After weeks of preparation, the wait for a score can feel like the hardest part. Here is what happens after test day: when results arrive, what the numbers mean, what a score recheck can and cannot do, and how to send your USMLE transcript to residency programs and medical boards.
When results arrive
- Most results are available within four weeks of your test date.
- USMLE advises allowing at least eight weeks before any deadline that depends on your result. Delays happen, for example during reviews of test day irregularities or around passing standard changes.
- You will get an email when your score report is ready on the website of the organization that registered you (NBME/MyUSMLE or FSMB).
- The score report stays online for about 365 days. After that, your result is available only through an official transcript, which has a fee. Download and save your report.
What your score report shows
| Exam | Reported as | Minimum passing standard | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Pass / Fail | Pass / Fail only (USMLE lists 196 on the legacy 3-digit scale) | January 26, 2022 |
| Step 2 CK | 3-digit score + pass/fail | 218 | July 1, 2025 |
| Step 3 | 3-digit score + pass/fail | 200 | January 1, 2024 |
Step 2 CK and Step 3 reports include a performance profile that shows relative strengths and weaknesses by content area. A passing Step 1 report shows only Pass; a failing Step 1 report includes distance-from-passing and content-area feedback. These details are for your own planning and are not included on transcripts sent to programs.
Every numeric score contains measurement error. Current USMLE materials give a standard error of the estimate of about 8 points for Step 2 CK and 7 for Step 3, so a difference of a few points between two examinees is not meaningful.
If you did not pass
- You may take the same Step no more than three times within 12 months.
- A fourth attempt must be at least 12 months after your first attempt and at least six months after your most recent attempt.
- Incomplete attempts count toward these limits.
- Since July 1, 2021, you are not eligible to take a Step you have attempted four or more times without passing.
- Every attempt, including failures, appears on your transcript. Programs see your full history.
Use your performance profile, build a plan around your weakest areas, and consider speaking with your school's advising office before rebooking.
Score rechecks
A score recheck confirms that your original answers were scored correctly. Your response record is rescored using an independent process outside normal score processing, and the result is compared with your original score.
- Where to request: through the organization that registered you, either NBME (MyUSMLE) or FSMB.
- Deadline: your request must be received within 90 days of your result being released.
- Cost: a service fee applies.
- What you get: written confirmation of whether your original score and pass/fail outcome were accurate. You do not get item-level feedback or a review of the questions.
- Realistic expectations: USMLE describes a score change from a recheck as an "extremely remote possibility". To date, no recheck has changed a score. A recheck is not a regrade or an appeal.
USMLE transcripts
For residency applications (ERAS or ResidencyCAS)
Do not order a paper transcript for residency applications. Request your USMLE transcript through your application service and follow its instructions. The USMLE program sends source-verified results directly to both ERAS and ResidencyCAS. New results can be sent as they become available, so remember to authorize updated transcripts after you take Step 2 CK.
For medical licensing boards
Request your transcript through the FSMB (Federation of State Medical Boards) USMLE transcript service and pay the fee. FSMB sends it directly to the licensing authority.
Before you register for Step 3
If you need a transcript sent somewhere else before you have registered for Step 3, submit the request to the organization that registered you most recently.
What a transcript contains
- Your identifying and biographical information
- Your complete USMLE examination history, including every attempt
- Any score annotations, including findings of irregular behavior
- Any actions reported to the FSMB Physician Data Center
Performance profiles are not included.
A quick checklist
- Save a PDF of every score report as soon as it is released.
- Put the 90-day recheck window in your calendar if you are unsure about a result.
- Authorize USMLE transcript releases in ERAS or ResidencyCAS early, and again after new scores post.
- Use FSMB for licensing transcripts, and give boards plenty of processing time.