Change in minimum passing requirements for Step 2 CK

Source: USMLE

This announcement describes a change in the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examination minimum passing score that will affect examinees testing on or after July 1, 2014.

As stated in the USMLE Bulletin of Information and as explained in a previous posting to the USMLE website, the minimum passing score for each USMLE Step examination is reviewed periodically and may be adjusted at any time.

At its May 2014 meeting, the USMLE Management Committee conducted a review of the Step 2 CK examination minimum passing score. During the meeting, the Committee considered information from multiple sources, including:

  • Recommendations from independent groups of physicians who participated in content-based standard-setting activities in 2014;
  • Results of surveys of various groups (e.g., state licensing representatives, medical school faculty, examinees) concerning the appropriateness of current passing requirements for the Step 2 CK examination;
  • Data on trends in examinee performance;
  • Data on precision of pass/fail classifications.

As a result of its review, the Management Committee decided to raise the recommended Step 2 CK minimum passing score from 203 to 209.

This change will be applied to Step 2 CK examinees testing on or after July 1, 2014.