news
Registration changed for Step 3 too
The January 2026 service transition moved Step 3 registration for US graduates to NBME. Easy to miss, because it lands years after you learn the process.
- Step 3
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
Step 2 CK
10 guides on Step 2 CK from Steps Ladder.
news
The software change, Step by Step
The new test delivery software reached Step 3 first, then Step 1 and Step 2 CK. What it means at each stage, and why Step 3 candidates saw the biggest shift.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Step 3
Fixed exam dates and your Step sequence
Designated testing dates from January 2029 turn exam timing from a preference into a constraint. What that does to planning Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Step 3
How not to waste the Step 1 to Step 2 CK gap
The months between the two exams are where most of the compounding happens, and where most students quietly lose ground.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Study strategy
Planning the USMLE sequence across three years
The exams are spaced years apart but the decisions interact. A view of the whole sequence, and the choices that are cheap early and expensive late.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Step 3
When rescheduling your exam is the right call
Postponing feels like failure and is sometimes the correct decision. A framework for telling the two apart before the deadline makes it for you.
- Study strategy
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
faq
A plain-language glossary of USMLE terms
The abbreviations and jargon that appear constantly in USMLE discussion, explained without assuming you already know what they mean.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- IMG pathway
Step 2 CK now carries the weight, plan accordingly
With Step 1 reported as pass/fail, Step 2 CK became the scored exam programmes read. What that means for when you take it and how you prepare.
- Step 2 CK
- Step 1
- Study strategy
Exam day: what to sort out before it matters
The logistics, timing and small decisions that are easy to get right in advance and expensive to improvise on the morning of a USMLE exam.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Study strategy
Step 1 is pass/fail: what that actually changed
Pass/fail scoring moved the pressure rather than removing it. What it changed for how you study, and what it changed for how programmes read your application.
- Step 1
- Step 2 CK
- Study strategy