How Many Questions Are on Step 1, and on Ten Other Exams

MedUni Exam. Checked on September 26, 2026.

How many questions on Step 1: approximately 280, divided into fourteen 30 minute blocks inside one 8 hour session, from the USMLE 2027 Bulletin of Information, checked on September 21, 2026. Divide the block time by the question count and Step 1 runs at 90 seconds an item. The table below puts Step 1 next to Step 2 CK, COMLEX-USA Level 1, NCLEX-RN, the MCAT, the NAPLEX, the INBDE, PLAB 1, the UKMLA AKT, MRCP(UK) Part 1 and the PANCE.

How many questions on Step 1, and how long is Step 1

USMLE Step 1 holds approximately 280 multiple choice questions in fourteen 30 minute blocks, administered in one 8 hour testing session, per the USMLE 2027 Bulletin of Information, checked on September 21, 2026. A USMLE Step 1 block holds no more than 20 questions, per the USMLE Step 1 exam page.

Step 1 is 8 hours long, and fourteen blocks of 30 minutes make 420 minutes of that, which is 7 hours of answering. The rest is a minimum of 55 minutes of break time and a 5 minute optional tutorial. Divide 25,200 seconds by 280 questions: 90 seconds an item. Content weights are on the Step 1 page.

All eleven exams:

Source: the document named in the first cell of each row, checked on September 21, 2026, and the PANCE row on September 26, 2026. Seconds per question is this article's arithmetic: block or paper time in seconds divided by the question count.

For the pass mark and pass rate of each exam by year: PLAB 1 pass mark and pass rate, MRCP Part 1 pass mark and pass rate, USMLE Step 1 passing score and pass rates and Step 2 CK percentiles and passing score. For the weeks counted from the exam date: how long to study for PLAB 1.

How many questions per block on Step 2 CK

A USMLE Step 2 CK block holds no more than 20 questions, and sixteen 30 minute blocks fill one 9 hour session for exams taken on or after May 7, 2026, per the USMLE Step 2 CK exam page, checked on September 21, 2026. USMLE Step 2 CK is approximately 316 questions, the figure printed in the 2027 Bulletin of Information.

Before May 7, 2026 Step 2 CK ran as eight 60 minute blocks of up to 40 questions, with a total that would not exceed 318 items. The 2026 Bulletin of Information, which describes that format, prints approximately 318 questions in eight 60 minute blocks. Any guide still giving 40 question blocks and 318 items is describing the exam before May 7, 2026.

Sixteen blocks of 30 minutes is 480 minutes, so 28,800 seconds over 316 questions is 91 seconds an item. Blueprint weights are on the Step 2 CK page.

How many questions on COMLEX Level 1, and how long is COMLEX Level 1

COMLEX-USA Level 1 holds 320 questions, based on the competency domains and clinical presentations for osteopathic medical practice, in a one day, eight hour computer based test, per the NBOME COMLEX-USA Bulletin of Information 2026-2027, in force from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 and checked on September 21, 2026. The day is two separately timed four hour sessions, four sections in each, 40 questions per section.

Anything still saying 352 questions is out of date. NBOME announced on December 16, 2024 that Level 1 would drop to 320 items while candidates kept eight hours, and the bulletin in force prints 320.

Eight hours over 320 questions is 28,800 seconds divided by 320, or 90 seconds an item, the same pace as Step 1. Sixty minutes of pooled break time and a 16 minute tutorial sit outside that. Blueprint weights are on the COMLEX-USA Level 1 page.

How many questions on the NCLEX, and how long is the NCLEX exam

NCLEX-RN gives every candidate a minimum of 85 items and a maximum of 150 inside a five hour period that includes all breaks, per the 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, effective April 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026. Because the exam is computer adaptive, the count is not fixed.

A minimum length exam of 85 breaks into 52 items from the eight content areas, 18 items forming three clinical judgment case studies of six items each, and 15 unscored pretest items.

Five hours is 18,000 seconds, so at the 150 item maximum you have 120 seconds an item and at the 85 item minimum 211.8 seconds. Plan at 120. The 2026 content weights sit on the NCLEX-RN page.

How many questions on the MCAT, and how long is the MCAT

The MCAT has four scored sections of 59, 53, 59 and 59 questions, which adds to 230, and total content time is 6 hours and 15 minutes, per the AAMC exam overview, checked on September 21, 2026. That 230 is this article's arithmetic, not a total the AAMC prints. Section weights are on the MCAT page.

Total seated time is about 7 hours and 30 minutes, plus check-in. The extra is 4 minutes of certification, a 10 minute tutorial, two 10 minute breaks, a 30 minute mid-exam break, 3 minutes for the void question and a 5 minute survey.

Source: the AAMC exam overview, checked on September 21, 2026. Seconds per question is this article's arithmetic: 95 minutes over 59 questions is 96.6 seconds, 90 over 53 is 101.9, and 375 minutes over 230 questions is 97.8.

How many questions on the NAPLEX, and how long is the NAPLEX

The NAPLEX is a 6 hour exam of 225 questions on a computerized fixed form, 200 of them scored and 25 pretest questions spread through it, per the NABP candidate application bulletin, checked on September 21, 2026. Six hours over 225 questions is 96 seconds an item, and the appointment is 6 hours 45 minutes including two optional 10 minute breaks.

Questions arrive in a fixed order and you cannot return to one once you confirm it. Content weights for the 200 scored questions are on the NAPLEX page.

How many questions on the INBDE, day 1 and day 2

The INBDE runs over two days: day 1 is three sections of 100 standalone items plus one of 60 case items, and day 2 is two sections of 70 case items, so day 1 carries 360 items and day 2 carries 140, per the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 21, 2026. That makes the INBDE 500 items in total, a sum of the six section counts rather than a figure the guide prints.

Source: the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide administration schedule, checked on September 21, 2026. Seconds per item is this article's arithmetic: 6,300 seconds over 100 items is 63, over 60 items is 105, over 70 items is 90, and 37,800 seconds over 500 items is 75.6. The 500 total is the sum of those six section counts.

Two INBDE totals answer different questions: administration time is 12 hours 30 minutes, counting tutorials, breaks and the survey; section time is 630 minutes. Item formats are on the INBDE page.

How many questions on the PANCE, and how long is the PANCE

The PANCE is 300 questions in five blocks of 60, with 60 minutes to complete each block, plus a total of 45 minutes for breaks between blocks and 15 minutes for a tutorial, from the NCCPA become certified page, checked on September 26, 2026. Five blocks of 60 minutes is 5 hours of answering, and the breaks and the tutorial make the appointment 6 hours, on this article's addition.

Sixty minutes over 60 questions is 3,600 seconds divided by 60, or 60 seconds a question, the same pace as PLAB 1. The PANCE passing score is 350 on a scale of 200 to 800, from the NCCPA exam development and scoring page, checked on September 26, 2026. The blueprint by organ system and task is on the PANCE page.

How long is PLAB 1, the UKMLA AKT and MRCP Part 1

PLAB 1 is a three hour written exam of 180 multiple choice questions, each a short scenario, a question and five options, per the GMC guide to the PLAB 1 exam, checked on September 21, 2026. This site carries the same number on the PLAB 1 page.

Three hours over 180 questions is 10,800 seconds divided by 180, or 60 seconds a question, the fastest pace of the eleven exams here and the same as the PANCE, against 108 seconds a question on MRCP(UK) Part 1.

The UKMLA applied knowledge test is two 100 item papers of two hours each, taken on sequential days, so 200 questions in four hours of answering, per the UK Medical School Applied Knowledge Test Student Handbook 2026, checked on September 21, 2026. Both papers count as one exam over two consecutive days.

Each paper is 7,200 seconds over 100 items, or 72 seconds a question. Questions are single best answer with five options and the paper is not negatively marked. Domain weights are on the UKMLA page.

MRCP(UK) Part 1 is a one day exam, per the Federation Part 1 page, and the day is two three hour papers of 100 best of five questions each, 200 questions in six hours, per the Federation Part 1 format page, checked on September 21, 2026.

Six hours over 200 questions is 21,600 seconds divided by 200, or 108 seconds a question, more time per question than any other fixed length exam here. Indicative item numbers by specialty are on the MRCP Part 1 page, and a study plan counted backward from a diet date is in the post on how long to study for MRCP Part 1.

Which exam owners publish a count of unscored items

The USMLE says Step 1 carries no experimental items in the sense of unreviewed questions or questions off the blueprint, and it publishes no count of unscored items, on its Common Questions page, checked on September 21, 2026. The same answer covers Step 2 CK.

Of the eleven exams here, two owners print a number.

Source: each document named in the first cell, checked on September 21, 2026, and the PANCE row on September 26, 2026. A row reporting no count is a negative finding from a full text search of that document.

The INBDE and the PANCE are the two exams here whose owners confirm unscored items and give no count. The INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide says the unscored questions look the same to candidates as the scored ones, checked on September 21, 2026, and NCCPA says PANCE examinees have no way of telling its pretest items from the scored ones, on its exam development and scoring page, checked on September 26, 2026.

For Step 1, Step 2 CK, COMLEX-USA Level 1, the MCAT, the UKMLA AKT and MRCP Part 1 the exam owner publishes no unscored item count, so no official figure exists for those six. The GMC guide to PLAB 1 gives no count either, checked on September 21, 2026. Answer every item as if it counts, because you cannot pick out the ones that do not.

How long a 20, 40 or 60 question practice set should take

A 20 question set at Step 1 pace should take 30 minutes, because the USMLE 2027 Bulletin of Information puts about 280 questions into fourteen 30 minute blocks, or 420 minutes, which is 90 seconds an item, checked on September 21, 2026. Every row below is that division with each exam's own numbers, rounded to the nearest minute.

Source: the seconds per question column above, checked on September 21, 2026, and for the PANCE on September 26, 2026. Every minute is this article's arithmetic, unrounded: Step 2 CK 30.4, 60.8 and 91.1 minutes; the MCAT 32.6, 65.2 and 97.8; the INBDE 25.2, 50.4 and 75.6.

Set a timer. A PLAB 1 candidate answering 40 questions in an unhurried hour is practicing at 90 seconds an item for an exam that gives 60.

Turning your own material into a set at that pace is what the generator here does. Upload one chapter, ask for 20 questions, set the timer to the row above for your exam, and check the page number each question quotes when you get one wrong. The sample exam needs no upload and no account. A guest gets 200 verified questions and a confirmed account gets 500 a month free. A 90 day Exam Pass is £39.99, and it does not renew. A daily number is in the post on how many practice questions a day is enough.

Questions people ask

How many hours is MRCP Part 1?

Six hours of papers in one day, taken as two three hour papers of 100 best of five questions each. The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians prints the papers and the hours on its Part 1 format page and the one day on its Part 1 page, checked on September 21, 2026. Six hours over 200 questions works out at 108 seconds a question, more time per item than any other fixed length exam on this site.

How long is each UKMLA paper?

Two hours is the standard time for each of the two papers, and each paper holds 100 items, per the UK Medical School Applied Knowledge Test Student Handbook 2026, checked on September 21, 2026. Candidates with reasonable adjustments get their own timings. The two papers are taken on sequential days and count as one exam, giving 200 questions in four hours of answering.

How many hours is COMLEX Level 1?

Eight hours, run as two separately timed four hour sessions on the same day, with four sections in each session. That is the format in the NBOME COMLEX-USA Bulletin of Information 2026-2027, checked on September 21, 2026. Time you leave unused in session A is lost rather than carried into session B, and a 60 minute pooled break allowance sits outside the eight hours.

How many questions on day 2 of INBDE?

Day 2 holds 140 items, in two sections of 70 case based items with 105 minutes allotted to each, per the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 21, 2026. Day 2 total time is 4 hours 15 minutes once the optional tutorial, the scheduled break between the two sections and the post-exam survey are counted. Day 1 holds the other 360 items across four sections.

How long is Step 2 CK?

One 9 hour testing session for exams taken on or after May 7, 2026, holding sixteen 30 minute blocks, which is 8 hours of answering plus a minimum of 55 minutes of break time and a 5 minute optional tutorial. The USMLE Step 2 CK exam page carries that format, checked on September 21, 2026. Before May 7, 2026 the same 9 hours held eight 60 minute blocks.

How many hours is PLAB 1?

Three hours, in which you answer 180 multiple choice questions, so 60 seconds a question. That is the fastest pace of the eleven exams on this site, the same as the PANCE, against 72 seconds on the UKMLA applied knowledge test and 108 on MRCP(UK) Part 1. The figure comes from the GMC guide to the PLAB 1 exam, checked on September 21, 2026.

Published September 21, 2026, updated October 26, 2026.