Are you wondering how many UWorld Step 1 or Step 2 CK questions there are? Curious to know how the number of UWorld questions has changed over time? Do you need to know what the breakdown of questions is for UWorld questions by subject or system? Then read on!
Summary:
- UWorld Questions April 2024:
- Step 1: 3,643
- Step 2 CK: 3,996
- The Step 1 and Step 2 CK Qbanks can be organized by system and subject
- UWorld Step 1 and Step 2 CK questions increased dramatically from 2018
- Amboss launched in the US in the spring of 2017. You decide if that is a coincidence.
Table of Contents
Current Number of UWorld Step 1 and Step 2 Questions
UWorld Step 1 Questions by Subject and System
Here are the number of UWorld Step 1 questions by subject:
| UWorld Step 1 Subject | # Questions | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy | 308 | 8% |
| Behavioral science | 253 | 7% |
| Biochemistry | 156 | 4% |
| Biostatistics | 121 | 3% |
| Embryology | 74 | 2% |
| Genetics | 106 | 3% |
| Histology | 29 | 1% |
| Immunology | 131 | 4% |
| Microbiology | 347 | 10% |
| Pathology | 830 | 23% |
| Pathophysiology | 474 | 13% |
| Pharmacology | 546 | 15% |
| Physiology | 268 | 7% |
| Total | 3643 | 100% |
And the number of UWorld Step 1 questions by system:
| UWorld Step 1 System | # Questions | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry (General Principles) | 65 | 1.8% |
| Genetics (General Principles) | 62 | 1.7% |
| Microbiology (General Principles) | 30 | 0.8% |
| Pathology (General Principles) | 39 | 1.1% |
| Pharmacology (General Principles) | 45 | 1.2% |
| Biostatistics & Epidemiology | 120 | 3.3% |
| Poisoning & Environmental Exposure | 33 | 0.9% |
| Psychiatric/Behavioral & Substance Use Disorder | 179 | 4.9% |
| Social Sciences (Ethics/Legal/Professional) | 109 | 3.0% |
| Miscellaneous (Multisystem) | 23 | 0.6% |
| Allergy & Immunology | 108 | 3.0% |
| Cardiovascular System | 413 | 11.3% |
| Dermatology | 100 | 2.7% |
| Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | 40 | 1.1% |
| Endocrine, Diabetes & Metabolism | 199 | 5.5% |
| Female Reproductive System & Breast | 79 | 2.2% |
| Gastrointestinal & Nutrition | 307 | 8.4% |
| Hematology & Oncology | 230 | 6.3% |
| Infectious Diseases | 270 | 7.4% |
| Male Reproductive System | 52 | 1.4% |
| Nervous Svstem | 398 | 10.9% |
| Ophthalmology | 30 | 0.8% |
| Pregnancy, Childbirth & Puerperium | 59 | 1.6% |
| Pulmonary & Critical Care | 264 | 7.2% |
| Renal, Urinary Systems & Electrolytes | 224 | 6.1% |
| Rheumatology/Orthopedics & Sports | 165 | 4.5% |
| Total | 3643 | 100.0% |
UWorld Step 1 Questions Over Time
Here is a list of UWorld Step 1 questions over time, per various Reddit threads dating back to 2014.
- UWorld Step 1 Questions in April 2024: 3,643
- May 2023: 3,729
- October 2022: 3,796
- September 2021: 3,563
- December 2020: 3,345
- October 2019: 2,816
- January 2019: 2,519
- January 2014: 2,209
Here are the same UWorld Step 1 data presented visually:
UWorld Step 2 CK Questions by Subject and System
Here are the number of UWorld Step 2 CK questions by subject:
| UWorld Step 2 CK Subject | # Questions | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory Med | 397 | 8% |
| Clinical Neuro | 363 | 7% |
| Emergency Med | 385 | 8% |
| Family Med | 447 | 9% |
| Medicine | 1121 | 23% |
| OBGYN | 533 | 11% |
| Peds | 632 | 13% |
| Psychiatry | 358 | 7% |
| Surgery | 622 | 13% |
| Total | 4858 | 100% |
And the number of UWorld Step 2CK questions by system:
| UWorld Step 2 CK System | # Questions | % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Allergy & Immunology | 40 | 0.8% |
| Biostatistics & Epidemiology | 42 | 0.9% |
| Cardiovascular System | 407 | 8.4% |
| Dermatology | 175 | 3.6% |
| Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | 99 | 2.0% |
| Endocrine, Diabetes & Metabolism | 197 | 4.1% |
| Female Reproductive System & Breast | 289 | 5.9% |
| Gastrointestinal & Nutrition | 470 | 9.7% |
| General Principles | 33 | 0.7% |
| Hematology & Oncology | 212 | 4.4% |
| Infectious Diseases | 338 | 7.0% |
| Male Reproductive System | 65 | 1.3% |
| Miscellaneous (Multisystem) | 18 | 0.4% |
| Nervous System | 594 | 12.2% |
| Ophthalmology | 77 | 1.6% |
| Poisoning & Environmental Exposure | 81 | 1.7% |
| Pregnancy, Childbirth & Puerperium | 293 | 6.0% |
| Psychiatric/Behavioral & Substance Use Disorder | 455 | 9.4% |
| Pulmonary & Critical Care | 302 | 6.2% |
| Renal, Urinary Systems & Electrolytes | 240 | 4.9% |
| Rheumatology/Orthopedics & Sports | 326 | 6.7% |
| Social Sciences (Ethics/Legal/Professional) | 105 | 2.2% |
| Total | 4858 | 100.0% |
UWorld Step 2 CK Questions Over Time
Here is a list of UWorld Step 2 CK questions over time, per various Reddit threads dating back to 2014.
- UWorld Step 2 CK Questions in April 2024: 3,996
- October 2022: 4,077
- February 2021: 3,776
- July 2019: 2,927
- Fall 2018: ~2,300
Here are the same UWorld Step 2 CK data presented visually:
UWorld Step 1 + Step 2 CK Questions Up Dramatically Since 2018
Looking at the data graphically, it’s evident that from 2018, UWorld has dramatically increased its number of questions and peaked around the end of 2022. Since then, we have seen a slow decrease with ~100 fewer questions in 2024 for both Step 1 and Step 2.
Amboss Launched in the Spring 2017 in the US
It’s hard to ignore that UWorld drastically expanded its QBank questions roughly a year after Amboss entered the US scene. Coincidence? Possibly. A more compelling explanation would be that UWorld felt the need to expand to head off a competitor.
Concluding Thoughts
UWorld has dramatically increased its Step 1 and Step 2 CK questions since 2018. We can speculate as to why, but the truth is that there are many more questions now. Students have often said that some UWorld questions seem too focused on fine details making them less valuable as study material, so we can hope that decreasing question amounts shows progress in fixing these problems.
What does this mean if you’re preparing for the USMLEs? First, it is much harder to finish UWorld – let alone do multiple passes – now than it was in the past. Second, you should still remember to focus on learning the material well rather than rushing through a QBank just to say that you did it.
Want help understanding the best UWorld Strategy? Check out this article.
And if you’re curious to know how many UWorld questions per day you should be doing, read this article.
