May 11, 2021
Area(s) of Interest:
Physician Workforce
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), co-sponsors of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), have announced that the USMLE Step 1 score reporting will transition to pass/fail outcomes only for administrations on or after January 26, 2022.
Outcomes for Step 1 examinations occurring before January 26, 2022 will continue to include a three-digit score and pass/fail. Step 2 Clinical Knowledge and Step 3 examinations will continue to be reported as a three-digit score and pass/fail.
In taking this action, FSMB and NBME considered the broad range of input received from the Invitational Conference on USMLE Scoring (InCUS), the subsequent InCUS report and its preliminary recommendations, and the extensive feedback and national conversation that preceded and followed the conference.
Additional information regarding the change to reporting Step 1 outcomes as pass/fail can be found on the USMLE website.