ACGME residencies and USMLE/COMLEX minimum score requirements.

[shibby1111]

What happens if a DO applicant to an ACGME residency scores above the minimum score requirement for USMLE but scores below the minimum score requirement for COMLEX? On FREIDA, some residencies say minimum USMLE score: 200 (barely passing) while the minimum COMLEX score: 600 (well, well above passing) for the exact same program.

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[Psai]

Why don't you ask in osteopathic?

 

[shibby1111]

Why don't you ask in osteopathic?

Because someone from osteopathic would say, "why don't you ask allopathic". DOs in ACGME residencies are generally done with the osteopathic forum and more likely to see this thread. Thanks for your response, though.

 

[shibby1111]

What happens if a DO applicant to a ACGME residency exceeds the residency's minimum score requirement for USMLE but does not meet the residency's minimum score requirement for COMLEX. Contributions from people who have knowledge or who have experienced this scenario are greatly appreciated.

 

[arewethereyet...]

Don't know the specific answer to your question, but to me that reads "DOs aren't welcome here".

 

[Psai]

What do the words minimum score requirement mean to you?

 

[shibby1111]

What do the words minimum score requirement mean to you?

Do you have nothing better to do than banter with people?

edit: I guess I should answer that question myself. With 3200 messages since January of last year, it appears the answer is yes, just sitting around, adding unnecessary comments to peoples serious questions and no substantial contact with real people

 

[Psai]

A better question to answer yourself is in your opening post

 

[Stagg737]

Don't know the specific answer to your question, but to me that reads "DOs aren't welcome here".

It'll be interesting to see how the standards change, if at all, after the merger.

 

[shibby1111]

Don't know the specific answer to your question, but to me that reads "DOs aren't welcome here".

Thanks. very helpful.

 

[notbobtrustme]

What happens if a DO applicant to an ACGME residency scores above the minimum score requirement for USMLE but scores below the minimum score requirement for COMLEX? On FREIDA, some residencies say minimum USMLE score: 200 (barely passing) while the minimum COMLEX score: 600 (well, well above passing) for the exact same program.

I don't think anyone knows. Your best bet is to contact the PC and ask what's the deal.

For example, one program may have cutoffs at 200 and 600 and if you have scores below either cutoff, you get screened out. Other programs may state both but only filter <200 scores or vice versa.

 

[preDoGuy24]

Have never heard of this being an issue. Ever. Score well on usmle and all will be fine as far as the acgme side of things go.

This is a nonissue.

 

[YankeeCandle1141]

Minimum scores are not always real. I am sure that this will not be an issue.

 

[racerwad]

No one cares about the COMLEX. My COMLEX was barely passing; my USMLE was fine. The one ACGME program interview where we talked about it, the PD and I just exchanged anecdotes about how bad the test was.

Stop looking at cutoffs.

 

[mcloaf]

Don't know the specific answer to your question, but to me that reads "DOs aren't welcome here".

Edit: can't read.

 

[DocVapor]

Oh FFS, there are plenty of DO students who post here. I'm not sure why OP thinks current allo students have any clue about COMLEX scores though (if anything, this thread belongs in the residency forums). Sometimes it seems like people are really looking for a reason to be upset even when there isn't one.

I don't think he meant that DO students aren't welcome here on this forum - I think he meant that having relatively higher COMLEX minimums is a stealth tactic used by ACGME programs to weed out DO applicants.

 

[mcloaf]

I don't think he meant that DO students aren't welcome here on this forum - I think he meant that having relatively higher COMLEX minimums is a stealth tactic used by ACGME programs to weed out DO applicants.

SMH, I'm losing it. 1 week into step 1 prep and already I can't read.

 

[arewethereyet...]

Oh FFS, there are plenty of DO students who post here. I'm not sure why OP thinks current allo students have any clue about COMLEX scores though (if anything, this thread belongs in the residency forums). Sometimes it seems like people are really looking for a reason to be upset even when there isn't one.

Sorry, not trying to piss anyone off, I'm at a DO school, I don't plan on wasting my time/money applying to schools that say they require a 600 on the COMLEX (that's 83rd percentile). It obviously takes more effort for them to say that than to say nothing, leading me to believe I don't have much of a shot.

I don't think he meant that DO students aren't welcome here on this forum - I think he meant that having relatively higher COMLEX minimums is a stealth tactic used by ACGME programs to weed out DO applicants.

Yes that is what I meant, thank you.

 

[DocVapor]

SMH, I'm losing it. 1 week into step 1 prep and already I can't read.

Happens to all of us man. Keep your head up.

 

[mcloaf]

Sorry, not trying to piss anyone off, I'm at a DO school, I don't plan on wasting my time/money applying to schools that say they require a 600 on the COMLEX (that's 83rd percentile). It obviously takes more effort for them to say that than to say nothing, leading me to believe I don't have much of a shot.

Not your fault at all, I've spent way too much time staring at computer screens recently. Time for me to go outside.

 

[ACSurgeon]

Don't know the specific answer to your question, but to me that reads "DOs aren't welcome here".

Or it means ACGME programs can't interpret comlex scores. I'd trust their usmle score because that's how you're conpared to other applicants.

 

[Mass Effect]

What happens if a DO applicant to an ACGME residency scores above the minimum score requirement for USMLE but scores below the minimum score requirement for COMLEX? On FREIDA, some residencies say minimum USMLE score: 200 (barely passing) while the minimum COMLEX score: 600 (well, well above passing) for the exact same program.

Most likely, that cut off of 600 is only for people who choose not to take the USMLE. If you took the USMLE and got over the cut-off, you should be fine.

 

[username456789]

Do you have nothing better to do than banter with people?

edit: I guess I should answer that question myself. With 3200 messages since January of last year, it appears the answer is yes, just sitting around, adding unnecessary comments to peoples serious questions and no substantial contact with real people

Resorting to making fun of someone for posting on an online forum is one of the weakest forms of rhetoric - especially when you do so on an online forum.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Just apply. If you're that paranoid call the program coordinator.

 

[shibby1111]

Resorting to making fun of someone for posting on an online forum is one of the weakest forms of rhetoric - especially when you do so on an online forum.

he deserved it. i posted a serious question and he responded with mockery and sarcasm.

 

[0ncogene]

What happens if a DO applicant to an ACGME residency scores above the minimum score requirement for USMLE but scores below the minimum score requirement for COMLEX? On FREIDA, some residencies say minimum USMLE score: 200 (barely passing) while the minimum COMLEX score: 600 (well, well above passing) for the exact same program.

I've encountered this situation before while applying for auditions. If one of my scores is above the minimum, I will apply. But given these are ACGME programs, your USMLE score will hold more weight. So if your USMLE score is above the minimum, I doubt you'll have any trouble meeting their board score requirement even if your COMLEX score is below their cut-off.

 

[a runner]

I've encountered this situation before while applying for auditions. If one of my scores is above the minimum, I will apply. But given these are ACGME programs, your USMLE score will hold more weight. So if your USMLE score is above the minimum, I doubt you'll have any trouble meeting their board score requirement even if your COMLEX score is below their cut-off.

I agree with this. The COMLEX cutoffs seem to be just for people who didn't take the USMLE. I disagree that disparate cutoffs means they are unfriendly towards DO's. The fact that they even have a COMLEX cutoff means that they accept applicants with only a COMLEX, instead of "USMLE only" or "no DO's."

And 9/10 times, if you meet the COMLEX cutoff, you will also meet the USMLE cutoff (if you took it) even if you did substantially worse on USMLE, but the reverse is almost never true. The mean COMLEX is 500, mean USMLE is 230. So even if you bomb the USMLE with a 210 (1 std below mean) and do well on COMLEX with say a 580 (1 std above mean), you still meet the USMLE cutoff for many places because the USMLE cutoffs are often ridiculously low (ie. 200, 210). This is the reason it's better for most DO's to take the USMLE, unless you score <200-210 or fail it.

 

[Ismet]

Merging threads

 

[SLC]

Most likely, that cut off of 600 is only for people who choose not to take the USMLE. If you took the USMLE and got over the cut-off, you should be fine.

I got rejected by one program (which has a fair share of DO's in it) because my USMLE was higher than their average, but my COMLEX-2 was lower than their stated requirement. It was one of those times I'd wished DO's could opt out of the COMLEX because level 2 was a joke this past year.

I'd stick to just calling and asking.