Can anyone help me with a point of reference?

[SLC]

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I'm a first year right now. I know nothing about the way the first step boards are scored. I see that mid to upper 200's on the USMLE is a solid score. Don't know about the COMLEX.

Can anyone compare the USMLE and COMLEX to the MCAT in terms of score? I know they're different animals and I'm not trying to suggest that they are similarly difficult. But it might help me understand what's considered a good score.

So on the MCAT, a 35 is a very respectable result. What would a similarly respectable score on the board exam's be?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DrCalculi]

Try this - with a large dose of salt:

http://www.medfriends.org/step1_estimator/

 

[SLC]

Thanks Dr. Caliculi! That helps quite a bit.

 

[scotchtapetest]

I'm a first year right now. I know nothing about the way the first step boards are scored. I see that mid to upper 200's on the USMLE is a solid score. Don't know about the COMLEX.

Can anyone compare the USMLE and COMLEX to the MCAT in terms of score? I know they're different animals and I'm not trying to suggest that they are similarly difficult. But it might help me understand what's considered a good score.

So on the MCAT, a 35 is a very respectable result. What would a similarly respectable score on the board exam's be?

Thanks in advance!

"Respectable" depends on the speciality and match (AOA/ACGME):

As a general rule For COMLEX (only applies to programs that consider COMLEX alone and assuming your application does NOT have ANY flags [of whatever color]):

<400 = Just wasted $200,000
400-450 = you will be a physician!
450-500 = Decent chance at matching into a decent place in primary care specialties.
500-550 = Good chance for primary care at a good place and decent chance at a decent place for other specialties.
550-600 = Great chance for primary care anywhere and good chance at a decent place for other specialties.
600-650 = You will most likely match into any specialty that you want (location undetermined)
>650 = You will match at whatever residency you like and wherever you like.

 

[Rollo]

This is a comlex score to percentile converter put out by NBOME. It might help.

http://www.nbome.org/score-conversion.asp

 

[PCOMSurgery]

<400 = Just wasted $200,000
400-450 = you will be a physician!
450-500 = Decent chance at matching into a decent place in primary care specialties.
500-550 = Good chance for primary care at a good place and decent chance at a decent place for other specialties.
550-600 = Great chance for primary care anywhere and good chance at a decent place for other specialties.
600-650 = You will most likely match into any specialty that you want (location undetermined)
>650 = You will match at whatever residency you like and wherever you like.

I don't agree with this at all.

 

[DocEspana]

I don't agree with this at all.

I should probably warn you that commentary on SDN is prone to reductionist thinking so extreme that it frequently is insulting to anyone with a rich understanding of the complex nature of the realities in the situation

But you know that. Just wanted to formally comment that people get cranky when they are told there are an indefinite number of factors at play that can easily change the entire subset of opportunities a person will have and that deficiencies or extreme surpluses can create unique results. People want to believe its a cut and dry number system with a definite and defined goal for them to reach for. Without that defined goal they will constantly be doubting their own accomplishment. (just my opinion, of course. I am far from above making my own hugely reductionist comments in order to get across a message palatable to most people's sensibilities and expectations)

 

[costales]

I should probably warn you that commentary on SDN is prone to reductionist thinking so extreme that it frequently is insulting to anyone with a rich understanding of the complex nature of the realities in the situation

But you know that. Just wanted to formally comment that people get cranky when they are told there are an indefinite number of factors at play that can easily change the entire subset of opportunities a person will have and that deficiencies or extreme surpluses can create unique results. People want to believe its a cut and dry number system with a definite and defined goal for them to reach for. Without that defined goal they will constantly be doubting their own accomplishment. (just my opinion, of course. I am far from above making my own hugely reductionist comments in order to get across a message palatable to most people's sensibilities and expectations)

No kidding. Please make that comment a sticky! 🙂

 

[scotchtapetest]

I don't agree with this at all.

Wow! That was helpful!

I should probably warn you that commentary on SDN is prone to reductionist thinking so extreme that it frequently is insulting to anyone with a rich understanding of the complex nature of the realities in the situation

But you know that. Just wanted to formally comment that people get cranky when they are told there are an indefinite number of factors at play that can easily change the entire subset of opportunities a person will have and that deficiencies or extreme surpluses can create unique results. People want to believe its a cut and dry number system with a definite and defined goal for them to reach for. Without that defined goal they will constantly be doubting their own accomplishment. (just my opinion, of course. I am far from above making my own hugely reductionist comments in order to get across a message palatable to most people's sensibilities and expectations)

I'm sorry to insult your "rich understanding"! How many times have you gone through the match to gain such a rich understanding? BTW what part of my post was "extreme"? I think some one is overreacting a little!

The OP's question was specifically about board scores and I answered it for an otherwise "average" applicant with no other "unique" (good or bad) factors. Yes, there are other things (not many) you can do to compensate for lower scores but just looking at COMLEX scores I still stick to my breakdown! Also, every applicant thinks that their application is unique and they are a gift to mankind; BUT in an application pool of >30,000, most people are just barely above/below average (hence the word average).

Having said that, I admit that board scores alone are not a good/complete measure of a "future" physician's skills/abilities and in an ideal world, residency spots should be allocated based on the "whole application." However, unfortunately, the reality is far from ideal and your application won't even get looked at if you don't meet some arbitrary BS cutoff score (whatever that may be) especially for more competitive residencies/locations! So you can be AT Still and apply to an AOA residency and if you don't have the minimum score, they will reject your application without ever knowing that Dr. Still had applied to their program!

 

[DocEspana]

not my rich understanding. The various administrators who swing by here every other month or so always say the same thing (in less strong words, i can say strong words, i have little culpability). Plus I have two (though only one actively) relatives who are program directors. It may not be my experience, but its something I hear driven home.

I was expanding upon the comment made by pcomsurgery. As I admitted.. i am definitely *not* above making gross simplifications. I do it all the time. But I know that if anyone who actually handles residency programs actually read these comments they'd just shake their head and snicker at the simplicity with which we continually and repeatedly approach it. Not just the answers, but also the way people request it... asking simply for a score that is "x adjective" or "equivalent to y score on this test"

 

[PCOMSurgery]

So you can be AT Still and apply to an AOA residency and if you don't have the minimum score, they will reject your application without ever knowing that Dr. Still had applied to their program!

That may very well be true but the fact remains, there is no magic COMLEX score which will "guarantee" you a spot in any program or any specialty. I've seen average or mediocre boards from an applicant who had the other qualities that made them a person who deserved very high consideration for a residency program. I've also seen applicants with extremely high board scores...top 1% in the country...who weren't even given a second thought once their interview was complete.

Each program knows what they are looking for in an applicant and for some programs board scores factor in very highly. For others the performance on an audition rotation trumps grades and numbers. I have seen many intern classes where two members of that class have COMLEX scores more than 200 points apart (not a typo).

To break down a range of board scores and assign a meaning or potential "match outcome" to that range not only over-estimates the use of COMLEX in an application, but it also trivializes what many people consider to be the most important aspects when selecting a resident.