examinees score above 275.
For residency, the score that counts as good differs by specialty and by program. The National Resident Matching Program publishes the scores of matched and unmatched applicants in its “Charting Outcomes in the Match” reports. Check the latest report for your specialty rather than a number quoted on a forum.
International medical graduates are compared with the same US MD table. There is no separate percentile table for international graduates.
Step 3 percentiles
The average Step 3 score was 227 for first takers from US MD schools in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with a standard deviation of 15. The pass mark is 200, which is about the 4th percentile.
| Step 3 score | Percentile |
|---|---|
| 200 | 4 |
| 210 | 12 |
| 220 | 31 |
| 227 (average) | about 48 |
| 230 | 56 |
| 240 | 80 |
| 250 | 93 |
| 260 | 99 |
Step 3 percentiles are higher than Step 2 CK percentiles for the same number because Step 3 scores are lower on average. A 240 is the 23rd percentile on Step 2 CK but the 80th on Step 3.
Step 1 score percentiles
Step 1 has no percentiles now. It has been reported as pass or fail only for exams taken since 26 January 2022, so there is no 3-digit score to rank. USMLE’s norm table now covers Step 2 CK and Step 3 only.
Old Step 1 percentile tables apply only to scores from before that date. USMLE advises against comparing scores taken years apart, because the content and format of the exams change.
USMLE score range and the highest score
Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores are reported on a scale from 1 to 300. In practice almost all scores fall between about 190 and 280: in the latest table, 280 is already the 100th percentile on Step 2 CK. USMLE does not publish the highest score ever achieved.
Percentiles on NBME practice tests
NBME’s Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessment (CCSSA) reports its score on the same 1 to 300 scale as Step 2 CK. To see where a practice score would fall in the official table, enter it in the NBME score calculator. It also shows your chance of passing from NBME’s own table.
Questions people ask
What percentile is a 250 on Step 2 CK?
The 44th percentile, according to the USMLE norm table updated on 17 August 2026.
What is the average Step 2 CK score in 2026?
251, for first takers from US MD schools in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Is 240 a good Step 2 CK score?
240 passes comfortably: it is 22 points above the pass mark of 218. It is at the 23rd percentile, below the average of 251.
What percentile is passing Step 2 CK?
The pass mark of 218 falls between the 2nd and 3rd percentile in the current table.
Why is my Step 3 percentile so much higher than my Step 2 CK percentile?
The average Step 3 score is 227, compared with 251 for Step 2 CK. The same number therefore ranks higher on Step 3. USMLE says scores on the two Steps should not be compared.
Is there a Step 1 percentile chart for 2026?
No. Step 1 is pass or fail only, so USMLE no longer publishes Step 1 percentiles.
More guides
- USMLE Step 1 passing score: the pass marks for all three Steps and how they are set.
- USMLE Step 1 exam dates: including when Step 2 CK and Step 3 scores are released.
- USMLE Step 2 CK recalls: practice papers written by our own authors.
Sources
Opened on 14 October 2026:
- USMLE, Score Interpretation Guidelines (updated 17 August 2026): https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf
- USMLE, Common Questions, Scores: https://www.usmle.org/common-questions/scores
- USMLE, Change to Step 2 CK passing standard (1 July 2025): https://www.usmle.org/change-step-2-ck-passing-standard-begins-july-1-2025
- USMLE, Change to Step 3 passing standard (1 January 2024): https://www.usmle.org/change-step-3-passing-standard-begins-january-1-2024
- NRMP, Charting Outcomes in the Match: https://www.nrmp.org/match-data/