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Step 2 CK study schedule: a plan built from the USMLE content outline

Sameed Ahmad
By Sameed Ahmad, who builds Focus AI (so read the Focus AI parts with that in mind).
Updated November 2026

A good Step 2 CK study schedule follows the USMLE's own Step 2 CK content specifications on usmle.org, which give a percentage range for each system area. The largest system area is Social Sciences (legal and ethical issues, professionalism, systems-based practice and patient safety) at 10–15%, then Renal & Urinary System & Reproductive Systems at 7–13%, and Cardiovascular and Musculoskeletal/Skin at 6–12% each. USMLE also codes items by clinical science: Medicine 55–65%, Pediatrics 17–27%, Obstetrics & Gynecology 10–20%, Psychiatry 10–15% and Surgery 5–15%, with many items counted in more than one.

Step 2 CK is a one-day exam of about 316 multiple-choice questions. Since May 7, 2026 it runs as sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions in one 9-hour session, with at least 55 minutes of break time. You get a three-digit score, and the minimum passing score has been 218 since July 1, 2025.

The builder below turns your exam date, hours a day and days a week into a day-by-day schedule weighted by the system ranges (we use each range's midpoint). Nutrition (15–20%) doesn't get days of its own, because USMLE codes every nutrition item to a system as well. The last quarter of your days goes to mixed practice and review, since USMLE writes Step 2 CK items to be integrative. It's free and needs no account.

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Step 2 CK format at a glance

Content outlineStep 2 CK content specifications: 14 system areas plus Nutrition (15–20%), each with a published percentage range (subject to change at any time)usmle.org
QuestionsAbout 316 multiple-choice questions, up to 20 per blockUSMLE Bulletin (2027)
TimeOne 9-hour session: sixteen 30-minute blocks, at least 55 minutes of break time and an optional 5-minute tutorial (since May 7, 2026)usmle.org
Clinical sciencesMedicine 55–65%, Pediatrics 17–27%, Obstetrics & Gynecology 10–20%, Psychiatry 10–15%, Surgery 5–15% (items can count toward more than one)usmle.org
ScoringThree-digit score; minimum passing score 218 for exams on or after July 1, 2025USMLE scoring
Fee$695 for 2026 and 2027 exams; $235 region fee for testing outside the U.S. and Canadausmle.org fees
From January 2029Designated Testing Dates: fewer Step exam administrations each yearusmle.org

Checked against the official sources on November 1, 2026.

What the Step 2 CK covers, by official weight

USMLE publishes these ranges on its Step 2 CK content page and says the percentages are subject to change at any time. Every question is classified to one system category, so the system ranges make a clean split. We left Nutrition (15–20%, listed in the same table) out of the split because USMLE says every item coded to Nutrition is also coded to a system, so those questions already sit inside the system days; study nutrition within each system. The clinical science ranges add up to more than 100% because many items count toward more than one. The midpoints add up to 101%, so the builder scales them to fit your days.

How the builder splits your time

  1. It counts your study days between today and the day before the exam, using the days a week you chose.
  2. It keeps the last quarter of those days (at least one week) for mixed practice questions and reviewing what you missed.
  3. It splits the rest across the 14 system areas in proportion to the official weights above, using the midpoint of each published range (for example, 6–12% counts as 9).
  4. This is our rule of thumb, not advice from FSMB and NBME. Move days toward your weak areas once your practice scores show them.

Protect each block from your own browser

A schedule only works if the hours happen. Focus AI is a Chrome extension built for that: when a block starts, type its task (the "Copy focus task" button gives you the line, like "Step 2 CK: Ethics, professionalism and patient safety practice questions") and it blocks pages that don't serve that task. Your question bank, NBME self-assessments and USMLE's free sample questions stay open; feeds, Shorts and game sites don't. Ending a block early means typing a sentence, not clicking a button.

First 3 sessions free, then $9.99 a month or $49 a year. The schedule builder above is free either way.

Frequently asked questions

What is on Step 2 CK?

Step 2 CK tests the clinical knowledge needed for patient care under supervision, with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. By system, USMLE gives these ranges: Social Sciences (legal/ethical issues, professionalism, systems-based practice and patient safety) 10–15%; Renal & Urinary System & Reproductive Systems 7–13%; Cardiovascular System and Musculoskeletal System/Skin & Subcutaneous Tissue 6–12% each; Behavioral Health, Blood & Lymphoreticular/Immune Systems, Gastrointestinal System, Nervous System & Special Senses and Respiratory System 5–10% each; Multisystem Processes & Disorders 4–8%; Endocrine System and Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Puerperium 3–7% each; Biostatistics & Epidemiology 3–5%; and Human Development 2–4%. Nutrition (15–20%) is coded on top of these.

How many questions are on Step 2 CK, and how long is it?

About 316 multiple-choice questions in one 9-hour session. For exams on or after May 7, 2026, that's sixteen 30-minute blocks of up to 20 questions, with at least 55 minutes of break time and an optional 5-minute tutorial. Before that date it was eight 60-minute blocks of up to 40 questions; USMLE says the content and the total number of items didn't change.

What score do you need to pass Step 2 CK?

218 on USMLE's three-digit scale, for exams on or after July 1, 2025. That was a four-point increase from 214, decided at USMLE's scheduled review of the Step 2 CK passing standard in June 2025.

How much does Step 2 CK cost?

The application fee is $695 for 2026 and 2027 exams, whether you apply through NBME (U.S. medical schools) or FSMB (medical schools outside the U.S.). Testing outside the U.S. and Canada adds a $235 region fee, which USMLE notes is not a USMLE fee.

What changed on Step 2 CK recently?

The passing score rose from 214 to 218 on July 1, 2025. On May 7, 2026, Step 2 CK moved to new test software with 30-minute blocks; USMLE says the content, item count and overall length stayed the same. From June 2026, USMLE enhanced nutrition content across all Step exams and added nutrition feedback to score reports (for Step 2 CK, no later than July 1, 2026); it says scoring and the content outline aren't changing. From January 2029, USMLE plans to cut the number of testing dates each year (Designated Testing Dates).

Sources

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