Part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog: PassProfessor is building USMLE Step 2 CK practice as its own program in the USMLE catalog — 1,992 original practice questions written to the content specifications USMLE publishes for Step 2 CK, with an explanation for every question. Join the notify list and we will email you when enrollment opens.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
USMLE Step 2 CK is the one-day clinical knowledge examination in the United States Medical Licensing Examination sequence, sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). It tests whether you can apply medical knowledge and clinical science to patient care under supervision, with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. For exams taken on or after May 7, 2026, Step 2 CK presents up to 318 multiple-choice items in sixteen 30-minute blocks in one 9-hour testing session, and it is reported as a three-digit score with a current minimum passing score of 218. PassProfessor’s Step 2 CK program holds 1,992 original practice questions built to those specifications. The full breakdown of the real exam is in the USMLE Step 2 CK exam guide.
What the program covers
A Step 2 CK bank, not a relabeled Step 1 bank. Step 1 asks whether you understand the sciences basic to medicine; Step 2 CK asks what you do with a patient in front of you. Every question in this program is written to the Step 2 CK job: read the presentation, decide the most likely diagnosis, choose the best next diagnostic step, and manage the patient the way a supervising physician would expect. Foundational science appears the way it appears on the real exam — inside clinical decisions, not as isolated recall.
1,992 original practice questions, each with an explanation. The bank is built and verified: 1,992 questions, and an explanation for every question — not a bare answer key. Explanations teach the decision the question tests: why the keyed answer fits the presentation, and what distinguishes it from the closest alternatives. Every question is written for PassProfessor from scratch; none is an actual USMLE item, a recalled item, or another provider’s material.
Practice weighted the way the real exam is weighted. USMLE publishes Step 2 CK specifications by system, by competency, and by clinical science, and this bank is built to those weights. Medicine carries 55–65% of the clinical-science weight. Diagnosis carries 16–20% of the competency weight, laboratory and diagnostic studies 13–17%, and mixed management 12–16%. Nutrition is the single largest system range at 15–20%, and social sciences — legal and ethical issues, professionalism, systems-based practice, and patient safety — carry 10–15%. Drilling in those proportions means your practice score reflects the exam you will actually sit.
Timed practice in the current block format. Step 2 CK changed shape in May 2026: sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions replaced the retired eight 60-minute blocks of up to 40. Pacing, flagging discipline, and break strategy all change with shorter blocks — there are twice as many block transitions and half as much time to recover inside any one block. This program’s timed practice runs in the current 30-minute block geometry, up to the full 9-hour session length, so the rhythm you train is the rhythm of the real day.
A study loop tied to the published specifications. Practice results break down by system and by competency, so a diagnostic set becomes a study plan: drill the systems and decision types that cost you — diagnosis versus diagnostic studies versus management — then return to full timed blocks. That loop is the program’s core, because Step 2 CK weakness is rarely uniform: most candidates are strong in one decision type and leak points in another.
The real exam at a glance
Current as of November 2026, per the USMLE program’s official pages at usmle.org. Full detail — eligibility, registration, retakes, and test day — is in our USMLE Step 2 CK exam guide. The broader three-Step picture is in the USMLE exam guide.
| Step 2 CK fact | Current published detail |
|---|---|
| What it assesses | Application of medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science to patient care under supervision, with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention |
| Format (current) | One day; sixteen 30-minute blocks; up to 20 questions per block |
| Items | Up to 318 multiple-choice items |
| Testing session | 9 hours, including a minimum 55 minutes of break time and a 5-minute optional tutorial |
| Score reporting | Three-digit score |
| Minimum passing score | 218 (for exams administered on or after July 1, 2025) |
| Application fee (2026 & 2027, per USMLE) | $695, plus a $235 region fee for exams taken outside the U.S. and Canada (USMLE states the region fee is not a USMLE fee) |
| Where it is taken | Prometric test centers worldwide |
- The block format on this page is the current one. Step 2 CK taken before May 7, 2026 used eight 60-minute blocks. That structure is retired for current test-takers; a resource that still trains you in hour-long blocks of 40 is training you for an exam that no longer exists.
- 218 is a scale score, not a percentage. USMLE does not publish a fixed percentage of questions you must answer correctly to pass Step 2 CK, so there is no honest way to convert a practice percentage into a predicted score. Practice until your timed performance sits comfortably above the standard, not at it.
- The fee above is the USMLE application fee, not a PassProfessor price. No price has been announced for this PassProfessor program; the notify-list email will carry it when enrollment opens.
How the practice maps to the real exam
USMLE constructs Step 2 CK on published content specifications along three dimensions. Ranges below are USMLE’s published ranges; USMLE states that its percentages are subject to change at any time.
By clinical science — Medicine dominates
| Clinical science | Published range |
|---|---|
| Medicine | 55–65% |
| Pediatrics | 17–27% |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 10–20% |
| Psychiatry | 10–15% |
| Surgery | 5–15% |
More than half of Step 2 CK is Medicine. A study plan that divides time evenly across five clinical sciences misreads the exam: internal medicine presentations — cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, endocrine, infectious — are the center of gravity, with pediatrics the clear second.
By competency — deciding is the skill
| Competency | Published range |
|---|---|
| Patient Care: Diagnosis | 16–20% |
| Patient Care: Laboratory/Diagnostic Studies | 13–17% |
| Patient Care: Mixed Management | 12–16% |
| Patient Care: Pharmacotherapy | 8–12% |
| Patient Care: Clinical Interventions | 6–10% |
| Patient Care: Health Maintenance/Disease Prevention | 5–10% |
| Patient Care: Prognosis/Outcome | 5–9% |
Diagnosis, diagnostic studies, and mixed management together carry roughly 41–53% of the competency weight. The program drills those decision types explicitly — most likely diagnosis, best next test, best next management step — because they are scored differently in your results and fixed differently in your studying.
By system — where the questions live
| System / discipline | Published range |
|---|---|
| Nutrition | 15–20% |
| Social Sciences (legal/ethical issues, professionalism, systems-based practice, patient safety) | 10–15% |
| Renal & Urinary System & Reproductive Systems | 7–13% |
| Cardiovascular System | 6–12% |
| Musculoskeletal System / Skin & Subcutaneous Tissue | 6–12% |
| Behavioral Health | 5–10% |
| Blood & Lymphoreticular / Immune Systems | 5–10% |
| Gastrointestinal System | 5–10% |
| Nervous System & Special Senses | 5–10% |
| Respiratory System | 5–10% |
How to use it
- Join the notify list today. While enrollment is being prepared, start with the free official material: read the USMLE Bulletin of Information and work USMLE’s own published Step 2 CK sample items so the current format is familiar early.
- Confirm you are training in the current format. Sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions — not the retired 60-minute blocks. Every timed set you take, in any resource, should use the current geometry.
- When enrollment opens, start with a timed diagnostic set. Your breakdown by system, clinical science, and competency is the study plan: it shows where the next weeks of drilling belong.
- Drill decisions, not just topics. For each presentation, practice the full sequence: most likely diagnosis, best next test, best next management step — and the health-maintenance and prevention items the exam deliberately includes.
- Finish with full-length timed sessions at the real 9-hour length, and schedule the real exam through your registration entity and Prometric when your timed practice sits comfortably above the 218 standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is USMLE Step 2 CK? Step 2 Clinical Knowledge is the second examination in the USMLE sequence for medical licensure in the United States. Per USMLE, it assesses your ability to apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for patient care under supervision, with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. It is sponsored by FSMB and NBME.
How many questions are on Step 2 CK? For exams taken on or after May 7, 2026, Step 2 CK presents up to 318 multiple-choice items in sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions each, in one 9-hour testing session, per USMLE. Exams taken before that date used eight 60-minute blocks; that format is retired.
What score do I need to pass Step 2 CK? The current minimum passing score is 218 on USMLE’s three-digit scale, for exams administered on or after July 1, 2025, per USMLE’s Examination Results and Scoring page. It is a scale score, not a percentage and not a count of questions.
How is Step 2 CK different from Step 1? Step 1 tests the sciences basic to medicine and is reported pass/fail. Step 2 CK tests clinical knowledge applied to patient care under supervision — diagnosis, diagnostic studies, and management inside patient presentations — and is reported as a three-digit score. PassProfessor treats them as separate programs with separate banks: the USMLE Step 1 program is open for enrollment, and this Step 2 CK program is in the works.
How is Step 2 CK different from Step 3? Step 3 is the final Step: a two-day examination of readiness for unsupervised practice, including computer-based case simulations on Day 2. Step 2 CK is a single day of multiple-choice items about care under supervision. Step 3 eligibility requires passing scores on both Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
Who is eligible to take Step 2 CK? Per the USMLE Bulletin of Information, you must — both when you apply and on the day of the exam — be a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, an LCME-accredited U.S. MD program, a COCA-accredited U.S. DO program, or a medical school outside the U.S. listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements and meeting ECFMG’s other criteria.
How much does the real Step 2 CK cost? USMLE’s Apply for Exams page lists the 2026 and 2027 application fee as $695. Taken outside the U.S. and Canada, an additional region fee of $235 applies, which USMLE states is not a USMLE fee. These are the real exam’s fees, paid through your registration entity — not PassProfessor prices. No PassProfessor price for this program has been announced.
How many practice questions does the PassProfessor Step 2 CK program include? 1,992 original practice questions, each with an explanation. The bank is built and verified; enrollment opens through the notify list on this page.
Are these the actual USMLE questions? No. PassProfessor practice questions are written independently, from scratch, to the content specifications the USMLE program publishes. We never use actual USMLE items, recalled items, or another provider’s material.
When will the PassProfessor Step 2 CK program be available? The question bank is built — 1,992 questions with an explanation for every question — and the program is in final preparation. Join the notify list on this page and we will email you when enrollment opens. No enrollment is being taken yet, and we are not publishing a launch date we cannot keep.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), or the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). USMLE® is a joint program of the FSMB and NBME. This program is exam preparation only and provides no medical degree, certification, or license; medical licensure is granted solely by U.S. state medical boards to candidates who meet their requirements, including passing the USMLE Steps. Exam details on this page are general information current as of November 2026 — the USMLE program’s official publications govern if anything here differs from them.