USMLE Explained: 198 Flashcards on Steps, Scores, Pass Rates and the Pass/Fail Shift
Learn how the USMLE works with 198 flashcards: Step 1, 2 CK and 3 formats, passing scores, pass rates, fees, history and the pass/fail debate, in one deck.
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Study USMLE Step 2 CK: the Exam Rulebook, the Clinical Glossary and the Cards Worth Drilling
Deck CA0992 has 95 USMLE Step 2 CK cards, but they teach the exam, not the clinic. What to drill, which numbers are dated, and the cards to cut.
Master the USMLE Rulebook: Steps, Fees, Pass Rates and the Retired Step 2 CS
Deck BO6126 holds no pathology or pharmacology: its 153 cards teach the USMLE rulebook - steps, fees, pass rates, the pass/fail shift and the retired Step 2 CS.
Before opening a pharmacology chapter, know the exam itself: how many questions, how many hours, what score passes, and why Step 1 became pass/fail. The USMLE Step 1 deck on Flip It (deck code OT5810, 198 cards) is a question-and-answer briefing on the United States Medical Licensing Examination as a system — its three Steps, its scoring history, its pass rates and the policy debates that reshaped it.
Study this deck: USMLE Step 1
1 / 10What does USMLE stand for?
Tap the card for the answer · swipe right if you knew it, left if not
What the deck actually tests
This is not a clinical-content deck. Every card is a fact about the exam: How many multiple-choice questions are in Step 1? → 280, How long does Step 1 take to complete? → Eight hours, What is the passing score for Step 2 CK as of July 1, 2025? → 218. Whether you are an IMG, a DO student weighing COMLEX vs USMLE, or an M2 planning dedicated, these are the numbers you would otherwise look up ten times.
Sample cards
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What subjects are tested in Step 1? | Anatomy, behavioral sciences, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology… |
| What was the passing score for Step 1 before pass/fail? | 196 |
| How long is the Step 2 CK exam? | 9 hours in a single-day computer-based session |
| What is the passing score for Step 3? | 200 (raised from 196 in January 2020) |
| What is Step 3 Day 1 called? | Foundations of Independent Practice (FIP) |
| What are the prerequisites for taking Step 3? | Must have passed Step 1 and Step 2 CK |
| When was Step 2 CS suspended? | May 26, 2020 |
| First-time Step 1 pass rate for international students? | 77–82% (2021) |
| Why was Step 1 changed to pass/fail? | To reduce overemphasis on Step 1, improve well-being, reduce racial bias |
| How often does USMLE review the minimum passing score? | Approximately once every four years |
Topics covered across the 198 cards
- History: creation in 1992, replacement of the NBME Part exams and FLEX, computerized delivery in 1999, end of two-digit scores in 2013
- Step 1: 280 MCQs, eight hours, subject list, dynamically generated forms, mean scores by year (222 in 2010 → 231 in 2021), standard deviation
- Step 2 CK: nine hours, 45 minutes of break time, early-finish time banking, 15-minute tutorial, tasks tested (diagnosis, prognosis, disease mechanisms, next steps), passing score 214 → 218, mean 249 in 2023-24
- Step 2 CS: 12 encounters, ICE and SEP components, typed patient notes, the telephone encounter, the $1,300 fee, suspension and discontinuation
- Step 3: FIP and ACM days, 232 Day 1 MCQs, six 45-minute blocks, 25% clinical case simulations, three encounter frames, $935 fee, timing in PGY-1
- Eligibility and bodies: NBME, FSMB, ECFMG, Prometric, COCA, COMLEX-USA as the DO alternative
- The pass/fail debate: InCUS survey figures, program-director attitudes (88.7% of surgical PDs shifting weight to Step 2 CK), score gaps by applicant group, concerns for DO and IMG applicants, the CEUP report, COVID-era changes and the AMA's criticism
Two ways to study this deck well
1. Sort by Step before you sort by date. The deck mixes Step 1, 2 CK, 2 CS and 3 cards, and the numbers are easy to cross-wire (196 vs 200 vs 214 vs 218). On each card, name the Step first, then the value. Passing scores in particular are a series: 196 (old Step 1) → 200 (Step 3, 2020) → 214 (Step 2 CK, 2022) → 218 (Step 2 CK, 2025).
2. Use the historical cards as a timeline, not trivia. Flip the year cards (1992, 1999, 2004, 2013, 2020, 2022, 2025) as a single ordered story: the exam was unified, computerized, gained CS, dropped two-digit scores, lost CS, went pass/fail. Dates stick when they tell a story.
Find USMLE Step 1 with the code OT5810 in your library at flip-it.app.
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