# Step 2 CK Percentiles From 205 to 280, and the 218 Pass Score

> Step 2 CK percentiles: a score of 260 is the 71st percentile and 250 the 44th, in a 16 row table, with the Step 2 CK passing score of 218 and pass rates.

Markdown copy of https://meduniexam.com/blog/step-2-ck-percentiles-and-passing-score (the HTML page), published by MedUni Exam. Published September 21, 2026. Site guide for agents: https://meduniexam.com/llms.txt.

Written by [Nicholas](https://meduniexam.com/about.md). Checked on September 21, 2026.

Step 2 CK percentiles come from one published table: a score of 260 is the 71st percentile, a 250 is the 44th and a 240 is the 23rd, among 67,824 first takers from LCME accredited medical schools who tested between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026. Those figures sit in the USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, updated August 17, 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026. The Step 2 CK passing score is 218 for every exam taken on or after July 1, 2025. A percentile here is the percent of that group scoring lower, and the whole table is below.

## Step 2 CK percentiles 2026: the whole score table

A Step 2 CK score of 260 is the **71st percentile**, which means 71 percent of first takers scored lower than 260. Every percentile on this page comes from Table 2 of the [USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines](https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf), updated August 17, 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026. The group behind the table is 67,824 first takers from LCME accredited medical schools who tested between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026.

The 250 Step 2 CK percentile is 44, and a 250 sits one point under the 251 national mean. Five more points move you further than that gap looks: the 255 Step 2 CK percentile is 58, so those five points clear another 14 percent of the cohort. Higher up, the gaps shrink. The 270 Step 2 CK percentile is 93, so the 10 points from there to 280 are worth 7 more percentile points on the published table.

| Step 2 CK score | Percentile rank |
| --- | --- |
| Step 2 CK score of 280 | 100th percentile (more than 99 percent of first takers scored lower, and the guidelines round this row to 100) |
| Step 2 CK score of 275 | 98th percentile (98 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 270 | 93rd percentile (93 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 265 | 83rd percentile (83 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 260 | 71st percentile (71 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 255 | 58th percentile (58 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 250 | 44th percentile (44 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 245 | 32nd percentile (32 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 240 | 23rd percentile (23 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 235 | 15th percentile (15 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 230 | 9th percentile (9 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 225 | 6th percentile (6 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 220 | 3rd percentile (3 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 215 | 2nd percentile (2 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 210 | 1st percentile (1 percent of first takers scored lower) |
| Step 2 CK score of 205 | 0th percentile (fewer than 1 percent of first takers scored lower, and the guidelines round this row to 0) |

Source: USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, Table 2, updated August 17, 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026. The full table runs from 300 down to 155 and below in five point steps, and the rows left out here all print 100 or all print 0.

A Step 2 CK percentile is a rank, not a percent correct, and the percent correct figure has its own section below.

The table steps in fives and prints no row for 218, the passing score. A 218 falls between the 215 row at the 2nd percentile and the 220 row at the 3rd, so a passing Step 2 CK score can still sit in the bottom 3 percent of this cohort. USMLE publishes no percentile for 218, so that placement between the two rows is arithmetic.

The table above is the Step 2 CK percentile calculator people search for, with one limit: it is built on first takers from LCME accredited medical schools, and USMLE publishes no separate percentile table for repeaters or for other schools.

## What is a good Step 2 CK score

A good Step 2 CK score starts at 251, because 251 is the mean for first takers from LCME accredited medical schools in academic year 2025-2026, with a standard deviation of 15, from Table 1 of the [USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines](https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf), checked on September 21, 2026. Calling 251 the line is this article reading the published distribution, not a USMLE statement.

A 250 sits at the 44th percentile, so the mean is close to the middle of the cohort. One standard deviation above the mean is 266, between the 265 row at the 83rd percentile and the 270 row at the 93rd. One below is 236, just above the 235 row at the 15th. Both of those are arithmetic on Table 1 and Table 2.

| Academic year | Step 2 CK mean score, first takers from LCME accredited schools | Standard deviation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2023-2024 | 249 | 15 |
| 2024-2025 | 250 | 15 |
| 2025-2026 | 251 | 15 |

Source: USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, Table 1, updated August 17, 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026.

Canadian medical schools were in the LCME accredited group for 2023 and 2024 and were removed for 2025-2026, so the 251 covers a slightly different set of schools than the 249.

Step 1 has reported pass or fail only since January 26, 2022. The post on the [Step 1 passing score and pass rates](https://meduniexam.com/blog/usmle-step-1-passing-score-and-pass-rates.md) has that change with its dates, and [the Step 1 page](https://meduniexam.com/exam/usmle-step-1.md) has the blueprint.

## Step 2 CK passing score and pass mark: 218

The USMLE Step 2 CK passing score is **218** on the three digit scale, for every Step 2 CK exam administered on or after July 1, 2025, from the USMLE [Examination Results and Scoring page](https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts/examination-results-and-scoring), checked on September 21, 2026. Candidates who type Step 2 CK pass mark, Step 2 CK pass score or Step 2 CK minimum passing score are asking about that same 218.

The standard moved from 214 to 218, a four point increase, in a change the USMLE [posted on June 16, 2025](https://www.usmle.org/change-step-2-ck-passing-standard-begins-july-1-2025) and applied to examinees testing on or after July 1, 2025. So the Step 2 CK passing score in 2024 was 214, the Step 2 CK passing score in 2025 was 214 up to June 30 and 218 from July 1, and the Step 2 CK passing score in 2026 is 218.

Reported scores for Step 2 CK run from 1 to 300 on the three digit scale, per the [Score Interpretation Guidelines](https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf). So a Step 2 CK score is out of 300, and 218 is the number you clear.

| USMLE exam or change | Score on the three digit scale | Applies to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Step 2 CK | 218 | Exams on or after July 1, 2025 |
| Step 2 CK, the standard before the 2025 change | 214 | Exams taken up to June 30, 2025 |
| Step 1 | Reported as pass or fail, passing standard 196 | Exams on or after January 26, 2022 |
| Step 3 | 200 | Exams on or after January 1, 2024 |

Source: usmle.org Examination Results and Scoring for the three current standards, and the USMLE announcement of June 16, 2025 for the 214 figure, both checked on September 21, 2026.

USMLE gives two intervals for reviewing a standard: every three to four years in the June 2025 announcement, and approximately once every four years on the Examination Results and Scoring page. Counting on from July 1, 2025 puts the next Step 2 CK review in 2028 or 2029, which is this article doing the arithmetic rather than a date USMLE published.

## Step 2 CK pass rate and passing percentage by examinee group and year

In academic year 2024-2025, 98 percent of Step 2 CK examinees from US MD granting schools passed, against 87 percent of examinees from non-US schools, from the USMLE [performance data page](https://www.usmle.org/performance-data), checked on September 21, 2026. Step 2 CK academic years run from July 1 to June 30, and 2024-2025 is the newest year published. USMLE counted examinees from Canadian schools with US examinees through 2023-2024 and moved them into the non-US group from 2025, so the US rows below cover US and Canadian schools in every column but the last.

| Step 2 CK group | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| US MD granting schools, all examinees | 97% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| US MD granting schools, first takers | 98% | 98% | 99% | 99% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| US MD granting schools, repeaters | 72% | 76% | 75% | 71% | 71% | 74% | 70% |
| US DO granting schools, all examinees | 97% | 97% | 98% | 97% | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| US DO granting schools, first takers | 97% | 97% | 98% | 97% | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| US DO granting schools, repeaters | 74% | 71% | 71% | 73% | 61% | 72% | 69% |
| Non-US schools, first takers | 87% | 90% | 91% | 89% | 88% | 89% | 90% |
| Non-US schools, repeaters | 57% | 59% | 62% | 57% | 60% | 61% | 64% |
| Non-US schools, all examinees | 82% | 87% | 88% | 86% | 86% | 87% | 87% |

Source: usmle.org performance data, the Step 2 CK administration tables published for 2020 through 2025, checked on September 21, 2026. USMLE counts the repeater rows as examinations given, not examinees.

The Step 2 CK passing rate for first takers barely moves. Across the seven academic years from 2018-2019 to 2024-2025, US MD first takers stay between 98 and 99 percent, US DO first takers between 96 and 98 percent, and first takers from non-US schools between 87 and 91 percent. The Step 2 CK pass percentage for an IMG first taker was 90 percent in 2024-2025.

Repeat attempts are where the numbers separate: 70 percent for US MD repeaters, 69 percent for US DO repeaters and 64 percent for repeaters from non-US schools in 2024-2025. So 64 to 70 percent of repeat attempts pass, against 90 to 98 percent of first attempts.

## What percent correct to pass Step 2 CK

Examinees typically must answer approximately 60 percent of items correctly to reach a passing score, and USMLE states that the percentage varies by Step and from one exam form to another, on its [scores and transcripts page](https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts), checked on September 21, 2026. USMLE publishes no percent correct figure for Step 2 CK on its own.

Run that 60 percent against the exam and you get a planning number. Step 2 CK holds approximately 316 questions, from the [2027 Bulletin of Information](https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2026-08/2027Bulletin.pdf), and 60 percent of 316 is about 190 questions. Treat 190 as an illustration: the published percentage covers the Step exams as a class, and the 218 standard sits on the score scale rather than on a count of correct answers. Question counts for the other exams are in the post on [how many questions each medical exam has](https://meduniexam.com/blog/how-many-questions-are-on-each-medical-exam.md).

A reported score carries a band. The standard error of measurement for Step 2 CK is approximately 6 points and the standard error of difference between two Step 2 CK scores approximately 8 points, from the [Score Interpretation Guidelines](https://www.usmle.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/USMLE%20Step%20Examination%20Score%20Interpretation%20Guidelines_5_24_22_0.pdf). A reported 224 and a reported 230 are six points apart and inside that band, so treat a gap that size as noise.

The Step 2 CK blueprint weights, by physician task and by clinical science, sit on [the Step 2 CK page](https://meduniexam.com/exam/usmle-step-2-ck.md).

## How many times can you take Step 2 CK

Four. The total number of attempts allowed per USMLE Step is four, and a candidate who has attempted any Step four or more times without passing is ineligible to apply for USMLE Steps, from the USMLE [attempt limit page](https://www.usmle.org/common-questions/attempt-limit), checked on September 21, 2026. Attempts at the formerly administered Step 2 CS count toward that four.

Two spacing rules sit inside the four. Inside any 12 month period the same Step can be taken three times at most. A fourth attempt has to wait until 12 months have passed since your first try at that exam and six months since your latest one, and an incomplete attempt counts as a try, per the [Bulletin of Information eligibility section](https://www.usmle.org/bulletin-information/eligibility).

Before July 2021 USMLE allowed six attempts per Step, and the USMLE Composite Committee voted the limit down to four to match the limits most state medical boards already applied. Any page still telling you six is describing the rule that ended in 2021.

A Step you have passed may be retaken only to comply with a time limit set by a US medical licensing authority or another authority USMLE recognizes, and most licensing authorities require Steps 1, 2 and 3 inside a seven year period that starts when you pass your first Step, per the USMLE [common questions page](https://www.usmle.org/common-questions/general).

## How long do Step 2 CK results take

Results are typically available within four weeks of your test date, and USMLE asks you to allow at least eight weeks, from the [Examination Results and Scoring page](https://www.usmle.org/scores-transcripts/examination-results-and-scoring), checked on September 21, 2026. Plan any application deadline against the eight weeks.

Step 2 CK score release runs on a Wednesday cycle, and a release generally covers examinees who tested within the four weeks before it, per the USMLE [common questions on scores](https://www.usmle.org/common-questions/scores).

## What is a competitive Step 2 CK score for a specialty

What counts as a competitive Step 2 CK score is set by the specialty you apply to, and the numbers sit in one place. The National Resident Matching Program publishes Step 2 CK scores for applicants who matched to their preferred specialty in its Charting Outcomes reports, in separate editions for US MD seniors, US DO seniors, US citizen international medical graduates and non-US citizen international medical graduates, at [nrmp.org match data](https://www.nrmp.org/match-data/), checked on September 21, 2026. Those reports carry their own terms of use, so no number from them appears here.

Read the percent of first takers who scored lower from the table at the top, then carry that percentile to the NRMP report for the specialty you want. A 265 at the 83rd percentile and a 245 at the 32nd are two different conversations with the same report.

The two numbers cover different populations. The percentile cohort is first takers from LCME accredited medical schools tested between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026, while a Charting Outcomes edition covers one Match year and one applicant type.

## Step 2 CK practice questions written from your own notes

Step 2 CK taken on or after May 7, 2026 runs as sixteen 30 minute blocks of no more than 20 questions, per the USMLE [Step 2 CK exam page](https://www.usmle.org/step-exams/step-2-ck), checked on September 21, 2026. That block is the unit to practice in: 20 questions, 30 minutes, timed.

This site builds that block out of your own material. Pick Step 2 CK on [the Step 2 CK page](https://meduniexam.com/exam/usmle-step-2-ck.md), upload a clerkship chapter, ask for 20 single best answer questions, and start the 30 minute timer. Each item comes back with the line of your own notes it was built on and the page number to reread. This is not a USMLE or NBME question bank and has no connection to either organization. The rest of the format, question count included, is in the post on [how many questions each medical exam has](https://meduniexam.com/blog/how-many-questions-are-on-each-medical-exam.md).

The [sample exam](https://meduniexam.com/sample.md) runs with no upload and no account. A guest gets 60 verified questions, an account lifts that to 300 a month free, and [pricing](https://meduniexam.com/pricing.md) has a 90 day Exam Pass at USD 19.99 and a 500 question pack at USD 5.99. Neither renews.

## Questions people ask

### What is Step 2 CK score out of?

The Step 2 CK score range is 1 to 300 on the three digit scale, per the USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines updated August 17, 2026 and checked on September 21, 2026. Step 3 uses the same range. The passing score is 218 of that 300 for exams taken on or after July 1, 2025. The percentile beside your score is a separate number: it is the percent of first takers who scored lower, not a share of questions answered correctly.

### What is average Step 2 CK score?

The mean was 251 for first takers from LCME accredited medical schools in academic year 2025-2026, with a standard deviation of 15, from Table 1 of the USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines, checked on September 21, 2026. The same table gives 250 for 2024-2025 and 249 for 2023-2024. One caveat sits inside the series: Canadian medical schools counted in the group for 2023 and 2024 and were removed for 2025-2026.

### What is a high Step 2 CK score?

A 265 puts you above 83 percent of first takers, a 270 above 93 percent and a 275 above 98 percent, from Table 2 of the USMLE Score Interpretation Guidelines for the July 2023 to June 2026 cohort of 67,824 examinees, checked on September 21, 2026. The top of the table compresses: the 10 points from 265 to 275 buy 15 percentile points, and the 280 row rounds to 100.

### What is the Step 2 CK pass rate for IMG candidates?

It was 90 percent for first takers from non-US schools in academic year 2024-2025 and 64 percent for repeaters from those schools, giving 87 percent across the whole group, from the USMLE performance data page, checked on September 21, 2026. The first taker figure has stayed between 87 and 91 percent in the seven academic years from 2018-2019 to 2024-2025, so 90 percent is a steady number rather than a good year.

### Can you take Step 2 twice?

Yes, if the first attempt was a fail or was incomplete: four attempts at any one Step are allowed, with no more than three inside a 12 month period, per the USMLE attempt limit page and the Bulletin of Information eligibility section, both checked on September 21, 2026. A Step 2 CK you have already passed may be retaken only to meet a time limit set by a US medical licensing authority or another authority USMLE recognizes.

### Will Step 2 CK be pass fail?

Step 2 CK still reports a three digit score. The USMLE Examination Results and Scoring page, checked on September 21, 2026, prints a Step 2 CK minimum passing score of 218 on that scale, while the Step 1 row of the same table reads pass or fail only for exams taken on or after January 26, 2022. Step 3 also still reports a number, against a passing standard of 200.

### What is on the Step 2 CK score report?

Your Step 2 CK score report shows your three digit score and your pass or fail outcome, plus whether your performance in each content area was higher, lower or the same as your overall performance, from the USMLE common questions on scores, checked on September 21, 2026. The same page says the average score and standard deviation for recent administrations are printed on the report. Results are typically available within four weeks of the test date, released on Wednesdays.

### What happens if you fail Step 2 CK?

A Step 2 CK fail means a retake, and the numbers on a second attempt are lower than on a first: 70 percent of US MD repeat attempts, 69 percent of US DO repeat attempts and 64 percent of repeat attempts from non-US schools passed Step 2 CK in academic year 2024-2025, against 98, 96 and 90 percent of first takers, from the USMLE performance data page checked on September 21, 2026. Those are the odds in the table, not a forecast for one candidate.

## Related pages

- [USMLE Step 2 CK questions from your notes](https://meduniexam.com/exam/usmle-step-2-ck.md): Step 2 CK style management and diagnosis questions generated from a student's own clinical material, with the competency mix the blueprint actually uses.
- [USMLE Step 1 Passing Score, Pass Rates by Year](https://meduniexam.com/blog/usmle-step-1-passing-score-and-pass-rates.md): The USMLE Step 1 passing standard is 196 on the three digit scale and the result comes back as pass or fail. Every published Step 1 pass rate from 2013 to 2025 sits here by year and examinee group.
- [How Many Questions: Step 1, NCLEX, MCAT, PLAB](https://meduniexam.com/blog/how-many-questions-are-on-each-medical-exam.md): The question count, the testing time and the computed pace for the ten exams on this site, from USMLE Step 1 at about 280 questions to PLAB 1 at 180, each row naming the exam owner's document it came from, checked on September 21, 2026.
- [How Many Practice Questions a Day Is Enough](https://meduniexam.com/blog/how-many-practice-questions-per-day.md): A daily practice question target set by how many distinct questions your own material can hold, using this site's counted 17.6 percent repeat rate as the marker for where drilling turns into re-reading.
- [Articles](https://meduniexam.com/blog.md): The article index: every post, newest first.