The NBME's official 137-question practice exam is the closest free look at Step 3 MCQ style you will get. This page is about how to actually use it — timing, review, and what it does not cover — not a catalog of every archived form. For version maps, start at the Free 137 hub.
If you only have time for one official form, take the current December 2023 Free 137. Older sets are extra practice, not a substitute.
When to take it
Use Free 137 as a late checkpoint, not a diagnostic on day one of studying.
- Too early: You will miss questions on content you have not reviewed, then over-interpret the score.
- Sweet spot: After most of a UWorld pass, with CCS already started — typically the last 7–10 days before Day 1 (same window Reddit study-plan threads recommend).
- Too late: The night before Day 1. You want time to review missed biostats, ethics, and drug-ad items.
You can sit it in tutor mode on StudyCCS Free 137 while learning, then do a timed block later. Timed once is enough for most people.
What it is (and is not)
Free 137 is 137 multiple-choice questions in 4 timed blocks. It is the Step 3 analog of the Free 120. It is not CCS. It will not teach you order entry, clock management, or the software on Day 2.
Because it is MCQ-only, pair Free 137 with CCS prep:
- CCS Cases for USMLE Step 3: The Complete 2026 Guide
- CCS Cases Cheat Sheet
- How CCS Scoring Actually Works
How to sit the exam
- Use the current December 2023 form unless you already finished it.
- Timed, one sitting if you can. Four blocks — treat it like a short test day, not a question bank.
- Do not pause to Google. Mark and move. The skill you are practicing is USMLE pacing.
- Review the same day. Write down 10–15 patterns (biostats formulas, ethics themes, “next best step in the office” vs ED).
- If you still want volume, then the November 2020 set is extra MCQs, not a second “real” score.
How to read your score
Free 137 does not spit out a three-digit Step 3 score the way some paid forms do. Treat percent correct as a direction, then triangulate with UWSA/NBME and the free Step 3 Score Predictor.
Our passing-score guide is still the official floor: USMLE Step 3 passing score is 200. A messy Free 137 with a weak CCS plan is a bigger problem than a mid-pack MCQ percent with a solid order-set drill.
CCS items hiding in MCQ clothing
Even though Free 137 is not the Primum software, a lot of stems are CCS-shaped: unstable patient, next order, when to admit, what not to do. When you miss those, do not only reread the explanation — run the same presentation as a case on StudyCCS and drill the opening orders on SpeedOrder.
A simple Free 137 week
- Day 1: Timed December 2023 form.
- Day 2: Review every miss. Tag CCS-like stems.
- Days 3–5: Those presentations as cases + order drilling. Light UWorld incorrects only.
- Day 2 of the real exam: You should already know the CCS interface; Free 137 will not save you there.
For the full version map, stay on the parent hub: Every version of the Free 137, explained.
Related guides:
• The Free 137: Every Version Explained