Free 120 Step 1: What Does Your Score Mean?
Enter your Step 1 Free 120 result. You get its margin of error and how it compares with the low-pass range (about 62–68%) on NBME's CBSSA reports.
Leave at 120 unless your version had a different number of questions. Fewer questions means a wider range.
Free 120 · Step 1 readiness check
Borderline: part of your range is below the reference band
Some of your likely range falls below the CBSSA low-pass range. One Free 120 cannot settle this; take a CBSSA and use its official pass probability.
- Your result
- 65% (78/120)
- Likely range (green, ±4.4)
- 61–69%
- CBSSA low-pass band (gray)
- 62–68%
This is not a pass probability. Free 120 reports a raw percent correct, and NBME has not published a Free 120 passing line. The gray band is the low-pass range from NBME's CBSSA sample report, used here only as a rough reference.
What is the Step 1 Free 120?
“Free 120” is the nickname for the free Step 1 sample questions published by USMLE. USMLE describes the set as more than 100 sample questions, offered as a PDF and as an interactive test that runs in the same software as the real exam.
Because the questions come from the exam's own developers, many students treat Free 120 as the closest thing to test day. But it was built for familiarization: the result is a raw percent correct, with no equated score and no estimated chance of passing.
Get the current version only from the official USMLE Step 1 sample test questions page.
Free 120 Step 1 percent: reference table
Each row shows a percent on 120 questions, its likely range (±1 standard error), and how that range sits against the CBSSA low-pass band of about 62–68%. This is a reference, not a conversion.
| Free 120 percent | Likely range | Vs. CBSSA low-pass band |
|---|---|---|
| 55% (66/120) | 50–60% | Below the reference band |
| 60% (72/120) | 56–64% | Borderline: part of your range is below the reference band |
| 62% (74/120) | 57–66% | Borderline: part of your range is below the reference band |
| 65% (78/120) | 61–69% | Borderline: part of your range is below the reference band |
| 68% (82/120) | 64–73% | Close: your range sits in or just above the reference band |
| 70% (84/120) | 66–74% | Close: your range sits in or just above the reference band |
| 72% (86/120) | 68–76% | Close: your range sits in or just above the reference band |
| 75% (90/120) | 71–79% | Above the reference band |
| 80% (96/120) | 76–84% | Above the reference band |
Low-pass band: approximate reading of the chart on the NBME CBSSA sample score report (April 2026). Free 120 percentages are raw, not equated, so the comparison is approximate.
How to use Free 120 in your Step 1 decision
Make a CBSSA your main signal
A CBSSA reports an equated percent correct and NBME's estimated probability of passing. That printed probability outranks any Free 120 result.
Use Free 120 as a late check
Taking it close to test day rehearses the real interface and timing. A result well above the reference band supports a CBSSA that already looks ready.
Read the range, not the point
With about 120 questions, a few lucky or unlucky guesses move the percent by several points. Look at where the whole green range falls.
Disagreement means more data
If Free 120 and your CBSSA point in different directions, take another CBSSA rather than picking the number you like better.
Have a CBSSA result? Use the NBME Step 1 readiness check, which applies NBME's published guidance to your equated percent correct.
Free 120 Step 1 FAQs
What is a good Free 120 score for Step 1?+
There is no official cutoff. As a rough reference, NBME's CBSSA sample report draws the Step 1 low-pass range at about 62–68% equated percent correct. A Free 120 result whose whole margin of error sits above that band is a good sign; one that overlaps or falls below it means you should confirm readiness with a CBSSA.
What percent do you need on the Free 120 to pass Step 1?+
Neither USMLE nor NBME publishes a Free 120 passing percent. The Free 120 reports only a raw percent correct, not an equated score or a pass probability, so any single 'passing percent' you see online is an estimate, not an official number.
Is the Free 120 predictive of Step 1?+
It is useful but limited. The questions come from USMLE and match the exam's style and interface, but USMLE presents them as sample questions for familiarization, not as a scored predictor. With about 120 questions, a single result also carries roughly ±4 percentage points of sampling error.
How is the margin of error calculated?+
It is the standard error of a percentage measured on a fixed number of questions: the square root of p × (1 − p) ÷ n. For 65% on 120 questions, that is about ±4.4 points. The checker shows ±1 standard error, the same "about two out of three" convention NBME uses for CBSSA score ranges.
Should I trust Free 120 or my NBME CBSSA more?+
Your CBSSA. A CBSSA has more questions, reports an equated percent correct, and prints NBME's own estimated probability of passing. Use Free 120 as a late confidence check and a rehearsal of the testing interface.
Can I compare an old Free 120 with the current one?+
Not reliably. USMLE replaces sample items over time, and different sets differ in difficulty. Compare your result only with the low-pass reference and with your own CBSSA scores, not with percentages people reported on older versions.
What is the Step 1 pass rate?+
In 2025, 93% of U.S. MD first-takers and 75% of first-takers from non-U.S. schools passed Step 1, according to USMLE performance data.