Part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog: PassProfessor is building USMLE Step 3 practice as its own program in the USMLE catalog — 1,998 original multiple-choice practice questions written to the content USMLE publishes for Step 3, 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 3 is the final 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 a physician assuming independent responsibility for general medical care can manage patients without supervision, with emphasis on ambulatory settings. Step 3 runs over two days: Day 1, Foundations of Independent Practice, presents 232 multiple-choice items, and Day 2, Advanced Clinical Medicine, presents 180 multiple-choice items plus 13 to 14 computer-based case simulations (CCS). Results are reported as a three-digit score with a current minimum passing score of 200. PassProfessor’s Step 3 program holds 1,998 original multiple-choice practice questions with an explanation for every question, built to the published Step 3 content for both days — and this page states plainly, in the coverage section below, how the bank treats the Day 2 case simulations. The full breakdown of the real exam is in the USMLE Step 3 exam guide.
What the program covers — and what it does not
A Step 3 multiple-choice bank for both days. Step 3’s multiple-choice items carry the large majority of the exam: 412 of them across the two days. This bank is built for that work — 1,998 original questions organized the way USMLE organizes Step 3, by day and by task. Day 1 practice covers the foundations: foundational sciences applied to health care, biostatistics and epidemiology and interpretation of the medical literature, social sciences including communication, medical ethics, systems-based practice and patient safety, and diagnosis and management. Day 2 practice covers management as disease evolves: prognosis and outcome, health maintenance and screening, therapeutics, and medical decision making.
The case-simulation scope, stated plainly. Step 3 Day 2 also includes 13 to 14 computer-based case simulations, in which you manage a patient yourself as a case unfolds in simulated time. This program’s bank is multiple-choice; it does not reproduce USMLE’s CCS software and does not simulate the CCS interface. What it does is train the decisions the cases test — stabilization, deliberate ordering, advancing management, closing the loop — in multiple-choice form, and the Step 3 exam guide walks through how CCS works and how to practice it with USMLE’s own case-simulation materials. We would rather state the boundary than imply coverage we do not ship.
1,998 original practice questions, each with an explanation. The bank is built and verified by file recount: 1,998 questions, and an explanation for every question — not a bare answer key. Explanations teach the management decision the question tests and what separates 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.
Timed practice at each day’s real length. Step 3 is an endurance format split across two days: about 7 hours on Day 1 and about 9 hours on Day 2, in 30-minute blocks — 12 blocks of 18–20 items on Day 1 and 9 blocks of 20 items on Day 2. Full-length timed practice at each day’s real length, taken on separate days the way the real exam runs, is part of the design, so pacing and stamina are practiced skills rather than exam-week surprises.
A study loop tied to the two-day structure. Practice results break down by day and by task area, so you can see whether your gap is Day 1 material — biostatistics, literature interpretation, ethics, patient safety — or Day 2 material — prognosis, screening, therapeutics, decision making over time. The two days reward different preparation, and a single blended score hides which one needs your hours.
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 3 exam guide. The broader three-Step picture is in the USMLE exam guide.
| Step 3 fact | Current published detail |
|---|---|
| What it assesses | Knowledge and skills for independent, unsupervised general medical care, with emphasis on patient management in ambulatory settings |
| Format | Two days. Day 1 (Foundations of Independent Practice): multiple-choice only. Day 2 (Advanced Clinical Medicine): multiple-choice plus computer-based case simulations |
| Items | Day 1: 232 multiple-choice items in 12 blocks of 18–20 items at 30 minutes per block. Day 2: 180 multiple-choice items in 9 blocks of 20 items at 30 minutes per block, plus 13–14 case simulations allotted a maximum of 10 or 20 minutes of real time each |
| Testing sessions | Day 1: about 7 hours, including 55 minutes of break time and a 5-minute optional tutorial. Day 2: about 9 hours, including a minimum 45 minutes of break time |
| Score reporting | Three-digit score |
| Minimum passing score | 200 (for exams administered on or after January 1, 2024) |
| Application fee (2026 & 2027, per USMLE) | $955 |
| Where it is taken | Prometric test centers in the U.S. and its territories only |
- Step 3 cannot be taken first, and cannot be taken abroad. Eligibility requires passing scores on Step 1 and Step 2 CK plus the MD or DO degree (and ECFMG Certification for international graduates), and the exam is delivered only in the U.S. and its territories. Both facts shape scheduling — see the guide.
- 200 is a scale score, not a percentage. USMLE does not publish a fixed percentage of questions you must answer correctly to pass Step 3. Practice until your timed performance sits comfortably above the standard.
- 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 publishes Step 3 content by day. The bank is organized on the same split, because the two days test different jobs.
Day 1 — Foundations of Independent Practice (FIP)
| Day 1 content | What the program drills |
|---|---|
| Foundational sciences applied to health care | The basic-science principles that still decide clinical questions — mechanisms behind presentations, drug actions, and disease processes, applied rather than recalled |
| Biostatistics, epidemiology/population health, interpretation of the medical literature | Study design, measures of association, screening performance, and critical appraisal — including the item formats based on scientific abstracts and pharmaceutical advertisements |
| Social sciences | Communication and interpersonal skills, medical ethics, systems-based practice, and patient safety |
| Diagnosis and management | History and physical examination, diagnosis, and use of diagnostic studies — multiple-choice only, in 12 blocks of 18–20 items |
Day 2 — Advanced Clinical Medicine (ACM)
| Day 2 content | What the program drills |
|---|---|
| Prognosis and outcome | Predicting the course of disease and the likely results of intervening or waiting |
| Health maintenance and screening | Age- and risk-appropriate screening and prevention in ambulatory practice |
| Therapeutics | Choosing, sequencing, and monitoring treatment as a case evolves over time |
| Medical decision making | The management decisions the case simulations also test — stabilization, ordering, follow-up, closing the loop — drilled here in multiple-choice form (see the CCS scope note above) |
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 3 sample items and case-simulation practice materials, so both Day 2 formats are familiar early.
- Confirm your eligibility before you build a timeline. Step 3 requires passing scores on Step 1 and Step 2 CK and the degree in hand — and, for international graduates, a valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate. USMLE also recommends at least one postgraduate training year completed or near completion.
- When enrollment opens, start with timed diagnostic sets for each day separately. Your Day 1 and Day 2 breakdowns are two different study plans; blending them hides the weaker day.
- Drill Day 1’s non-clinical weight deliberately. Biostatistics, literature interpretation, ethics, and patient safety are a defined share of Day 1 that pure clinical drilling misses.
- Finish with full-length timed sessions at each day’s real length, on separate days — about 7 hours, then about 9 hours — and schedule the real exam through your registration entity and Prometric when your timed practice sits comfortably above the 200 standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is USMLE Step 3? Step 3 is the final examination in the USMLE sequence for medical licensure in the United States. Per USMLE, it assesses the knowledge and skills of physicians assuming independent responsibility for providing general medical care, with emphasis on patient management in ambulatory settings. It is sponsored by FSMB and NBME.
How is Step 3 structured? Step 3 is a two-day examination, per USMLE. Day 1 (Foundations of Independent Practice) presents 232 multiple-choice items in 12 blocks of 18–20 items at 30 minutes per block, in a session of about 7 hours. Day 2 (Advanced Clinical Medicine) presents 180 multiple-choice items in 9 blocks of 20 items at 30 minutes per block, plus 13 to 14 computer-based case simulations allotted a maximum of 10 or 20 minutes of real time each, in a session of about 9 hours.
What score do I need to pass Step 3? The current minimum passing score is 200 on USMLE’s three-digit scale, for exams administered on or after January 1, 2024, per USMLE’s Examination Results and Scoring page. It is a scale score, not a percentage and not a count of questions.
What does Step 3 require before I can take it? Per USMLE’s eligibility page, Step 3 requires passing scores on Step 1 and Step 2 CK, plus an MD or DO degree from an LCME- or COCA-accredited U.S. medical school — or, for graduates of medical schools outside the U.S., the equivalent of the MD degree from a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements, together with ECFMG Certification and a valid, unexpired ECFMG Certificate. USMLE also recommends that Step 3 applicants have completed, or be near completion of, at least one postgraduate training year in an accredited U.S. graduate medical education program that meets state board licensing requirements.
Does the PassProfessor Step 3 program include case simulations? No — and this page says so plainly. The program’s bank is 1,998 original multiple-choice questions covering the published content of both days, including the management decisions the case simulations test. It does not reproduce USMLE’s computer-based case simulation software or simulate its interface. USMLE publishes its own CCS practice materials, and our Step 3 exam guide explains how to build them into your preparation alongside this bank.
How many practice questions does the PassProfessor Step 3 program include? 1,998 original multiple-choice practice questions, each with an explanation. The bank is built and verified by file recount; enrollment opens through the notify list on this page.
How much does the real Step 3 cost? USMLE’s Apply for Exams page lists the 2026 and 2027 application fee as $955. That is the real exam’s fee, paid through your registration entity — not a PassProfessor price. No PassProfessor price for this program has been announced.
Can I take Step 3 outside the United States? No. Per USMLE, Step 3 is administered only in the U.S. and its territories, at authorized Prometric test centers. Steps 1 and 2 CK, by contrast, are administered at test centers worldwide.
How is Step 3 different from Step 2 CK? Step 2 CK is a single day of multiple-choice items about patient care under supervision, reported on the same three-digit scale with a passing standard of 218. Step 3 spans two days, tests readiness for unsupervised practice, and adds the Day 2 case simulations. The USMLE Step 2 CK program is also in the works in this catalog, with its own bank built to the Step 2 CK specifications.
Are these the actual USMLE questions? No. PassProfessor practice questions are written independently, from scratch, to the content the USMLE program publishes for Step 3. We never use actual USMLE items, recalled items, or another provider’s material.
When will the PassProfessor Step 3 program be available? The question bank is built — 1,998 multiple-choice 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.