Updated
Average Step 2 Score by Specialty: How to Read the 2026 Data
The official Step 2 CK averages by specialty are in the NRMP's Charting Outcomes in the Match report. We link to it and show you how to read it below. Some programs also publish their own numbers. The program averages we found run from 248 to 256, and AUPO reports 258 for U.S. seniors who matched in ophthalmology in 2025. The passing score is 218.
Where is the average Step 2 CK score by specialty published?
In the NRMP's Charting Outcomes: Characteristics of Applicants Who Match to Their Preferred Specialty. It looks at how applicant measures, Step 2 CK score among them, relate to matching in the specialty you rank first in the Main Residency Match. It used to come out every two years and is now released every year. There is a PDF for each applicant group and an interactive version. The NRMP notes that it “is not designed to predict success or failure in the Match”.
We don't copy its tables here. Open the report for the real numbers, and use the steps below to read them well.
How do you read Charting Outcomes for your specialty?
1. Open the report for your applicant type
The 2026 edition comes in four versions: U.S. MD seniors, U.S. DO seniors, U.S. citizen IMGs and non-U.S. citizen IMGs. Use yours. The numbers differ between groups, so another group's table will mislead you.
2. Find the Step 2 CK table by preferred specialty
Your preferred specialty is the one you rank first. Compare applicants who matched in that specialty with those who didn't. Someone who didn't may still have matched in another specialty.
3. Read the spread, not only the average
Look at the whole range of scores, not just the mean. A score a little under the mean can still sit inside the range.
4. Check how many applicants are behind each number
Small specialties and small applicant groups swing from year to year. Treat a number built on a handful of people as a rough guide.
5. Use the newest edition, and know what's missing
The report is now released every year, so use the latest one. It covers the NRMP Main Residency Match only. Ophthalmology fills through the SF Match and urology through the AUA Urology Match, so look to those for their numbers.
For the two specialties outside the Main Match, see our SF Match ophthalmology and urology match guides.
What Step 2 CK scores do programs publish?
A few programs and one specialty society put a number on their own pages. Each program number below is that program's own, for its own residents or applicants, not a national average. AUPO's is the exception: it covers U.S. seniors across the whole 2025 ophthalmology match. Tap a name to read the source.
| Program | What it is | Score |
|---|---|---|
| AUPO (national SF Match report)Ophthalmology | Mean of all matched U.S. seniors in the match (unmatched: 245)2025 match | 258 |
| YaleInternal medicine | Average of new categorical and physician-scientist interns2024 match | 256 |
| StanfordDiagnostic radiology | Mean of the program's matched applicantsMost recent data (year not stated) | 256 |
| UT SouthwesternInternal medicine | Average of last year's intern classClass that started in 2026 (2027 cycle page) | 255 |
| SIUInternal medicine | Mean of the program's matched applicantsYear not stated | 248 |
| Program | What it is | Score |
|---|---|---|
| UAMSAnesthesiology | Initial screen, about this score or higher2026 to 2027 season page | 240 |
| University of MississippiUrology | Required, at least this scoreCurrent application page | 240 |
| UAB MontgomeryInternal medicine | Minimum, passed on the first attemptCurrent application page | 220 |
| CAMCInternal medicine | Strongly encouraged minimum (MD applicants)Current application page | 220 |
| YaleInternal medicine | Typical score of most applicants (Step 1 and 2), not a screenCurrent FAQ | 220 |
A stated screen is a first filter, not the whole decision. UAMS says “we review the applicant's entire body of work and consider examination performance within the context of the overall application”, and Yale says “we do not specifically exclude applicants based on the USMLE score as we carefully consider the entire application”. UT Southwestern internal medicine sets no minimum at all.
How do programs use Step 2 CK now that Step 1 is pass/fail?
Step 1 has been reported as pass or fail only since January 26, 2022, according to the USMLE. Step 2 CK is still reported on a three-digit scale, with a passing score of 218 for exams taken on or after July 1, 2025. That makes it the main USMLE score programs can compare across applicants.
In practice it does three jobs. It is a screen, like the scores in the table above. Many programs read it as a hint of how you will do on later board exams. And it can lift an application that looks average elsewhere. Once you have the interview, though, how you come across in the room matters most for the rank list. How programs and applicants rank explains the next step.
When should you take Step 2 CK for residency applications?
Programs set their own rules. UAMS anesthesiology won't consider you for an interview until you have passed Step 2. At Stanford radiology, “any data added to your application until October 1 will be reviewed”. UT Southwestern internal medicine needs results in ERAS by March 1, 2027 for onboarding. Plan around the strictest program on your list.
1. Aim to have a score before programs review applications
Programs screen in the fall, and some won't interview you without a Step 2 CK result. A score in your file when reviews start removes the question.
2. Leave room for the score report
USMLE results usually arrive within four weeks, but the USMLE says to allow up to eight. Count back from the program deadlines you care about and add that time.
3. Take it when you are ready, not just early
A rushed exam that lands low can hurt more than a later strong one. If your practice scores aren't where you want them, talk with your advisor about whether to wait.
The exam itself is one 9-hour day. For tests taken on or after May 7, 2026, it has sixteen 30-minute blocks, with no more than 20 items in a block, plus at least 55 minutes of break time, according to the USMLE Step 2 CK page. Do a few full-length timed practice days before the exam so the pacing isn't new on test day.
What if your Step 2 CK score is below average?
You are not out. Averages hide a wide range, and many programs read the whole application. Plan for it:
1. Check program pages before you apply
Many programs say what score they screen at or what their interns scored, like the ones above. Spend applications where your score is inside the stated range, and ask your advisor about the rest.
2. Apply more widely in your specialty
Add programs where your whole application fits well, and talk with your advisor about a parallel plan if your score sits low for a competitive field.
3. Let the rest of your application carry weight
Strong clerkship comments, specialty letters and a clear personal statement are what readers see next. Use ERAS program signals on the programs you want most.
4. Prepare a short, honest answer
If an interviewer asks, name the score, say what changed and point to what came after it, such as later rotations or evaluations. Then move on.
Applying more widely costs more. Our ERAS fees guide shows how much, and the ERAS program signals guide covers where signals help most. International graduates should also read our IMG residency interview guide.
How do you talk about your board scores at an interview?
If your score is below a program's usual range, expect a question. Keep it to the facts, what you changed and the proof since. Our residency interview red flags guide covers more answers like this one.
“Walk me through your board scores.”
A strong answer states the facts in one sentence, explains a weaker result without excuses and ends on evidence that you are ready for residency. Aim for under a minute.
Our example answer (we wrote it, not a real applicant)
I passed Step 1 and scored a 236 on Step 2 CK, which is lower than I wanted for internal medicine.
I took Step 2 right after my surgery rotation and did too few timed practice blocks, so my pacing fell apart on test day.
Since then I changed how I study. I do a timed block every morning and review every miss the same day, and my last two shelf exams were my strongest.
On the wards, my medicine sub-internship evaluation says I was ready to run a team of patients, and that is the part of my record I would point you to.
I know the in-training exam matters in residency, and I already have the routine I will use for it.
For the full list of questions to expect, see residency interview questions, and for a plan, how to prepare for residency interviews. Practice for your specialty starts at residency interview practice.
Sources: the NRMP Charting Outcomes report page (described, not copied), the USMLE results and scoring page, the AUPO SF Match page and its 2025 ophthalmology match report, and program pages at UT Southwestern, Yale (FAQ), Stanford, SIU, UAMS, University of Mississippi, UAB Montgomery and CAMC. Each program number is that program's own. All checked October 29, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Step 2 CK score by specialty?
The official averages by specialty are in the NRMP's Charting Outcomes in the Match report, released every year, with separate versions for U.S. MD seniors, DO seniors and two groups of IMGs. Open the one for your applicant type and find the Step 2 CK table for the specialty you will rank first.
What Step 2 CK scores do programs publish?
Some programs post their own numbers. UT Southwestern internal medicine says last year's interns averaged 255, Stanford diagnostic radiology lists a 256 mean for its matched applicants, and AUPO reports a 258 mean for U.S. seniors who matched in ophthalmology in 2025. The UT Southwestern and Stanford numbers are those programs' own. AUPO's covers every matched U.S. senior in ophthalmology that year.
What is the passing score for Step 2 CK?
218, for exams taken on or after July 1, 2025, according to the USMLE.
Is Step 1 still scored?
No. Step 1 has been reported as pass or fail only since January 26, 2022. That leaves Step 2 CK as the main USMLE exam with a three-digit score that programs can compare during interview season.
Do residency programs use Step 2 CK cutoffs?
Some do and say so. UAMS anesthesiology screens at about 240, and UAB Montgomery internal medicine asks for at least 220. Others, like UT Southwestern internal medicine, set no minimum. Check each program's own page.
When should I take Step 2 CK for residency applications?
Early enough that a score is in your application when programs start reviewing in the fall, leaving up to eight weeks for the result. Some programs won't interview you without one. Take it when your practice scores say you are ready.
What if my Step 2 CK score is below average?
Check what each program publishes, apply more widely in your specialty, lean on your letters, clerkship comments and program signals, and prepare a short, honest answer in case an interviewer asks.