2007 Comlex Step I Experiences

[tkim]

By request.

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[JayneCobb]

Very good reviews, keep it up

 

[evenflowcarter]

I took the COMLEX on 6/14 & the USMLE on 6/29. I’ll just go topic by topic & compare each & hit on the main differences:

1) Timing: I had approximately 2.5 wks of solid studying after school ended before I took the COMLEX & I wish that I had maybe 3 wks. 2 wks btwn the COMLEX & the USMLE was a little too much time b/c it felt almost like too much time so time stress wasn’t a problem (stress motivates me so this was a negative for me).

2) Micro: I had a lot of micro on both of my exams, but especially on the COMLEX (although I had a ridiculous number of STD related questions on the USMLE). The main difference in the two tests was the use of buzzwords. My COMLEX micro question used buzzwords rather frequently (or variations of common buzzwords) & tested mainly over the common associations that you find in MMRS or FA. My USMLE had tons of STD related questions & lots of far out micro such as helminthes, schistosomiasis…anything was fair game. I also had a number of virus questions that I knew going in that I was going to be screwed on b/c that minutiae was really better served by me studying other subjects.

3) Path/Pathophys & Phys: USMLE is loaded w/ path & pathophys questions that require a ton of thinking. EVERY question on pathophys of straight phys was 3rd or 4th order, but that’s part of the beauty of the exam that makes it better than the COMLEX. My COMLEX had tons of 1st & 2nd order questions where you either knew the answer or you didn’t (this is true for all sections.

4) Pharm: Tons & tons of pharm on the COMLEX (as expected). My test was very heavy in the following areas: Abx (huge!!), cardio, renal. Fairly straight-forward questions, but there were some really specific ones such as the specific Abx for an anaerobic sinus infection (I think they were basically asking this to see if you knew that Clindamycin is for anaerobes above the diaphragm, but…). USMLE had much less pharm, but I did have a significant amount of CNS & psych drugs.

5) OMM: I had a ridiculous amount of sacrum questions on my exam which is fine b/c they were relatively easy. Only 1 thoracic question & maybe 2 voodoo...I mean cranial questions & one was a WTF question that I couldn’t find the answer to even by looking through all the books & notes I have & available on the internet. I only spent ½ day preparing for this, but was more than prepared b/c the great OMM department @ DMU.

6) Overall: USMLE was a much better (harder, but better) test. Question stems were long but you could reason out & think through >85% of the questions. USMLE is a very fair & well written exam, although I have no idea how well I did on it. COMLEX questions were shorter & you either knew the answer almost immediately or you did not (b/c of this I finished the exam nearly 1 hr early). I was disappointed in how little opportunity to reason through questions there was on the COMLEX.

I didn’t hit on a few subjects, but if anyone wants to hear any other specific section comparisons, I would be happy to post my thoughts on those later.

hey krazy, I'm your fellow dmu classmate here, taking comlex soon. Any advice on what I might specific things I might want to cover, that you wish you had?

 

[Krazykritter]

evenflow,

For the COMLEX, I would make sure I hit respiratory, renal, & repro again. Those questions seemed to be the hardest to me & were virtually the only ones where I got 2nd or 3rd order questions. I would also hit micro & Abx again just b/c the questions are really straight-forward if you know what they are asking.

Hope that helps.

 

[Army DOC DO]

Well, I had my COMLEX today and I have to say it was all over the place. I finished the morning block in 2.5 hours, then I did the afternoon in 3. but the morning blocks I had were kinda easy, but then I started getting some weird crap in the rest of the day and a lot of WTF are you asking! but I would have to say my test was heavy on endo-repro-and GI. then resp. with anatomy mixed in. Most of the OPP was easy to figure out. I had no sacrum which I was kinda upset about since it is one of the more important areas for treatments, but had lots of rib and thorax stuff. all it all it was kinda like taking my systems exams at UNECOM, so our school prepared us well! On to summer finally for a couple of weeks anyways until I start rotations.
Oh yeah, I think I passed above the mean, I averaged 5-8 questions each block I had no idea and like 4-6 were I was on the fence but took educated guesses. SO if you say I get the average of those wrong then I got around 80% of the exam I think. so thats good right? Who knows how they score the damn thing! have fun all!

 

[treasurefull2]

Although I am done and think I did fine, I have to say that COMLEX is a pretty POORLY presented exam...

The question were more aimed to TRICK than to make you think. The questions were too far on the extremes, either they were questions that EVERYONE would know, or questions that NOBODY would know...

The program that NBOME uses is absolutely terrible... I think they actually made an effort to pick the worst one... You cannot highlight your question or cross out answers, questions are not listed on the left, when you open an exhibit, it is usually too large and covers the answers, etc...

Anyway, it's all done, now it's a waiting game... glad it's over with...

 

[Army DOC DO]

oh yeah the pictures BLOW on comlex!!thumbdown

 

[JayneCobb]

oh yeah the pictures BLOW on comlex!!thumbdown

Are they still using the crap-tacular photoshopped CT?

 

[Old_Mil]

I averaged 5-8 questions each block I had no idea and like 4-6 were I was on the fence but took educated guesses. SO if you say I get the average of those wrong then I got around 80% of the exam I think. so thats good right? Who knows how they score the damn thing! have fun all!

Pretty good estimate. Honestly, I don't think you have to be sober to pass this test.

 

[treasurefull2]

this is a totally unnecessary post...

but I just wanna restate how crappy and subpar I think the COMLEX is and how thankful I am that I took the USMLE, what I consider a REAL test....

with a test like comlex, I can't blame residency programs for wanting the USMLE...

I may not feel this way when I get my score in 4 weeks, but right now, I'm not very happy with what the NBOME produced!!!

 

[Army DOC DO]

In my opinion its how hard you work and want to learn during rotations and resisdency that makes you a good physician, I for one hope that a poor score does not make someone think that they can't be an effective doc. I am just going to try and forget about the test, because the more I think about it the more quesions I think I got wrong

 

[Nicola1926]

Pretty good estimate. Honestly, I don't think you have to be sober to pass this test.

Don't you think is a bit silly and not to mention irresponsible to be bad mouthing the exam that validates your ability to care for patients? If you felt the test was "easy" then keep it to yourself or take it up in private with NBOME. I am sure you got the perfect score and all, but you don't have to make others who may not have don't so hot feel worst in the meantime. Sometimes we should think before we type.

 

[Taus]

Pretty good estimate. Honestly, I don't think you have to be sober to pass this test.

so you got a 700+ right?

 

[evenflowcarter]

bump

 

[zigg771]

bump, anyone?

 

[SaintFrances]

bump

 

[polynikesdb]

I'm a little perplexed about some people's stated experiences with the COMLEX, because they are far from my own.

The pictures on my test were fine--every image was readable, and if it wasn't, it was my own lack of complete knowledge and not the picture quality.

I agree that the program selected by the NBOME is subpar. It should be reasonable to expect a cursor that highlights or grays out. I would also prefer pictures in-line with the text, but this does not necessarily mean that the test itself is sub-par.

Many people have mentioned here and elsewhere that the COMLEX tends to try to trick, asks straight forward "know it or not" questions with buzzwords, and makes the questionee assume information to ask the question correctly. I only had one question that asked me straight up, what is associated with this buzzword? Buzzwords were used in other questions, but rarely.

I had no questions, that I recall, that were trick questions. (my score is 660, so I know my experience well) I had some questions that did require assumptions, but they were CLINICAL assumptions. This is something that is important to understand when treating patients, that we will be making forced assumptions and forced decisions based on limited or inconclusive information. Not all diagnoses and treatments are clean, cut and dry procedures.

Overally, this test felt more a more appropriate test for doctors in training, and not medical researchers. (I have not, will not, take the USMLE, but I used UW for my question source, which everyone tells me is very similar to the actual exam.) I do agree that they could include more 'thinking' questions, as in third order questions, or maybe condense some of the linked questions. Additionally, the answer choices could be more comprehensive--many times I could eliminate at least two choices very easily due to the nature of the question (some of the choices were in other systems, etc.), something that was much harder to do on UW.

 

[evenflowcarter]

Ok,

Majority of the test:
-70 percent of the test was Path, just straight up Path. Goljan saved me, even though that sounds cliche.
-About 20 EKGs (crappy hard ones like ventricular prejunctional arrythmia with hemiblock ...yeah...and NO MI EKGs..which sucked b/c I knew those well)
-20 Cardio questions
-Maybe about 12 OB/GYN questions
-15 Renal
-Lots of BIOCHEM..wtf? about 30 questions
-Lots of electrolyte type of questions.
-Lots of Psych/Behavioral Med
-about 15 drug overdose or heavy metal questions.

Hardly any Neuro.. mayb 11 questions
Hardly any micro.... wtf? like 10 questions maybe.
Hardly any pharm...wtf? Seriously like 12 questions. No Neuro pharm, no Cardio pharm, no cancer pharm.
Hardly any anatomy. 3 questions.
Hardly any OMM..wtf? What questions of omm I did have were: innominates, wrist, cranial, 5 questions on psoas, 6 ribs, 10 chapmans pts... WTF?, No Counter-strain, No sacrum, No Viscero-somatics, no cervical/thoracic/lumbar.
No biostats or embryology

Less than 10 Exam pictures:
-lateral ct of lumbar (they labeled the spine) you had to identify where the herniation was and what would result physiologically.
-Atypical pneumonia
-Middle cerebral infarct
-Blastomycosis (broad based bud)
-Entaemoba histolytica
-Aortic anyuerism MRI
-Cryptococcus neoformans

I was so ready for tons of micro and pharm and omm.
This test was just the USMLE.
This just goes to show you that the comlex can be anything and can vary from test to test.

Advice?
Know First AID COLD (that means read through it 5 times)
Those First AID Case studies were invaluable.
Goljan. If you don't have the notes b/c you don't goto OSU, then the RR book is fine too (get through it 3 times.) You really don't even need the Mp3s, though they help.

Don't bother with BRS anything, or any pharm other than what is in FA. All the phys you need is in Goljan. Savarese for OMM had some good points.

I felt like I easily passed, instead of failing it. So maybe my scores will be good.

 

[peppy]

Ok,

-Lots of BIOCHEM..wtf? about 30 questions

Yeah, I was surprised at how much biochem was on my form too!
Maybe they're trying to mix things up more nowadays.

 

[Terpskins99]

Yeah, I was surprised at how much biochem was on my form too!
Maybe they're trying to mix things up more nowadays.

Counted about 15 or so biochem questions on my exam. But they were all really easy and there were a couple of repeaters. Had three questions on Tay Sachs.

 

[evenflowcarter]

Most of the biochem was easy, but some hard... hardest I had was alkaptonuria, enzyme involved, and build up of what byproduct as a result

 

[Taus]

I also had a good amt. of biochem, as well as basics of immuno, molecular, genetics, etc.....to say the least I was shocked. I had taken the usmle earlier in the week and thought that was the last time I'd ever have to think about most of that stuff...ever. I also had >50% long question stems....I was expecting almost all 1-2 liners based on what classmates had told me...I was really getting pissed every time a 5-8 liner w/ lab values came up

Regarding the rest of the exam...the path and clinical stuff went from rediculously easy to relatively complex q's requiring you to make several inferences (that weren't remotely even present in the stem) to get the answer correct. I also had EKG questions that ranged from noticing tachy vs. bradycardia....all the way to reading a 12-lead and picking up where on the heart the infarct occurred and what vessel was most likely occluded and should be cath'ed...and some that I had no idea what was going on.

Physiology was the only area that I honestly felt was much easier then the USMLE. The rest was about on par and had relatively the same amt of jokes vs. mid range vs. really hard q's.

All in all...I'd agree w/ the sentiments of being prepared for anything and everything for the COMLEX...as you really never know whats going to be hit hard. It was full of a good amt. of "gimmes"...but also a good amt. that required a decent level of clinical judgment to get past the "wtf factor".

I wasn't gonna post results on here...but f*** it...
700+ COMLEX
250+ USMLE

If you're interested in how I studied:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=414198

 

[beastmaster]

I wasn't gonna post results on here...but f*$^ it...
700+ COMLEX
250+ USMLE

If you weren't going to post soon, I was gonna post for you
Well... I'd just post that you scored higher than I did, and let the masses wonder how much higher.

 

[Taus]

If you weren't going to post soon, I was gonna post for you
Well... I'd just post that you scored higher than I did, and let the masses wonder how much higher.

ha...well I still left some mystery in there w/ the "+" next to the scores...

Too many people in my class and elsewhere know who I am on here and I really just didn't wanna come off as arrogant, bragging or whatever by posting them. At least all of the study advice that I've posted on here over the past year can now be somewhat validated...

 

[evenflowcarter]

great job taus

 

[HunterGatherer]

ha...well I still left some mystery in there w/ the "+" next to the scores...

Too many people in my class and elsewhere know who I am on here and I really just didn't wanna come off as arrogant, bragging or whatever by posting them. At least all of the study advice that I've posted on here over the past year can now be somewhat validated...

you were very helpful and modest throughout so I doubt that would happen. Posts from this year seem pretty modest compared to last year.

after seeing your score range I now feel compelled to change my Board study schedule!! I thought I had it locked down but I like your schedule. :cry:

 

[Taus]

thanks guys...best of luck to you