What Step 2 CK now demands of Indian medical graduates

Since Step 1 became pass/fail, Step 2 CK has quietly become the most important number on an IMG application. Programs use it to differentiate, to filter, and to anchor interview decisions.

For Indian medical graduates, that shift has practical consequences: prep timing has to move earlier, NBME-style review needs to be tighter, and the score has to be positioned as part of the application story — not just a hurdle to clear.

This is one of the few areas where the framework has materially changed in the last three years. The principles haven’t.