Step 2 CK Scores by Specialty (2026 Match)

The average Step 2 CK score of U.S. MD seniors who matched in 2026 ranged from 244 in family medicine to 259 in integrated thoracic surgery, according to NRMP's Charting Outcomes report (NRMP Charting Outcomes 2026). Across all specialties, matched seniors had a median of 253 and those who did not match their preferred specialty had a median of 244 (NRMP).

The table below lists all 23 specialties NRMP reports, with the matched mean and median beside the median of applicants who preferred that specialty and did not match. Then we cover how to read it and how to turn a specialty median into a score target you can test against before exam day.

By Dr. Sahith Valluru. For The Boards Professor, founded by Dr. Sean Moazezi, DO. Published and last updated October 28, 2026.

Passing standard at a glance

Checked October 28, 2026. Rules change; the linked page is the authority.

Topic	Official rule	Source
Passing score	218 on the three-digit scale, for exams taken on or after July 1, 2025.	USMLE: results and scoring
Scoring	A three-digit score reported with a pass or fail outcome.	USMLE: results and scoring
Results	Typically within four weeks of the test date; USMLE says to allow at least eight weeks.	USMLE: results and scoring
First-time pass rate, 2024-2025	98% of 22,249 first takers from US MD schools; 96% of 5,025 from US DO schools; 90% of 16,186 from non-US schools.	USMLE performance data
Repeat-taker pass rate, 2024-2025	70% of 440 repeaters from US MD schools; 64% of 1,762 repeaters from non-US schools.	USMLE performance data

Step 2 CK scores by specialty, 2026 Match

Every number in this table is copied from Table 5 of NRMP's 2026 Charting Outcomes for U.S. MD seniors (NRMP, pages 17 to 19). "Matched" means the applicant matched in the specialty they ranked first; "not matched" means they preferred it and did not match there.

U.S. MD seniors, 2026 Main Residency Match. * = fewer than five applicants, not reported by NRMP.

Specialty	Matched (n)	Mean, matched	Median, matched	Median, not matched
Anesthesiology	1,219	254	255	239
Child Neurology	111	250	251	*
Dermatology	356	258	258	252
Emergency Medicine	1,176	248	249	229
Family Medicine	1,148	244	244	230
Internal Medicine	3,236	252	254	233
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics	264	253	255	249
Interventional Radiology (Integrated)	128	254	255	252
Neurological Surgery	192	255	256	244
Neurology	571	251	252	232
Obstetrics and Gynecology	942	252	253	245
Orthopaedic Surgery	628	258	259	251
Otolaryngology	289	258	261	249
Pathology (Anatomic and Clinical)	210	248	247	237
Pediatrics	1,127	249	249	243
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation	235	250	251	237
Plastic Surgery (Integrated)	159	258	259	251
Psychiatry	1,075	246	247	234
Radiation Oncology	108	251	251	*
Radiology (Diagnostic)	629	257	257	242
Surgery (General)	882	253	255	238
Thoracic Surgery (Integrated)	40	259	260	257
Vascular Surgery (Integrated)	64	256	256	235

Read the matched and not-matched columns together. In dermatology the gap between the two medians is six points (258 against 252); in emergency medicine it is twenty (249 against 229). A narrow gap means plenty of applicants with strong scores still went unmatched, so the score is necessary but not what separated them.

Which specialties have the highest and lowest Step 2 CK scores?

By matched median, otolaryngology leads at 261, followed by integrated thoracic surgery at 260 and orthopaedic surgery and integrated plastic surgery at 259 each. Dermatology and diagnostic radiology sit at 258 and 257. At the other end, family medicine has the lowest matched median at 244, with psychiatry and pathology at 247.

Group sizes matter when you compare them. Internal medicine's figures come from 3,236 matched seniors; thoracic surgery's come from 40. A small group's median can move several points from one year to the next, so treat the surgical subspecialties as a range rather than a fixed bar.

Mean, median and the spread behind them

The median is the middle applicant; half scored higher and half lower. The mean is the arithmetic average and gets pulled by very high or very low scores. For most specialties in 2026 the two are within two points, so either works as a rough target.

The spread is wider than the averages suggest. NRMP's table shows that seniors who matched internal medicine scored anywhere from 214 to 287, and those who matched orthopaedic surgery from 220 to 281 (NRMP Table 5). A score under the median does not rule you out, and a score above it does not secure an interview; programs weigh clerkship grades, letters, research and the rest of the application too.

Two limits on this data: it covers U.S. MD seniors only, so DO students and international graduates should not read it as their own benchmark, and it only includes applicants who consented to their data being used.

Turning a specialty median into your Step 2 CK target

Set your goal from the matched median of the specialty you want, then add a margin, because a practice-test estimate is a range and test-day performance varies. The passing score itself is 218 (USMLE scoring), and every specialty's matched median in 2026 sat at least 26 points above it.

Check your progress with NBME's Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessment, which comes in seven forms and reports an estimated probability of passing (NBME CCSSA). Space the forms out over your dedicated period. If your estimates stay well below the median you are aiming for two to three weeks before the exam, that is the moment to decide whether to move the date, not after the score is on your application.

Scores typically arrive within four weeks of the test date, and USMLE says to allow eight (USMLE). Count back from the date programs start reviewing applications in your specialty when you book.

How we help students aiming at a competitive score

Step 2 CK rewards knowing a lot about the management of a smaller set of problems, which is how Sean Moazezi frames the difference from Step 1. In sessions you work NBME-style questions live while he checks how you reached each answer, so the habits that cost points show up in the first week rather than on a practice test a month later. A scribe writes up each session, and you can send questions between sessions.

We track every practice score against the target you set from this table, and we say plainly when the numbers say the date should move. Read more about our Step 2 CK tutoring, or see what counts as a good Step 2 CK score and how percentiles map to scores.