2011 COMLEX Level I Experiences and Scores Thread

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bleeker10

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Haven't seen a thread like this for those of us taking the beast this year so I thought I'd make one. When's everyone taking it? I'm taking it May 24th so I now have just over 60 days until I take it.

What materials are being used? I'm using FA, Goljan, BRS Phys, and Savarese along w/ Kaplan COMLEX and USMLE Qbanks (provided by school), USMLEWorld, and COMBANK.

Anyone taking USMLE too? I'm undecided since I'm military. I'll see where I'm at in a month and I can schedule it then.
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PhillDOc said:
A good friend of mine from school took her exam on Tuesday May 24 and got her score on Tuesday June 21...exactly 4 weeks from the test date. I'm confused because it seems like some people who took their test that day have heard nothing. What does this mean?! Since she told me this, I've been thinking June 1 testers would get ours today! I didn't realize so many people haven't gotten scores yet! Whatever happens, best of luck to all. I've been reading this thread for several months and it has been most helpful. Let's keep each other updated.
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Either she did not tell the truth :D (jk) or she's just lucky because there are so many ppl took exam in May haven't gottent score back. Eh, the best thing to do is waiting.
 
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PhillDOc said:
A good friend of mine from school took her exam on Tuesday May 24 and got her score on Tuesday June 21...exactly 4 weeks from the test date. I'm confused because it seems like some people who took their test that day have heard nothing. What does this mean?! Since she told me this, I've been thinking June 1 testers would get ours today! I didn't realize so many people haven't gotten scores yet! Whatever happens, best of luck to all. I've been reading this thread for several months and it has been most helpful. Let's keep each other updated.
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Well I wouldn't be surprised if the NBOME randomly released scores instead of releasing all scores from a particular test day. I contacted the NBOME and I was told there is no timeline for release of scores for a particular date but that I would hear back no later than next week which is 6 weeks out for me. Yesterday as 5 weeks for me and I still haven't heard.
 
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Flushot said:
This was the general consensus; many questions had such ambiguous wording or the answers were all terrible, at least to me. Although I don't ever recall seeing words I have never heard of, this also seemed to happen to other test takers. I know there was one question stating the patient had singultus AKA hiccups, which might've caught some people off guard.

Looking up answers...eh, no point but to make the wait more painful.
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During my test, I felt like many of the more "difficult" questions used words that I'd never seen. But I don't mind getting those wrong because there's not much I could've done about them. I'm more concerned about the questions that were on things that I'd studied.

While I agree looking up answers can be painful, I don't think it's a useless exercise. I'm taking the USMLE in about a month, so it can help me there. Also, when I do get my COMLEX scores back, I won't be as miffed if my score is lower than I had anticipated.
 
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surge23 said:
During my test, I felt like many of the more "difficult" questions used words that I'd never seen. But I don't mind getting those wrong because there's not much I could've done about them. I'm more concerned about the questions that were on things that I'd studied.

While I agree looking up answers can be painful, I don't think it's a useless exercise. I'm taking the USMLE in about a month, so it can help me there. Also, when I do get my COMLEX scores back, I won't be as miffed if my score is lower than I had anticipated.
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Yeah, I would say there were many difficult questions. The ones I had the most trouble with were ones where you had to pick an additional finding or fact that related to the case they were giving you. If that's what you mean, I would agree. Burning time on it probably wasn't worth it either, but I still tried. We'll see if it was worth it.

Oh, I hadn't realized you still have USMLE down the road. It would definitely be a good idea to review what you didn't know or had trouble on for sure.
 
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i would second the ob/gyn stuff, contraception included (estrogen etc), also i would brush up on pharm prophylaxis n treatments for micro (FA is probably fine). my omm was a joke, all levels, sacrum n ribs w a few other randoms (psoas syndrome), but dont waste much time on it if u felt comfortable during the past 2 years. i would also do as many hard (uworld, etc) qs as possible, i found combank to be just too easy to be overly useful, and go through em as quick as possible (quantity over quality at this point), just skim the explanation for the main point. comlex is more random fact memorization than usmle, as has probably been repeated many time on here
cateyezz said:
thanks for the website! it has some really good info and good last min prep for some conditions i wanted to look up for ob/gyn...really close to my test date so finding this site definitely saved me a lot of time trying to look things up :)
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I am curious about the degree of difficulty for the EKGs on COMLEX. Do we have to know actual tracings for say WPW or 2 degree heart block? Does it get that specific? thanks.
 
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IandIatrogenic said:
I am curious about the degree of difficulty for the EKGs on COMLEX. Do we have to know actual tracings for say WPW or 2 degree heart block? Does it get that specific? thanks.
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I wouldn't be surprised at all if you had to recognize something like that. I had to name 2 rhythms, and if the one's I got are fair game, these certainly are as well.
 
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IandIatrogenic said:
I am curious about the degree of difficulty for the EKGs on COMLEX. Do we have to know actual tracings for say WPW or 2 degree heart block? Does it get that specific? thanks.
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Definitely. My comlex had multiple ekgs. Just know the ones in FA. Probably wont be more complicAted than that.
 
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These NBOME error messages are interfering with my 5x's a day score-release checking...:mad:

"The NBOME is aware of an ongoing problem with our client registration system, resulting from an unpredictable database malfunction that causes the system to periodically become unavailable. We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience. We are working urgently in close collaboration with our technology partner to resolve the problem as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience as we work to improve our service to you."
 
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Thanks for your input! That helps me to keep continuing with UW and not feel like I'm wasting my time with it for comlex. Also, for the "random fact memorization," does FA mostly cover it all?
 
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I received a very helpful email from the NBOME saying there is not set day or time of day they release scores so who knows what day of the week it will be released. Guess I need to extend my score checking to the late night hours as well just in case.
 
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bleeker10 said:
I received a very helpful email from the NBOME saying there is not set day or time of day they release scores so who knows what day of the week it will be released. Guess I need to extend my score checking to the late night hours as well just in case.
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Is this email for ppl who would get scores soon? It's almost 3 wks for me and I haven't seen any email. Just make sure I don't miss anything.
 
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americanpie said:
Is this email for ppl who would get scores soon? It's almost 3 wks for me and I haven't seen any email. Just make sure I don't miss anything.
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Sorry I need to clarify my last post. I sent an email asking about the release date and that's the reply I received.
 
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SCORES ARE UP!!!!
scores for the following test dates: May 24 thru May 27 (at minimum... I just know I got mine and Bleeker got his and those are the dates we took it)

Congrats everyone!!!
 
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bleeker10 said:
I took the COMLEX yesterday so I wanted to pass on my thoughts and study methods since SDN has been a huge help for me. The test wasn't too bad and I thought it to be similar to COMSAE B. I would put it in between Kaplan COMLEX (harder) and COMBANK (easier) for difficulty. I am a fast test taker but I finished each 4 hour block with about 30 minutes to spare. There are eight 50 question blocks. Four blocks (200 questions) are in the morning and you get 4 hours total to complete it. There is no time limit per block, so you should average less than an hour per block and you will be fine. You get 60 minutes total in breaks. A 10 minute break after blocks 2 and 6 and 40 minutes for lunch after block 4. Break time does not count against your 4 hour block time. The first 25-30 questions in each block are single questions and the remainder are matching sets. Some blocks had more than 25 matching and some had less. It seemed like each block had one matching set that was very difficult. There were no audio questions and there were a decent amount of exhibits/pictures.

Behavioral science – a few ethical situations, and some study questions

Biochem – more genetics than I thought there would be but it wasn't too bad. Not that many questions, but know the inheritance patterns of the diseases in FA. Decent amount of other biochem.

Micro – a good sized chunk of the exam. Most of the questions were straight forward (even a few off COMSAE). A few pictures of bacteria but it wasn't needed to figure out the answer. I don't remember any of the questions asking anything other than identifying the causative agent or the clinical sequelae of it.

Immuno – a few questions but not too difficult

Pharm – pretty straight forward. FA is great for this section

Anatomy – no surprise questions here. Pretty straight forward and not too difficult. Most was related to OMM. Know the tests in Savarese (at least know what they are testing).

Cardio – straight forward. A few murmurs (just identifying them). Decent amount of EKGs and only one seemed confusing. I suck at EKGs so that may just be me.

Respiratory – most of respiratory was pharm.

Heme/Onc – A few anemia questions. A couple WBC disorders and bleeding disorders/hematology.

Renal – Not too many renal questions

GI – UC/Crohns, anal disorders, diarrhea (micro related), motility problems, CRC. Some bilirubin questions, few PUD questions, cholangitis, hepatitis, appendicitis.

Endocrine – most of it was thyroid (hyper/hypo). A mix of adrenal, some diabetes (along with treatment), very few parathyroid/pituitary.

Repro – besides OMM, this was the biggest part of my exam. Lots of bleeding, amenorrhea, pregnancy related questions. Know the phys in this section well (Goljan does a good job for this). Some immunization questions, placenta previa/abruption, ectopic pregnancy. Some PID which dealt with micro. Some breast disorders. Couple ovarian tumors, gestational trophoblastic disorders, fallopian tube stuff. Male repro was testicular tumors, prostate disorders, testicular disorders. A few questions on UTIs as well (mostly micro and pharm).

Neuro – no brain sections. Lots of skull fracture questions and structures involved. A decent amount of TMJ and temporal bone/hearing questions. Some meningitis questions. Quite a few sinusitis and otitis media questions. Couple EOM questions. Some strokes/infarcts/ hemorrhage questions based off the neuro signs.

MSK – lots of sensory and motor stuff. Few osteoporosis/RA questions, few autoimmune diseases. Most of it dealt with OMM.

Derm – A few autoimmune diseases, micro infections, rashes. Not a big portion of the test Not even a small portion of the test

OMM – probably 1 in 4-5 questions was OMM. Lots of levels which were really easy. Some sacrum, psoas, lumbar dysfunctions. Quite a few questions having to diagnose thoracic/cervicals based off the findings and then how to treat them. Couple cranial questions. A good amount of shoulder/scapula. A few counterstrain treatments.

I used the Taus method for studying. I started in January trying to do a couple hours a day while studying for class. I used FA, Goljan, BRS phys, and CMMRS (annotated into FA) for my first pass. I made it through the first pass by the end of March. For my second and third passes, I just used FA, BRS phys and Goljan. Two weeks before my test, I started my two week cram using only FA and Goljan. I made it through FA 4 times and Goljan 3.5 times (I annotated with classes throughout my two years). I also read the all of the margins in Goljan two days before the test but thought that was overkill and should have just read the areas I was weak in. For micro, I used Bug Cards the last month and annotated from FA onto them. I did 20 cards a day so I was able to get through all of them a few times. For pharm, I used FA and some one-liners my school gave us. I did 10 pages of the one liners a day for the last month and made it through them 4 times. I did 3 of the COMLEX mock exams (B, C, D) in Savarese. They were pretty helpful, just to get some OMM practice. The day before the test, I went out to eat with my gf and then drove to Cleveland since I took my test there. I watched tv and just relaxed. I looked at the HY section, the images and formulas in FA. No heavy studying and I was in bed by 11. I didn't have any caffeine that day so I could get some sleep but I had a pretty good caffeine withdrawal headache. Woke up at 6:45, did 10 COMBANK questions to get my brain working and I looked over a few pages of stuff I just couldn't remember. Started the test at 8:05 and was done by 3:15.

For the last 6 weeks, my study schedule was:
8:30-11:30 - questions from one of the qbanks
11:30-12:30 - lunch
12:30-5 - Goljan or FA
5-6 - dinner
6-7 - pharm/micro flashcards
7-10 - more Goljan or FA
10-1 - netflix, hulu, etc
1-8 - sleep
I tried to stick to this as best as possible. I wanted to be doing questions by 8:30 so I could be used to it when I took the COMLEX. Some days I didn't do as well sticking to the schedule. I only took time off after my school mock boards since they were full length. Otherwise I studied everyday.

I did the Kaplan COMLEX and COMBANK qbanks and did COMSAE B and C. I also did UW but only did about half of the questions:

COMBANK – 77.62%
Kaplan COMLEX- 73%
Kaplan USMLE – 64%
UW – 63%
COMSAE B – 642 (two weeks out)
COMSAE C – 608 (one week out)
School mock board 1 – 648 (predicted)
School mock board 2 – 99% adjusted (two SD above the class average)

My goal from the beginning was 650. I'm going for ortho in the Army so I am aiming high for my score. I don't think I could've studied anymore than I did and I prepped to the best of my abilities. I was really relaxed before, during and after the test. I will be happy with the score I get because I know I did my best.

After I get my score back I'll post it on here.
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652/93

Just got my score back. I hit my goal going into the exam and I couldn't be happier. Now I can stop checking my score all day and relax. Good luck to everyone else.
 
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So I took the Comlex at the end of May and I was going to write up my experience then but I was frankly tired of thinking about boards so I decided to wait until I got the scores back to discuss my experience.

Just a warning, this is gonna be a long post. I bolded some parts in case you don't want to read the entire thing.

Little background: I'm a somewhat average student, always scored few points higher than class average on exams so not a spectacular student by any means. Though, I always made sure that I understood the concepts well the first 2 years. And this, more than anything, helped me study for boards tremendously. And frankly, understanding concepts is a bigger deal on rotations because it's easier to connect all the dots when you see pathology on the floor.

Started studying around end of February using CMMRS, Lippincott's Pharm as reference, Levinson's Immuno (highly recommend reading these few chapters), BRS Phys, Lippincott's Biochem (I took USMLE also), FA, Goljan book and audio, and UWorld.

Yes, I did NOT subscribe to COMBANK because I had read that UWorld is enough and COMBANK is too easy. Most people I know who took both exams felt necessary to get COMBANK to experience COMLEX style questions. In my opinion, that's a load of bull because you either know the material or you don't. It doesn't matter how the questions are asked or written, if you know the material, you WILL be able to answer them without worrying over how poorly written the exam is.

First pass took me around 6-7 weeks of all subjects. What I did was:
- Read BRS Phys for a particular system and do UWorld Phys questions from that system
- Then I'd quickly glance over Lippincott's Pharm and look at FA Pharm and do Uworld pharm questions
- Then listen to Goljan audio, followed by reading the Goljan book, and do UWorld path questions
- Rinse and repeat for all the major systems

My Uworld percentage first pass was around 58%

Not too shabby, I figured.

Took COMSAE B 4 weeks out and got 448

Crap! I was hoping to score around 500 but what I realized was that this was after my first pass through the material so it's a decent score. Considering I hadn't taken the time to memorize FA and had been just solidifying my "understanding concepts" base.

For what it's worth, I had taken NBME 4 before studying for boards and had gotten 168.

I also took NBME 11 around 4 weeks out mark and gotten 191. UWSA1 around this time was 194

This is when panic mode set in. I thought how I managed to improve only a little bit in the last 7 weeks? It dawned on me that I hadn't memorized a single thing! I understood the concepts well but I didn't take the time to memorize all the drugs, micro bug features, etc.

I decided to ditch all of my resources and stuck to FA, Goljan, and UWorld from there on out.

What I would do is read a chapter in Goljan and try to memorize as much as possible without spending the entire day on one chapter. Then I'd do more UWorld questions and memorize any detail their explanation provided which wasn't found in Goljan. I'd peek in FA every once in awhile but I felt like I was running so short on time that I didn't take the time to go through FA and memorize it.

This took me about 2 weeks and I decided to take some more practice exams.

2 weeks out:
COMSAE C 532
NBME 11 210
UWSA2 218
UWorld % - 65 (Keep in mind that this was my 2nd run through Uworld)

I thought, not bad. Especially COMSAE jump was decent.

Around this time, I sat down and went through Savarese in a single day. PCOM's OMM Dept is very good in that their exams are pretty tough. Therefore, I felt very comfortable with OMM material for COMLEX and the Savarese book was a joke to me and most of my classmates to go through.

The final 2 weeks, I stuck to FA only. This was the best decision I made.

No Uworld because I had already been through it twice and lot of the questions I had remembered. They weren't really teaching me anything.

I just memorized the crap out of FA because by this point, I had a good grasp of the concepts and nothing was new to me in FA. It was just a matter of storing the information in my memory.

Yes, I even ditched Goljan in the last 2 weeks. For two reasons:

1) The book is very heavy with information. The blue margin notes are ok but honestly it's better to stick to FA because in FA, every little detail is provided in a context where as in Goljan blue margin notes, it's tough to put all those notes in a context when they're spread out so much

2) Majority of things found in Goljan are found in FA. And at this point, I didn't need to know the extra info, I needed to memorize the meat that is FA.

Finally, my exam experience:

I wasn't nervous the morning of the exam because I knew that I had studied as hard as I could and whatever happens, happens.

Ate a cereal bar because I wasn't very hungry. Took a protein bar and 5 hour energy drink with me and this was my lunch. Pretty bad, haha, but there was no way that I was gonna be able to eat a big sandwich or drink soda for break/lunch because I was too worried about being tired after lunch.

I should make a note that I'm a quick test-taker so I was finishing each blocks in like 45 minutes so this gave me plenty of time to sit there after each block and stare at the screen which constituted my "break". Of course, I took the entire 10 minutes breaks that are allowed and the entire 45 minute lunch break.

Pharm - very easy, straightforward MOAs and "which drug to use" questions. Just memorize ALL of the drugs and their MOAs in FA and you can answer majority of pharm questions

Micro - big portion of my exam as expected. Lot of helminths, parasites that I thought were easy to answer because I made sure to memorize those charts in FA. Make your life easy by memorizing unique features about each of these bugs, these questions are easy points on COMLEX. Bacteria, fungi, and viruses aren't too bad. There were some tricky questions with fungal infections on there but nothing that I couldn't handle

Phys - this was a little harder than I expected for COMLEX. I'm generally weak in Resp and Cardio Phys and I got a good amount of Resp Phys questions that I had a tough time answering. Not sure, what I could've done to make this better

Path - now this was a difficult part of exam to analyze. I felt that the questions were either too simple or out of the left field that I felt I wouldn't be able to answer even if I had read Robbins path. I had a lot of neuro path that I had a very difficult time with because 1) I'm pretty weak in Neuro to begin with and 2) lot of the path questions were out of the left field. I don't think I could've prepared for this any better.

I also had tons and tons of Obgyn/uro path questions. Had way too many biopsy pictures with no other clues in stem except "What is the diagnosis". Again, I'm not sure if it's possible to prepare for questions like these unless you are a pathologist!!

OMM questions were cake. Even recognized several PCOM OMM questions on there since our professors write for the boards!!

Had a good amount of clinical questions and these were, of course, linked question sets! Made my life difficult on exam day for sure. But just try your best and don't overanalyze these types of questions because you're going to not only waste incredible amount of time, you will also lose your sanity and subsequently will miss the easy questions that follow later.











Final score released today - 558/86, roughly 75th percentile

I just want to say one final thing. I'm a God-fearing, God-loving man, and I don't think it would have been possible for me to get through this without the Almighty guiding me. I didn't ask for a high score and I certainly didn't ask to get me through this; all I asked for was that I could follow what the Lord has planned for me. To me, this is the most important thing in the world.

I lied, the 2 most important things in the world for me are to love the Lord and love my neighbor. Which is why I decided to contribute here to help out my fellow colleagues who will be tackling this beast sometime in the future. Hope it helps somebody in some shape or form!

Anyway, final words of advice: work hard, study for the sake of your future patients, and don't let the score define who you are or what kind of doctor you will be. What matter is in your heart, not what's in your mind!
 
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Cochan said:
Took the exam today I felt pretty prepared for exam. Over all its what I expected based on other users experiences on SDN. ALOT of repro, micro, and OMM. There were only pictures (bad quality unfortunately with the majority of pictures), no audio or video questions. I had about 10-15 minutes remaining at the end of each 50 questions. Finished the test feeling comfortable with my performance and amount of time I spent reviewing material during my prep. If I had one more day to study I would review limbs, more repro, MSK, and behavioral science.

Exam breakdown
Repro: PROSTATE was HUGE on my exam, breast tumors, ovarian tumors, repro endocrine, endometriosis, PCOS, Normals, OMM contraindications.
Micro: First Aid would cover everything; I had a lot of staph, salmonella, Hib, pseudomonas, a couple viruses, and a few fungi. MOA of drugs was big
OMM: limbs, muscle involved in respiration, VSR, and positioning for techniques
Biochem: not much here; G6PD, chromosome matching questions
Pharm: Micro drugs, and Psych drugs; know side effects.
Path: few pictures mainly written descriptions of HY diseases. Rheumatoid, TB, Dermatomyositis
Immuno: hypersensitivies like woah
Embryo: Meckels
Cardio: murmurs and PV loops, pericardial effusion
Neuro: probably a higher hit system during my exam; hematomas, brainstem lesions, dementias, concussion
MSK: arterial anatomy, avulsion fx of psoas, and some x-rays of shoulder that i had no clue what they were looking for, review insertions for at femur (greater trochanter, lesser trochanter etc)
Renal: I had matching section based on renal failure, CHF, and nephrotic syndrome
Endocrine: thyroid, thyroid, thyroid, know FA diagram on steroid synthesis and congenital adrenal hyperplasia
GI: Chrons, IBS, UC, Celiac, gastritis, and VSR associated
Resp: Obstructive vs Restrictive was a favorite, asthma, and MOA of drugs
Psych: pretty straight forward, know criteria from FA and you'll get em
Hemonc: lymphomas and anemia

My Breakdown
COMBANK 86%
UWorld 77%
NBME 7: 234
NBME 12: 247
COMSAE C: 634

Overall I felt COMBANK and COMSAE were the closest thing that could have prepared me but the test had nothing COMBANK questioned. I feel like the any COMLEX step 1 is more like a crap shoot but it seems consistently to emphasize repro, micro, and side effects of drugs based on other experiences.

Good luck to anyone still studying and getting ready to take the test. I'll post my scores when they come back.
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Got my scores back, very surprised by my numbers and very pleased!
697/96%
 
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bleeker10 said:
652/93

Just got my score back. I hit my goal going into the exam and I couldn't be happier. Now I can stop checking my score all day and relax. Good luck to everyone else.
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Congrats man! Ortho is still calling for you!
 
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I got to the page where it said I passed before all of us DDOS'ed the NBOME's servers. The last page I saw (just now) read: "Immediate shutdown in progress - no operations permitted." That can't be good.

Oh well, I passed! If/when they get their stuff back online, I'll post my score, what I did as prep, etc.
 
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Altruist said:
I got to the page where it said I passed before all of us DDOS'ed the NBOME's servers. The last page I saw (just now) read: "Immediate shutdown in progress - no operations permitted." That can't be good.

Oh well, I passed! If/when they get their stuff back online, I'll post my score, what I did as prep, etc.
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This would make me bonkers!!
 
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Thankfully, it didn't take as long as I was afraid it would.

Numbers, for those who're interested:

Kaplan USMLE Diagnostic Exam, end of semester 3: 62%
CCSE (NBME practice Step 2), end of semester 4: 225/80
Kaplan full-length USMLE Practice exam, end of semester 4: 65%
UWSA 2: 242 / 610 (20 days before COMLEX)
NBME #12: 242 / 590 (11 days before)
UWSA 1: 250 / 660 (6 days before)
USMLE Step 1, no score yet, (3 days before)
Kaplan Full-length COMLEX: 73% (2 days before)
Combank: 79% (200 random, unused, timed questions, 2 days before)

Qbanks:
Kaplan USMLE: 64% overall, last few averaged 74%
Uworld completed: 72% (Random, but in untimed tutor mode)

COMLEX: 601 / 89

I took USMLE, as you see above, 3 days before COMLEX. I had all of the best intentions to go through Savarese that weekend, but whether it was test fatigue or just not really caring, I just couldn't do it. I did a few practice questions (Kaplan and COMBANK, neither of which was much like COMLEX) that weekend, but that was it. I'd finished Uworld before my USMLE.

I was aiming for a high USMLE score, but didn't have a target for COMLEX more than just passing. On the test day, I think I started a little before 8, and was done by 1:30 or 2. I can't say I took COMLEX as seriously as I could have, but I'm ok with that. Sometimes, you pick your battles; and at any rate, I passed.

I'm ok with my score. It was definitely better than I thought I'd done, walking out of the exam. (I was one of those who walked out thinking "WTF was that?!")

If I were trying to get into DO ortho or some other competitive osteo field, I'd have spent more time on Savarese. Whether it's better to take >3 days between the exams depends on you; how quickly you can get through Savarese or Osteopathic Recall or Some other osteo Study guide you have; and how seriously you're taking COMLEX.
 
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Deceptacon said:
what does the 2 digit score mean with comlex?
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Basically nothing--same thing as the 2 digit score for USMLE means. My understanding is that some states have it written into their laws that medical licensing exams must be scored so that 75 is a passing score. For the COMLEX, 400 (3 digit)=75 (2 digit)=pass; for USMLE 187-ish=75=pass. It goes up from there, but I'm not sure how. It is NOT a percentile. My 2-digit score of 89 doesn't mean I'm in the 89th percentile.

There's a reason the USMLE folks said they wouldn't put the 2 digit thing on score reports anymore. It's just confusing, and I don't know if anybody really pays any attention to it. If you want to plug in numbers and see what gets spit out for old exams, there's a score converter on the left hand side of the nbome website.
 
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I don't know if you already said it, but when did you take your exams Altruist? I took mine on 6/24 so I have a long wait ahead. Funny how people brought the NBOME site down due to overload.

As for the EKG stuff, I got only a handful (<5) and they were pretty easy. One of the questions asked something physio based but it shouldn't be a problem.
 
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I studied almost exclusively for USMLE (Uworld, Kaplan) and only did about 800 Kaplan COMLEX questions and went through the green OMT review book a couple times.

629/91

Is there anything online that shows scores by specialty? According to last years calculator, its a 93%. Pretty happy with the score since I was way more focused on USMLE.
 
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Flushot said:
I don't know if you already said it, but when did you take your exams Altruist? I took mine on 6/24 so I have a long wait ahead. Funny how people brought the NBOME site down due to overload.
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I took mine May 31st, but it looks like they released everything from May 24th-June 3rd in one go today.

devlyyn said:
Is there anything online that shows scores by specialty? According to last years calculator, its a 93%. Pretty happy with the score since I was way more focused on USMLE.
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If there's anything like that, I haven't found it. I would think you're in pretty good shape, what with being in the top ~10% of test-takers and all. I don't know if you can exactly compare, but according to some old USMLE score break-downs I found from ~2009, ~16% of people score 245 or above on the USMLE.

You can find a wildly inaccurate "score conversion equation" that will probably underestimate your USMLE score by about 30 points, and I wouldn't waste any time with it. It predicts me at a 212, which given my UWSA and NBME scores, seems a little low.

Anyway, congrats on the score. You've won this round! We'll see if I can redeem myself when USMLE scores come out, though. :laugh:
 
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Altruist said:
Anyway, congrats on the score. You've won this round! We'll see if I can redeem myself when USMLE scores come out, though. :laugh:
Click to expand...

I've heard of a 652 in our class so far. But there are still a few people I'm really curious to hear about!
 
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so i took my comlex today and i have to say it was not bad..AT ALL!! i mean i went in there scared not knowing wut to expect after hearing all those horrific experiences of how vague it is, but honestly it really wasnt bad...
for the most part my test covered a bit of everything..i think it touched every organ pathology which made the test very fair...there were numerous buzz words and i had to thank FA for every ? i got because of those buzz words...
the highlights of my test were
- OMM
- Micro- very straightforward, CMMRS was overkill for this
-Pharm - and FA was definitely enough for pharm
-Neuro
- CV physiology
- anatomy
- a bit of hematology
- a bit of msck
- a bit of biochem - thank goodness i am studying for usmle cuz some of these were a bit tough


So if i were to compare this exam to Comsaes in terms of difficulty, Uworld > Comsae B >>> Comsae C > Comlex = Combank

I didnt doo well on comsae B and it definitely scared me but taking the comlex today i realized either i was prepared or it was my lucky day and God was on my side and i got the q's i knew

it is a doable exam :)
 
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I took the COMLEX 06/01/11 and received my scores today - 699/96.

In short, I underperformed on every indicator - NBME, COMSAE and Uworld.
Ended up doing fine. Busted my ass for months, I'll add. And I really was getting upset over my results with COMSAE;
first practice test came back in the 450's about 1 month out. 2 weeks before test day I took Comsae B - 487 I think it came back. Gave up taking practice COMSAE's after that.

1. Combank was very helpful to me. If you use "SNMA" in the coupon code slot, I believe they are still offering 30% off.
Yes, most of the questions are relatively easy, but by no means a waste of time. And there are some very insightful questions embedded in the bank that definitely made an impact on my score.
2. I didn't touch Rapid Review. I would have loved to, but was overwhelmed with what I was working on already, didn't want to unduly burden myself. I started uworld very early, before even reviewing FA. Hit about 50 Q's every day in Feb and March. When I started my legitimate review, I was done both Q banks. This is where uworld saved the day - started drilling the incorrect answers for the last month.
3. If you have a decent grasp of OMM, then 1 or 3 days is sufficient to study - savarese.
4. I also used usmlerx and that was a nice change of pace for the last 2 weeks of my study.


Hope this is helpful/encouraging to someone out there.

Cheers

PCOM 2013
:thumbup:
 
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Bleurberry said:
I took the COMLEX 06/01/11 and received my scores today - 699/96.
Click to expand...

Great score! That's awesome you didn't let your prior scores demotivate you and take away your confidence because confidence is the most important thing you can have on test day.

1. Combank was very helpful to me. If you use "SNMA" in the coupon code slot, I believe they are still offering 30% off.
Yes, most of the questions are relatively easy, but by no means a waste of time. And there are some very insightful questions embedded in the bank that definitely made an impact on my score.
Click to expand...

This is the key to COMBANK. They are easy questions but they prepare you well for the type of question you see on the COMLEX. They are written in the same style and if you only prep for the USMLE, you are really shorting yourself for the COMLEX. It's important to do some COMLEX questions or a COMSAE. The USMLE gives you too much information and you have to pick out what's important. The COMLEX gives you the bare minimum information but everything is important. I'm glad I stopped using UW the last month of studying and just did Kaplan COMLEX and COMBANK
 
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Bleurberry said:
I took the COMLEX 06/01/11 and received my scores today - 699/96.

In short, I underperformed on every indicator - NBME, COMSAE and Uworld.
Ended up doing fine. Busted my ass for months, I'll add. And I really was getting upset over my results with COMSAE;
first practice test came back in the 450's about 1 month out. 2 weeks before test day I took Comsae B - 487 I think it came back. Gave up taking practice COMSAE's after that...."

Bleurberry, strong work. Knew the COMSAE's underestimate the real thing, but that is amazing. Good on ya. I'm hoping something similar happens to my scores, hahaha

Took COMLEX on 6/23, and I have to say that this post really helped. So thanks to all for recommendations on how to prep.

As far as how my test went, I had the same WTF feeling after the test. Too many poorly worded and "buzzword" questions (especially in micro) to count. Far more OMM questions than I expected. I was in the same boat as others here, ie mainly prepping for USMLE with the occasional OMM / anatomy study block thrown in. Looking back I wish I had dedicated WAY more time to OMM/ANAT/NEURO. All in all, it made up ~30% of my COMLEX. Pharm was pretty straight forward (I think, haha) not too many questions at all.

So my advice to those preparing to take the COMLEX (if anyone hasn't taken it yet):
- know all the micro "buzzwords"
- know spinal levels for sensory impairment,
- obscure muscle attachments / function in extremities / innervation of hands
- be able to diagnosis sacral / inomminate / vertebral somatic dysfunction AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. I lost a lot of time having to recheck and rethink my diagnosis. I feel very comfortable with OMM and was surprised by how long it took me to come up with the answers on test day. Maybe nerves, maybe not enough prep, maybe some poorly written questions, but either way, I had to rush at the end of the first block because of this. So it would be in your best interest to get through the OMM questions as quickly as possible while studying so you can spend all your extra time on the actual test trying to figure out the more advanced 2-3 step questions, like how renal failure effects PTH, pH, and EKG tracings for example.

Anyway, best of luck to all of you awaiting scores. If you don't get the score you were hoping for just remember that clerkship grades and recc's matter more than any comlex score. For example, 2011 UNECOM grad with ~500 on COMLEX, who didn't take the USMLE, but with excellent 3rd/4th year grades (and just an all around like-able guy) matched in EM at Brown, which is not the most DO-friendly hospital out there
Click to expand...
 
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Bleurberry said:
I took the COMLEX 06/01/11 and received my scores today - 699/96.

In short, I underperformed on every indicator - NBME, COMSAE and Uworld.
Ended up doing fine. Busted my ass for months, I'll add. And I really was getting upset over my results with COMSAE;
first practice test came back in the 450's about 1 month out. 2 weeks before test day I took Comsae B - 487 I think it came back. Gave up taking practice COMSAE's after that.

1. Combank was very helpful to me. If you use "SNMA" in the coupon code slot, I believe they are still offering 30% off.
Yes, most of the questions are relatively easy, but by no means a waste of time. And there are some very insightful questions embedded in the bank that definitely made an impact on my score.
2. I didn't touch Rapid Review. I would have loved to, but was overwhelmed with what I was working on already, didn't want to unduly burden myself. I started uworld very early, before even reviewing FA. Hit about 50 Q's every day in Feb and March. When I started my legitimate review, I was done both Q banks. This is where uworld saved the day - started drilling the incorrect answers for the last month.
3. If you have a decent grasp of OMM, then 1 or 3 days is sufficient to study - savarese.
4. I also used usmlerx and that was a nice change of pace for the last 2 weeks of my study.


Hope this is helpful/encouraging to someone out there.

Cheers

PCOM 2013
:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Congrats on the amazing score!! Since you said you underperformed on practice questions/tests and said combank was very helpful for you, I was curious as to what you were averaging on combank? I have 2.5 weeks till the exam and I'm averaging only 58% so far (~300 questions, random mode), so I was getting worried/discouraged. Granted I haven't read Savarese yet, so maybe it could be a few points higher but still. Any advice? Thanks!
 
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COMLEX on 5/31 - 667/94.

I'm definitely happy, did far better than I thought I was going to.

Quick breakdown of what I did:

USMLERx from the beginning of the year to start getting used to board style questions. (I predominately studied towards USMLE)

2nd semester 2nd year, did Kaplan Q bank in addition.

About two months out, did UWorld.

OMT studying in the 5 days or so between my USMLE and comlex. Read the green book twice and did all of the combank OMT questions 2X.

Only got around to taking COMSAE A about 8 weeks out and got a 549, so I really had no idea how I was going to fare on this. I walked out of comlex feeling like crap, thinking I'd be happy just to pass.

Now just gotta wait for USMLE scores... My COMLEX conversion to USMLE score makes for a 228, which would be low compared to the NBME scores I was getting, so hopefully the real thing will be higher


Oh I think this was mentioned previously, but is there a list anywhere of general COMLEX average for residencies/specialties?
 
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I agree . . It would be nice to know the COMLEX averages if not just for specialties, also averages for each rotation site. . .

So. . .here is a breakdown of my experience. I'll be brief since I posted previously in detail. I'm not posting for the reason to brag like many on here may be doing. I post in hopes that I can help some people that are borderline or people in the future that are not "top of the class".

I took the test on 6/3/11 and I got a 427/77.

I have been a pretty average student all along. I have a lot of other things including a wife and new child. So, I was not at the top of the class and was not looking to get a 699.

I started DIT on 5/1 and wrapped up on 5/24. I read all of FA. I read all of Savarese (- the practice questions though). I did about 800 Uworld questions and was averaging about 40%. I did all of COMBANK and averaged about 52%.
COMSAE A - 5/8 - 314 (I was starting to worry. . .)
COMSAE B - 5/26 - 291 (I about had an MI as it appeared I got dumber)
COMSAE C - 6/1 - 365 - (felt a little better, then slammed Savarese and finished the last 200 pages of FA-first pass)
NBME school-proctored exam - 5/20 - 163
Uworld practice exam - 5/21 - 180
DIT exam - 5/24 - 179 (UMSLE score)
Uworld practice exam - 5/28 - 192

It feels good to look back and see my practice tests (mostly) improve. If you are reading this and haven't taken the test, it helps to do all the practice tests you can.

Interestingly, I scored 60 points higher on the real deal than I did on COMSAE C which I took only 2 days before COMLEX. Between those two days I read a TON of FA and read all of Savarese and did about 300 questions in COMBANK.

Good luck. I hope you all did well!
 
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mabinante said:
I agree . . It would be nice to know the COMLEX averages if not just for specialties, also averages for each rotation site. . .

So. . .here is a breakdown of my experience. I'll be brief since I posted previously in detail. I'm not posting for the reason to brag like many on here may be doing. I post in hopes that I can help some people that are borderline or people in the future that are not "top of the class".

I took the test on 6/3/11 and I got a 427/77.

I have been a pretty average student all along. I have a lot of other things including a wife and new child. So, I was not at the top of the class and was not looking to get a 699.

I started DIT on 5/1 and wrapped up on 5/24. I read all of FA. I read all of Savarese (- the practice questions though). I did about 800 Uworld questions and was averaging about 40%. I did all of COMBANK and averaged about 52%.
COMSAE A - 5/8 - 314 (I was starting to worry. . .)
COMSAE B - 5/26 - 291 (I about had an MI as it appeared I got dumber)
COMSAE C - 6/1 - 365 - (felt a little better, then slammed Savarese and finished the last 200 pages of FA-first pass)
NBME school-proctored exam - 5/20 - 163
Uworld practice exam - 5/21 - 180
DIT exam - 5/24 - 179 (UMSLE score)
Uworld practice exam - 5/28 - 192

It feels good to look back and see my practice tests (mostly) improve. If you are reading this and haven't taken the test, it helps to do all the practice tests you can.

Interestingly, I scored 60 points higher on the real deal than I did on COMSAE C which I took only 2 days before COMLEX. Between those two days I read a TON of FA and read all of Savarese and did about 300 questions in COMBANK.

Good luck. I hope you all did well!
Click to expand...

Thanks for ur post. It is nice to have the "avg" student view. Which is definitely where I sit!
 
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bklounge said:
Congrats on the amazing score!! Since you said you underperformed on practice questions/tests and said combank was very helpful for you, I was curious as to what you were averaging on combank? I have 2.5 weeks till the exam and I'm averaging only 58% so far (~300 questions, random mode), so I was getting worried/discouraged. Granted I haven't read Savarese yet, so maybe it could be a few points higher but still. Any advice? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your congrats!
Best of luck to you and everyone.
Hope this is of some value -
I think I was definitely averaging in the low to mid sixties by the time I finished my first pass. Ive struggled historically with these types of exams and I read a book that suggested that I start my studies with the qbanks and finish with the qbanks. I kept a log of all my wrong combank answers and tried to review them periodically. I did the same for usmleworld but later relied on the "incorrect" question toggling.

I reverse engineered a bit- swept through the banks, then first aid with fine tooth comb 2 or 3 times, and banks again- com bank 2nd finesse in 80s, only incorrect uworld qs drilled.
 
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This is prob a dumb question, but should know every detail in Savarese or are there HY stuff that COMLEX likes to ask?

I dread studying muscle energy for the sacrum...
 
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dangit said:
This is prob a dumb question, but should know every detail in Savarese or are there HY stuff that COMLEX likes to ask?

I dread studying muscle energy for the sacrum...
Click to expand...

There are 3 main things u need to know from savarese if u are in a pinch for time...Autonomics (levels and nerves supplying different organs...i think it was chapter 9 or 10), Sacrum/innominates, and Cranial...that was a majority of what I had for OMM on the COMLEX
 
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DoctaJMa said:
There are 3 main things u need to know from savarese if u are in a pinch for time...Autonomics (levels and nerves supplying different organs...i think it was chapter 9 or 10), Sacrum/innominates, and Cranial...that was a majority of what I had for OMM on the COMLEX
Click to expand...

i've got exactly 1 day to study in between usmle and comlex, can anyone else confirm that this is the best use of my time?
 
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Deceptacon said:
i've got exactly 1 day to study in between usmle and comlex, can anyone else confirm that this is the best use of my time?
Click to expand...

Definitely autonomics and sacrum. There wasn't too much cranial on my COMLEX, but I might have just lucked out there. If I only had one day, I'd learn the spinal levels cold, review upper extremity anatomy, and do a few of the practice tests in the back of Savarese. Good luck!
 
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DuxburyPembroke said:
Definitely autonomics and sacrum. There wasn't too much cranial on my COMLEX, but I might have just lucked out there. If I only had one day, I'd learn the spinal levels cold, review upper extremity anatomy, and do a few of the practice tests in the back of Savarese. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Agree with this. I'd also memorize which one is key rib in inhalation/exhalation dysfunction, upper extremity anatomy for sure and there is a page in FA under musculoskeletal that goes over this too, know those two charts in ch 10 about autonomics COLD, and you should be set.

Personally, I'd spend the last day memorizing the crap out of everything rather than do practice questions unless it suits your learning style.
 
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Best way to study for this thing in my opinion is to study as if you are only taking the USMLE and keep it simple stupid (great advice, hurts my feelings every time). I only used BRS phys, Goljan, First Aid for the first 2 months. Then for the last 2 I started working in U-world and did that pretty much nonstop. I then took the usmle and spent the next 2 days studying OPP.

took it 5/27 and got a 788/99

My advice, prepare well for the usmle (+ some opp) and you will know more than enough for comlex
 
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eriedearie said:
Best way to study for this thing in my opinion is to study as if you are only taking the USMLE and keep it simple stupid (great advice, hurts my feelings every time). I only used BRS phys, Goljan, First Aid for the first 2 months. Then for the last 2 I started working in U-world and did that pretty much nonstop. I then took the usmle and spent the next 2 days studying OPP.

took it 5/27 and got a 788/99

My advice, prepare well for the usmle (+ some opp) and you will know more than enough for comlex
Click to expand...

That's an insane score! I wish our school gave us more time to study...we only had like 3-4 weeks!
 
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