COMLEX 3 new format experiences?

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soxman

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I'm taking COMLEX 3 in a few weeks and I get this email from the NBOME about an "Exciting" addition with CCS cases. Has anyone taken the new test ? Any input?
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Sox
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I took it 2 weeks ago and had no such questions. You may be the first guinnea pig
 
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Ya i got the same thing, signed up for exam then few weeks later received an "exciting" email about it. Should be fun.
 
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I received one those emails too for "CDM". I don't believe they are making it a two day exam nor do they say when they will begin with the new additions. So typical NBOME, "exciting news" but no other info, leaving test takers in the dark like they do for everything else.
 
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The only thing I see on the website about a change to the comlex 3 is this:

Beginning in 2018, the COMLEX-USA Level 3 examination will be a 2-day, computer-based examination consisting of single best answer, multiple choice test item or extended matching item formats, with novel test item and audio-visual test item formats designed to assess anexpanded physician competency subset.These novel test items may include clinical decision-making and/or constructed-response types of test items. For more information, please refer to
https://www.nbome.org/docs/BlueRibbonReport2014.pdf
 
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So I wonder if the new section will be graded for now (like an experimental) since it was such short and random notice
 
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Well that was fun :-/ I didn't realize that the tutorial for the clinical cases would deduct time from my test. Didn't have time to finish the last few questions. Definitely interesting. I have no idea how they will grade it. Now I wait...
 
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dquacken said:
Well that was fun :-/ I didn't realize that the tutorial for the clinical cases would deduct time from my test. Didn't have time to finish the last few questions. Definitely interesting. I have no idea how they will grade it. Now I wait...
Click to expand...

Details! How many cases were there? How many questions? Was it integrated into the test or was it a separate test?
 
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There were 11 cases and had 32 questions total and yes the time seemed to run out fast! It was the 8th section of the test. You could select what you wanted to order and the next screen would show what the "ideal" labs and tests were and their results and would go on to ask what our diagnosis(es) were and or what treatments would we recommend. And you cant say antibiotics, you actually have to list the name of what you want to administer. One section even asked about what other questions would you ask in the history. There was 2 OB case, 2 peds cases, 2 ER cases, 1 geri case and some random clinic cases. I hope the 32 questions were experimental.
 
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Agree with above! Some of the cases seemed really vague, but that's COMLEX for you. I would definitely read the instructions before taking the test. That way you won't be scrambling for time like I was.
 
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I just went over the CDM practice on the NBOME website and it's worrying me how specific they want everything. You get 1 point for a specific required answer but then zero if you put extras they didn't want. It seems likely to get really low scores on the whole section this way. It seems like they are trying to do the whole PE over again with this pretty much. I sure hope it's experimental.
 
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Also, since the CDM is now included, is the COMLEX just 7 sections of questions with the last as cases?
Even 11 cases seems like a lot actually. Will kinda have to rush through it.
 
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I'm amazed that my exam is only a little over a week away and I still have yet to receive any email telling me of the addition of cases to this years board exam.
 
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Good thing I came on here to do some research or I would have been flabbergasted come exam day. My test is 2 weeks away and never received any kind of email from the NBOME about this new section. I couldn't even find how to get to the CDM page from the home NBOME page. Sigh, just two more weeks of putting up with this nonsense (I hope)!
 
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I never had warning either except for SDN. Yes, it was 7 sections of 50 questions and one last section of 11 cases that totaled about 38 (?) questions. I had no idea of the scoring and would probably have been anxious if I had. I just went through them as an exercise. When the next screen gave me a result for something I had ordered, I felt like I did well only in one case did I get a result for something I did not order or think of and it wasn't that major really. They weren't difficult cases overall. I think it remains to be seen how they are scored but I think these kinda of cases have some value over endless MCQs that don't really test our critical-thinking ability (particularly, with how awful COMLEX MCQs can be).
 
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I just received the email yesterday, and my test is in a week. I have no clue how to really prepare for it as there are absolutely no resources made yet outside of the few sample scenarios on the NBOME site. The grading system is bizarre as well. . .0 points for the whole question if I give an answer they do not like, even if I have correct answers listed too? I really hope I survive this BS exam.
 
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Looks like the NBOME may be trying to move to a 2-day exam like the USMLE according to http://aodme.org/wp-content/uploads/NBOME_COMLEX-USA_Update_2014.pdf slide 53. I'm wondering if this new section is meant to torture us guinea pigs in preparation for the new exam format? Who knows, but it sucks. I seriously hope it doesn't cause me to fail though. I don't care about my score, but I just want to be done with the NBOME.
 
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anyone have anything new to add? this seems so messed up that they can change the test like that and not even warn us or warn ppl a few days before. it seems like more ppl will fail from this. are they actually going to count these. this seems rediculous
 
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The hope is that they're experimental. I tried reading a little about the clinical cases the MD's have, but I didn't feel that they were very comparable (I could have been looking at the wrong stuff, though, cause this was my google search the night before the exam). My best advice is to the do the practice cases on the NBOME website so you at least know what to expect... somewhat.
 
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Being a psych resident, I thought the exam was pretty tough. It seemed like 1/2 of the exam was about babies, and the other 1/2 was geriatrics. Several imaging pictures I didn't really know how to interpret. Some basic science questions that I haven't seen since step 1. Lots of weird stuff I had never heard of. Typical comlex. Had a whopping total of about 6 psych questions. Surprisingly, it didn't seem like there was a ton of OMM. Definitely less than my step 1 & 2.

Some of the cases I wasn't quite sure what to write. Some of the questions seemed a little ambiguous. Ok, I stabilized this 60yo guy and he's hanging out. Anything else I want to get this guy before he leaves? I dunno, flu vaccine..colonoscopy.. do they want to know this health maintenance stuff too? A little pedal pumping while I'm at it? A couple of the cases I totally nailed. A few I think I got a lot of the stuff. And a few I completely missed everything. I hope the cases are only experimental.

Studied about 9 days. Read through MTB 3 once. Spent about 2 days on the green OMT book, which turned out to be overkill. (I was hoping to pad my score with some easy OMM points.) Did about 1400 Combank questions averaging right at the peer mean of 67%. I ended up marking 166/350 questions on the real exam, which is probably about the same ratio I usually mark on Combank. COMLEX II score mid 500s. I'm just hoping to pass.
 
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Just took it today. As a peds resident, I was happy that there were a great number of peds questions on the exam, though they were not easy by any means. The rest of the exam was about bleeding vaginas and old people. A urologist probably would have loved this exam. Vague, off-the wall questions lacking in detail. Every image was completely horrible. I felt like I was guessing on a large number of the questions. Quite a few level 1 style questions concerning bugs and pathophysiology. Less OMM than the previous two exams surprisingly and relatively straightforward I felt.

I had 11 cases and 32 questions. Took about 60 minutes of time. CDM cases were very poorly written imo. It was hard to get a feel of the overall patient presentation and what they were looking for. Of course, presentations were lacking in detail and images were terrible. Totally bombed a couple of cases, but also think I nailed a couple too, just as the previous poster. I have no clue about the others or how it is going to effect me. Be sure to check out http://www.nbome.org/cdm.asp before your test day so you don't waste time reading through the instructions which deducts from your total test time.

Overall, I feel like I failed again and I hope I'll be once again surprised at my score. I tried to study for about two weeks. Went through 900 Comquest questions at 68% percent, read the nephrology and ob sections of Master the Boards 3 and reviewed the green book. Honestly, I don't think any of my studying helped due to the randomness and suckiness of this exam. Here's to hoping I survive one more time.
 
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took mine on sept 11th , still waiting for the results. Apparently it should show up anywhere from october 15-20th
 
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I took mine Monday as well. There was a lot of infectious disease questions relative to a certain immunosuppressed state. There was a lot of urology. There was a lot of Crohn's/UC. The cases left me worried. I would get to the next screen and go "oh ****" completely messed that up. It was typical COMLEX. I reviewed Savarese for what seems like no reason because there wasn't much OMM on this test at all. I don't like that its not using the new AHA/ATP4/JNC-8 guidelines either. My clinical medicine is not akin to what they're looking for on the test. I realize there is a lag with updating it, of course.

I should also say, being an FM resident and taking it as a 2nd year, I thought I would have felt much better leaving the test. Either the COMLEX is FUBAR or I'm not practicing clinical medicine correctly. A good amount of esoteric questions. Had a 70.2% on COMBANK. Studied more than my third-year peers and feeling very MEH about the whole thing.

350 isn't a huge score to get, but I hope I got it.
 
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Also took it Monday. Agree with Bacchus. As a TY going into radiology, I couldn't have been more frustrated with the quality of the xray images on the exam. Beyond that, typical COMLEX poorly written crap. The interface for the cases was wonky and I was irritated to see that your tutorial for the cases subtracts from your actual time. Luckily I had read the tutorial ahead of time, but I thought it was unfair to force people to rush through the tutorial given the level of specificity they want in your answers.

I've said this every other time, but..."sure hope I passed." I keep telling myself it is a statistical improbability that I failed, but who the hell knows.
 
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soxman said:
took mine on sept 11th , still waiting for the results. Apparently it should show up anywhere from october 15-20th
Click to expand...

I'm wondering how accurate their score reporting table is. I took mine on 9/30, which should (theoretically) come out in the same batch of the 9/11 ones.

So impatient. Really just want to know if I passed.
 
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Got my score back today, took it 9/30. I passed! Nothing to write home about, but slightly better than the first two steps. Prayed really hard about this test, thought for sure that I had failed it.
 
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Took it 9/30, seriously thought I might have failed. Score?

693, 100 points higher than step II.

Very confused but very happy.
 
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Not a great score (a little lower than my step 1!) but passed comfortably and so glad that's over!! Bye-bye NBOME!!!
 
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Began studying 2 mo's out, usually during the day on down time. Found comquest to be superior with the question quality; however, combank was only marginally worse with question quality, but their mobile app was excellent and did far more of their questions as a result.

Did Comquest, Combank, and used MTB for reference:

Comquest: 71%, first time through
Combank: 70%, first time through

COMLEX I and II: 550

Step III: 592

I would not push my exam for fear of the new section, just take it and be done with it. There is no way to be better prepared for the CDM.
 
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What the what?! Did they rescore the 9/23 exam? The first report I got last week was pass 573. I was disappointed as this was 10 points lower than my level 1 and far below my level 2. I felt like I smoked it.
Signed on today to print the report for my residency...773, now that's more like it...totally different score report.
NBOME, I won't miss you. Not one bit.
 
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Any one still have any audio murmurs or OMM videos on the recent tests?
congrats on doing awesome! the cases still worry me, cuz its feel like before the change you had to be a mind reader sometimes for these questions to figure out what they want until you look at the answer choices and then they throw these short answer questions and multiple answer questions so now your just guessing how broad or specific they are thinking.
 
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