COMLEX Level 1 Pass Rate by Cycle to 2025-2026, and Score Dates

Written by Nicholas. Checked on September 22, 2026.

The COMLEX Level 1 pass rate for first time candidates was 90.2 percent in the 2025-2026 testing cycle, on 9,678 first time takers, from the NBOME examination performance data page, checked on September 22, 2026. Repeat candidates passed at 77.5 percent, and all 10,976 candidates together at 87.2 percent. Scores land on scheduled dates tied to the testing window: the window ending on September 23, 2026 reports on October 6, 2026, 13 days later. Ten cycles of rates and all twelve release dates of the 2026-2027 cycle are below.

COMLEX Level 1 pass rate by testing cycle

The COMLEX Level 1 pass rate for first time candidates has run between 90.2 percent and 95.9 percent across the ten most recent NBOME testing cycles, from 90.2 percent of 9,678 takers in 2025-2026 to 95.9 percent of 6,768 in 2017-2018, from the NBOME examination performance data page, checked on September 22, 2026. Repeat candidates sit 11 to 20 points below the first time rate in every cycle, 77.5 percent of 1,080 repeat takers in 2025-2026.

The first time rate fell from 93.0 percent in 2023-2024 to 90.3 percent in 2024-2025, and the NBOME marks 2024-2025 as the cycle in which a new passing standard was implemented, reviewed in January 2024. That 2.7 point step is the second steepest of these ten cycles by this article's count, behind 2.9 points into 2018-2019, another new standard cycle.

COMLEX Level 1 testing cycle	First time takers	First time pass rate	Repeat takers	Repeat pass rate	All candidates	All candidates pass rate
Level 1, 2025-2026	9,678	90.2 percent	1,080	77.5 percent	10,976	87.2 percent
Level 1, 2024-2025 (new standard)	9,381	90.3 percent	956	76.5 percent	10,533	87.3 percent
Level 1, 2023-2024	9,222	93.0 percent	822	80.8 percent	10,165	90.9 percent
Level 1, 2022-2023	8,798	90.6 percent	861	75.6 percent	9,772	88.2 percent
Level 1, 2021-2022	8,089	92.2 percent	681	75.8 percent	8,871	89.9 percent
Level 1, 2020-2021	7,958	93.7 percent	553	74.5 percent	8,592	91.6 percent
Level 1, 2019-2020 (new standard)	7,478	94.3 percent	456	77.9 percent	7,972	93.0 percent
Level 1, 2018-2019 (new standard)	7,120	93.0 percent	459	78.4 percent	7,658	91.2 percent
Level 1, 2017-2018	6,768	95.9 percent	364	84.9 percent	7,185	94.7 percent
Level 1, 2016-2017	6,559	92.7 percent	534	77.5 percent	7,181	90.4 percent

Source: NBOME, COMLEX-USA Examination Performance Data, and Standard Setting for the January 2024 review, checked on September 22, 2026.

The NBOME updates that table at the end of each testing cycle, and a Level 1 cycle runs from about May to March. All candidates comes to 10,976 in 2025-2026, more than the 10,758 first time plus repeat takers, so read the three rates separately.

COMLEX Level 1 fail rate

The COMLEX-USA Level 1 fail rate was 9.8 percent for first time candidates in the 2025-2026 testing cycle. That is 100 minus the NBOME first time pass rate of 90.2 percent, arithmetic by this article on the NBOME table checked on September 22, 2026.

2025-2026 cycle: 9.8 percent of first time candidates, 22.5 percent of repeat candidates, 12.8 percent of all 10,976.
2024-2025 cycle: 9.7 percent first time, 23.5 percent repeat, 12.7 percent of all 10,533.
2023-2024 cycle: 7.0 percent first time, 19.2 percent repeat, 9.1 percent of all 10,165.

Repeat candidates fail at roughly two to four times the first time rate in every one of the ten most recent NBOME cycles, from 2.3 times in 2025-2026 to 4.0 times in 2020-2021. Arithmetic by this article on the NBOME rates.

A 2026-2027 pass rate does not exist yet. That cycle opened on May 7, 2026 and closes on April 10, 2027, and the NBOME updates the performance table at the end of a cycle, so the newest published cycle on September 22, 2026 is 2025-2026.

COMLEX Level 1 score release dates

COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores are released on scheduled dates set by the testing window, and across the twelve windows of the 2026-2027 cycle the release lands 12 to 30 days after the window closes. Dates from the NBOME testing windows and score release dates page, checked on September 22, 2026; the day counts are this article's arithmetic.

COMLEX Level 1 testing window, 2026-2027 cycle	Score release date	Days from window close to release (computed)
May 7 to May 31, 2026	June 30, 2026	30 days
June 1 to June 13, 2026	July 9, 2026	26 days
June 14 to June 27, 2026	July 21, 2026	24 days
June 28 to July 28, 2026	August 11, 2026	14 days
July 29 to August 27, 2026	September 10, 2026	14 days
August 28 to September 23, 2026	October 6, 2026	13 days
September 24 to October 23, 2026	November 5, 2026	13 days
October 24 to November 25, 2026	December 8, 2026	13 days
November 26 to December 31, 2026	January 12, 2027	12 days
January 2 to January 27, 2027	February 9, 2027	13 days
January 28 to March 5, 2027	March 23, 2027	18 days
March 6 to April 10, 2027	April 22, 2027	12 days

Source: NBOME, COMLEX-USA Testing Windows and Score Release Dates, Level 1 2026-2027 cycle, checked on September 22, 2026.

The COMLEX Level 1 score release time is by 5:00 PM Central, and the release date is set by the close of your testing window rather than by the day you test. The NBOME notes that these dates are subject to change.

NBOME prose gives two different waits: its Level 1 page and its scoring and reporting page say within two to six weeks from the end of a testing window, its frequently asked questions page approximately four to six weeks after the administration date. Count the published dates instead and the answer is 12 to 30 days.

Twelve more windows are published for the 2027-2028 cycle, where the same count runs from 12 to 31 days.

COMLEX Level 1 testing window, 2027-2028 cycle	Score release date	Days from window close to release (computed)
May 6 to May 29, 2027	June 29, 2027	31 days
May 30 to June 19, 2027	July 8, 2027	19 days
June 20 to July 10, 2027	July 22, 2027	12 days
July 11 to July 31, 2027	August 12, 2027	12 days
August 1 to August 28, 2027	September 16, 2027	19 days
August 29 to September 25, 2027	October 14, 2027	19 days
September 26 to October 23, 2027	November 11, 2027	19 days
October 24 to November 27, 2027	December 16, 2027	19 days
November 28 to December 31, 2027	January 20, 2028	20 days
January 1 to January 29, 2028	February 17, 2028	19 days
January 30 to March 4, 2028	March 23, 2028	19 days
March 5 to April 8, 2028	April 27, 2028	19 days

Source: NBOME, COMLEX-USA Testing Windows and Score Release Dates, Level 1 2027-2028 cycle, checked on September 22, 2026.

COMLEX Level 1 passing score

COMLEX-USA Level 1 reports pass or fail and sends the candidate no numeric score, while the NBOME Bulletin of Information 2026-2027 still lists a passing score of 400 for Level 1 under its Passing Scores heading. Both were checked on September 22, 2026. The 400 in the bulletin is where that cut sits on the standard score scale.

That pass or fail standard is criterion based, and the NBOME states the percentage of candidates who pass or fail is not predetermined, so the rate moves with the cohort.

There is no COMLEX Level 1 passing score percentage to quote, and no published count of questions you can miss. Raw answers are converted to a standard score and every scorable question contributes equally, so the number of items behind a pass moves with the form you are given.

Source: NBOME, Bulletin of Information 2026-2027 and Examination Scores and the NBOME FAQ, checked on September 22, 2026.

What is a good COMLEX Level 1 score

A good COMLEX Level 1 score is a pass, and that is the whole result: Level 1 has reported pass or fail only since May 10, 2022, and NBOME percentile conversions for Level 1 stop at the 2021-2022 testing cycle, from the NBOME percentile scores page, checked on September 22, 2026.

So there is no average COMLEX Level 1 score for 2025 or 2026 to quote.

A Level 1 result arrives with a Formative Performance Profile, comparing your content area performance with other first time candidates who passed. The NBOME cautions against using it for any other purpose, including an application to a clinical rotation or a residency program.

Source: NBOME, COMLEX-USA Percentile Scores and Scoring and Reporting, checked on September 22, 2026.

COMLEX Level 1 breakdown: 320 questions, USD 745, four attempts

COMLEX-USA Level 1 holds 320 single best answer multiple choice questions, in a one day computer based test of two separately timed sessions of four hours each, from the NBOME examination format page, checked on September 22, 2026. The count was 352 before the spring 2026 cycle, so material printing 352 is one cycle out of date.

COMLEX Level 1 fact	Number	Applies to
Level 1 questions	320 single best answer questions	2026-2027 cycle, cut from 352 in spring 2026
Level 1 testing time	8 hours, two separately timed sessions of 4 hours	2026-2027 cycle
Level 1 sections	8 sections of 40 questions, four in each session	2026-2027 cycle
Level 1 pace	90 seconds a question, 28,800 seconds divided by 320	Arithmetic by this article
Level 1 break time	60 minutes pooled, outside the 8 hours of testing time	2026-2027 cycle
Level 1 tutorial	16 minutes of pre-examination information and tutorial	2026-2027 cycle
Level 1 result	Pass or fail, no numeric score to the candidate	Since May 10, 2022
Level 1 passing score in the bulletin	400 standard score	Bulletin effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Level 1 unscored items	Research and pre-testing items, what candidates call experimental questions, carry no credit and the count is unpublished	2026-2027 cycle
Level 1 fee	USD 745	Frozen at 2025 levels through the 2027-2028 cycles
Level 1 attempts	4 scored attempts, and no more than 4 in any 12 months	All COMLEX-USA levels

Source: NBOME, Examination Format, Bulletin of Information 2026-2027, Enhancements to COMLEX-USA Exams in 2026 and 2027, Eligibility, frequently asked questions and COMLEX-USA Percentile Scores, checked on September 22, 2026.

The 12 percent blueprint minimum for osteopathic principles, practice and manipulative treatment puts about 38 OMM questions on the exam, this article's arithmetic on 320.

The dimension weights sit on the COMLEX Level 1 page, and item counts for ten exams side by side are in the post on how many questions are on each medical exam.

COMLEX Level 1 pass rate by school

The NBOME publishes COMLEX-USA Level 1 pass rates at national level only, so there is no public Level 1 pass rate by school. School level figures exist: the NBOME sends each college a school summary report comparing performance at that school with national performance, on its Scoring and Reporting page, checked on September 22, 2026.

Your own school's figure therefore sits with your dean's office, and no ranking of osteopathic colleges by Level 1 pass rate comes from the exam owner.

How many times can you take COMLEX Level 1

You get four scored attempts at COMLEX-USA Level 1, and no more than four at one level within any 12 month period, counting incomplete and voided attempts, from the NBOME eligibility rules checked on September 22, 2026. A fifth exists only as a one time final attempt requested by a medical licensing agency. Turned around, you can fail COMLEX Level 1 three times and still have a fourth scored attempt, and every scored attempt counts toward the four whether you pass or fail.

A candidate who has passed a level may not take it again to improve the result, and the levels run in sequence, each one passed before the next.

The Level 1 fee is USD 745, frozen at 2025 levels through the 2027-2028 cycles, so no separate 2027 fee is published. Moving a booked date costs USD 0 more than 30 days out, USD 85 from 6 to 30 days out and USD 250 from 1 to 5 days out, and a no show inside 24 hours forfeits USD 400.

Source: NBOME, Eligibility and frequently asked questions, checked on September 22, 2026.

Is COMLEX or Step 1 harder

COMLEX-USA Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 both run eight hours and both report pass or fail, and the newest published first time pass rates are 90.2 percent for Level 1 in the 2025-2026 cycle from the NBOME and 93 percent for MD first takers from US schools in 2025 from the USMLE, both checked on September 22, 2026.

COMLEX Level 1 against Step 1	COMLEX-USA Level 1	USMLE Step 1
Who owns the exam	NBOME	FSMB and NBME
Who takes it	Osteopathic medical students, after the first year	MD and DO students and international graduates
Questions in the exam	320 single best answer questions	About 280: no more than 20 in each of fourteen blocks, for exams taken on or after May 14, 2026
Testing time on the day	8 hours, two 4 hour sessions	7 hours of blocks inside an 8 hour session
Result	Pass or fail, no numeric score	Pass or fail
Newest first time pass rate	90.2 percent, 2025-2026 cycle, 9,678 takers	93 percent MD and 89 percent DO first takers, US schools, 2025
When scores land	A scheduled date, 12 to 30 days after the window closes in 2026-2027	Typically two to four weeks after the test date

Source: NBOME, COMLEX-USA Level 1 and Examination Performance Data; USMLE, Step 1, Performance Data, Scoring and Score Reporting and the 2027 Bulletin of Information, checked on September 22, 2026.

The DO row is the closest comparison. In 2025, 89 percent of 4,623 first taking DO students from US schools passed Step 1, 1.2 points under the Level 1 first time rate. Those students chose to take both exams, so that gap is not a ranking. Step 1 rates by year and group are in the post on the Step 1 passing score and pass rates, and the current format sits on the Step 1 page.

How to study for COMLEX Level 1

The NBOME publishes no recommended study length for COMLEX-USA Level 1, so any week count is somebody's arithmetic. What it does publish is a readiness tool: COMSAE Phase 1, 176 items over 4 hours, checked on September 22, 2026. Run it at Level 1 pace instead of the 4 hours COMSAE allows and those 176 questions take 4 hours and 24 minutes.

This next part is opinion and arithmetic by this article, not NBOME guidance. Level 1 runs at 90 seconds a question, so a 20 question block is 30 minutes and eight blocks a week is 160 questions.

The osteopathic slice is about 38 items at the blueprint floor, the part a bank written for MD students serves worst. Questions written from your own OMM notes cover it, and each question generated here prints the sentence and the page it came from. A guest gets 60 verified questions, an account gets 300 a month free, a 90 day Exam Pass is USD 19.99 and a 500 question pack is USD 5.99, and neither renews. Examples are on the sample exam page, and the format facts sit on the COMLEX Level 1 page.

Source: NBOME, frequently asked questions on COMSAE Phase 1, checked on September 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

What is on COMLEX Level 1 exam day?

COMLEX-USA Level 1 runs 8 hours of testing time on one day, split into two separately timed sessions of four hours, with four sections of 40 questions in each session. A pooled break allowance of 60 minutes sits outside those 8 hours, and the day opens with 16 minutes of pre-examination information and tutorial. Time you leave unused in session A does not carry into session B. NBOME Bulletin of Information 2026-2027, checked on September 22, 2026.

How many questions can you miss on COMLEX Level 1?

The NBOME publishes no number. Raw answers on Level 1 are converted to a standard score, the pass or fail standard is criterion based, and every scorable question contributes equally, so the count of items you can miss shifts with the form you are given. The often quoted figure of approximately 60 percent correct comes from the USMLE and applies to its Step examinations. NBOME Scoring and Reporting and frequently asked questions pages and the USMLE scores and transcripts page, checked on September 22, 2026.

What was the COMLEX Level 1 pass rate in 2025?

Two NBOME cycles touch 2025. The 2024-2025 cycle, on the usual May to March calendar, passed 90.3 percent of 9,381 first time candidates and 76.5 percent of 956 repeat candidates, 87.3 percent across all 10,533. The 2025-2026 cycle, which opened in May 2025 on that same NBOME calendar, passed 90.2 percent of 9,678 first time candidates and 87.2 percent of all 10,976. NBOME examination performance data, checked on September 22, 2026.

How many OMM questions are on COMLEX Level 1?

About 38 at the blueprint floor. Osteopathic principles, practice and manipulative treatment carries a minimum of 12 percent of Level 1, and 12 percent of 320 items is 38.4, so roughly 38 questions. Osteopathic patient care and procedural skills adds a 6 percent minimum, about 19 items more. Those counts are this article's arithmetic on the NBOME published minimums, checked on September 22, 2026.

What is COMLEX Level 1 scored out of?

Nothing that reaches you as a number. Level 1 has reported pass or fail only since May 10, 2022, so no three digit standard score goes to the candidate. The NBOME Bulletin of Information 2026-2027 still prints 400 as the Level 1 passing score, which is the point on the standard score scale the cut sits on. NBOME Bulletin of Information 2026-2027 and percentile scores page, checked on September 22, 2026.

Are COMLEX Level 1 percentile scores still published?

Percentile conversions for COMLEX-USA Level 1 run only through the 2021-2022 testing cycle, because Level 1 stopped reporting numeric scores on May 10, 2022. For every cycle since, the NBOME publishes no Level 1 percentile table. What you receive instead is a Formative Performance Profile comparing your content area performance with other first time candidates who passed. NBOME percentile scores page, checked on September 22, 2026.

Is COMLEX Level 1 hard?

About one in ten first time candidates failed it in the most recent published cycle: 9.8 percent of 9,678, which is 100 minus the NBOME first time pass rate of 90.2 percent for 2025-2026. Repeat candidates failed at 22.5 percent in the same cycle. That second figure is the argument for taking a first attempt only when your practice scores say so. NBOME examination performance data, checked on September 22, 2026.

When do COMLEX Level 1 scores come out?

On a scheduled date set by your testing window, by 5:00 PM Central time. A candidate testing in the window ending September 23, 2026 gets the score on October 6, 2026, 13 days later. Across the twelve windows of the 2026-2027 cycle the wait runs from 12 days to 30 days, counted from the published NBOME schedule. NBOME testing windows and score release dates, checked on September 22, 2026.

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Published September 22, 2026.