Key takeaways
- Since 2026 (Step 3 from March, Step 1 and Step 2 CK from May), USMLE blocks are 30 minutes with up to 20 questions. Step 1 now has 14 blocks, Step 2 CK has 16.
- Total questions and the length of the day did not change. Time per question is still 90 seconds.
- Step 1 break time went up to 55 minutes and the tutorial went down to 5 minutes.
- Every 40-question, 60-minute practice block in your course is now the wrong size. Cut it in two.
- Students should try the new official practice tool once before test day. Use your own tests for volume and reports.
Saturday night in Hyderabad. The academic head of an online USMLE batch sends out Sunday’s plan: a full practice day, seven blocks of 40 questions, 60 minutes each. The plan is neat. It is also out of date. Since 14 May 2026, the real Step 1 has no 60-minute blocks at all.
Any course built before May has the same problem. This post is for the people who build those courses, not for the students who take them.
What changed in 2026
The USMLE moved to new test software this year. On usmle.org the program lists an updated design, better keyboard navigation, a settings menu and contrast control for each image. Step 3 moved first, from 10 March. Step 2 CK followed on 7 May and Step 1 on 14 May 2026.
The bigger change for teachers is the block. Blocks are now 30 minutes with up to 20 questions, half the old size. The total number of questions and the length of the day stayed the same. Students still can review only inside the current block, and a closed block stays closed.
Breaks moved too. The Step 1 page now gives a minimum of 55 minutes of break, up from 45, and a 5-minute optional tutorial, down from 15. The arithmetic still lands on 8 hours: 14 blocks of 30 minutes is 7 hours of questions, plus 55 and 5 minutes.
Step 1, same day, cut differently
420 minutes of questions, before and after
Each bar is one block. Same 90 seconds a question either way.
usmle.org says the update should not change how students study. For content, that is true. For how students practice sitting the exam, it is not.
Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 in one table
| Exam | Before | Now | Day | Break and tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1from 14 May 2026 | 7 blocks × 60 min, up to 40 questions | 14 blocks × 30 min, up to 20 questions | 8 hours · 280 questions | 55 min break (was 45) · 5 min tutorial (was 15) |
| Step 2 CKfrom 7 May 2026 | 8 blocks × 60 min, 38–40 questions | 16 blocks × 30 min, 18–20 questions | 9 hours · 316 questions | 55 min break · 5 min tutorial |
| Step 3, Day 1from 10 March 2026 | 6 blocks × 60 min, 38–39 questions | 12 blocks × 30 min, 18–20 questions | About 7 hours · 232 questions | Not stated on the update page |
| Step 3, Day 2from 10 March 2026 | 6 blocks × 45 min, 30 questions | 9 blocks × 30 min, 20 questions | 9 hours · 180 questions + 13–14 case simulations (unchanged) | Not stated on the update page |
Sources: Step 1 and Step 2 CK update, Step 3 update, Step 1 and Step 2 CK pages on usmle.org, read 13 November 2026.
See a 30-minute block on Vacademy
We will set up a 20-question test locked at 30 minutes and show the report your teachers get after it.
Re-cutting your practice blocks
The pace is the same: 60 minutes for 40 questions and 30 minutes for 20 are both 90 seconds a question. What changes is the rhythm. A Step 1 day now has 13 gaps between blocks instead of 6. The break-time rules say any time between blocks counts as break time. Time left from a block finished early goes back into the break pool, and break time used beyond the pool comes out of testing time. Spread evenly, 55 minutes over 13 gaps is about 4 minutes each. A student who takes a 10-minute break after every block, out of habit, runs out by the middle of the day.
Self-check
5 signs your USMLE course still runs on the old blocks
- Your practice sets still have 40 questions.
- Your timers are still set to 60 minutes.
- Your full practice day still has 7 blocks and 6 gaps.
- Nobody has shown students how to spread 55 minutes of break over 13 gaps.
- Your students have never opened the new official practice tool.
Two or more of these? Your course needs a re-cut before the next batch.
Using the official practice tool
Your test series on Vacademy does not copy the USMLE screen, and it does not need to. The Step 1 sample questions page offers more than 100 sample questions as a PDF and as an interactive testing experience. For exams from 14 May it points to the new interactive version, which has options to show correct answers and to turn on the timer. usmle.org says NBME self-assessments already use the same software.
Make it a class. In the first month, run a live session where every student opens the new tool, takes the tutorial and one timed block with the timer on. Then talk through the tools they found. One hour now saves surprises on test day.
Use the official tool for the screen, your own tests for practice
Bring one old 40-question set. We will split it into two 30-minute blocks with your team.
Block practice in Vacademy
On Vacademy, a 30-minute block is a mock assessment. You add 20 questions and set the duration to 30 minutes. Students can open it any time, but once they start, the 30 minutes are locked and run to the end. For a practice day where the whole batch sits together, use an examination. It opens and closes at fixed times. Untimed practice assessments suit topic revision between blocks.
After each block, the report shows strong and weak topics, correct, wrong and skipped answers, time spent on each question, which wrong options students picked, and rank within the batch. That is what tells a teacher where the batch is losing marks. More on reports in our guide to running Step 1 prep online and on AI for practice and revision. If your questions come from a medical textbook, see how a textbook becomes a question bank.
Honest limits
- Vacademy has no USMLE-style screen. Its exam-style test screens cover JEE Main-style, JEE Advanced-style, GATE-style and Railway JE (RRB)-style tests. USMLE blocks run on the standard Vacademy test screen.
- There is no lab values panel and no shared break pool across tests. Each block is its own test.
- USMLE is a program of the FSMB and NBME. Vacademy is not connected to either, and nothing here is official USMLE material.
Questions institutes ask
How long is a USMLE block in 2026?
30 minutes. With the new test software, Step 1 has fourteen 30-minute blocks of no more than 20 questions each. Step 2 CK has sixteen and Step 3 Day 1 has twelve. Before the change, most blocks were 60 minutes with about 40 questions.
Did the total number of USMLE questions change?
No. usmle.org says the total number of items and the overall length of the test stay the same. Step 1 is still an 8-hour day and Step 2 CK a 9-hour day. Only the size of each block changed.
How much break time does Step 1 have now?
A minimum of 55 minutes, up from 45. The optional tutorial dropped from 15 minutes to 5. Time left over when a student finishes a block or the tutorial early is added to the break time. Time spent between blocks counts as break time.
Is the time per question different with 30-minute blocks?
No. 60 minutes for 40 questions and 30 minutes for 20 questions are both 90 seconds a question. What changes is how often the clock restarts, how often students can stop to review, and how the break time is shared out.
Where can students try the new USMLE software?
On usmle.org. Each Step has a new interactive testing experience with the tutorial and sample questions, and the Step 1 page says more than 100 sample questions are available. usmle.org also says NBME self-assessments already use the new software.
Can Vacademy show the USMLE exam screen?
No. Vacademy's exam-style screens cover JEE Main-style, JEE Advanced-style, GATE-style and Railway JE (RRB)-style tests. USMLE is not one of them. An institute can still run 20-question mock tests locked at 30 minutes on Vacademy's standard test screen, with reports by topic, and use the official practice tool for the real interface.
Try Vacademy for your USMLE batch
Pick one topic your batch finds hard. We will build a 20-question block locked at 30 minutes with your team and show the report your teachers would see.