***COMLEX-1 2005 Results***

[Dobull]

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COMLEX results were released to MSUCOM today!

 

[docslytherin]

kcom doesn't have them yet

 

[rchrest1]

Scores have arrived at WVSOM.

 

[apass]

Scores have arrived at WVSOM.

They are at KCUMB too!

 

[jennyw17]

DMU got their also and sent out emails!! Finally no more waiting!

 

[apass]

DMU got their also and sent out emails!! Finally no more waiting!

You have to call at KCUMB to hear P/F but you have to go there in person to get your actual digits.

 

[tcom200901]

The TCOM COMLEX grades came into the school. The TCOM pass rate is 99.2% and from what I hear, there are many students at the 90th percentile or higher. Way to go TCOM

 

[passthebiscuits]

any word on NSUCOM?

 

[s42brown]

John when did you call school?

maybe we didn't get our scores back yet because we have a 100% pass rate 😉 .

 

[docslytherin]

John when did you call school?

maybe we didn't get our scores back yet because we have a 100% pass rate 😉 .

i called yesterday twice... once about 1 and once about 4:45. it's driving me crazy!!!!

 

[gracygrl]

check your nbome acct...

 

[s42brown]

just got my results. Just log on and bingo there they are.

 

[s42brown]

So now I just need to figure out what is a good score. I hate the COMLEX

 

[docslytherin]

So now I just need to figure out what is a good score. I hate the COMLEX

good score bad score, i don't even give a crap!! I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cdreed]

Congrats Class of 2007! Now we're officially 1/3 the way to becoming licensed DOs!!!!

🙂 😛 🙂

 

[***Carol***]

When Our Dean Gave Us The Scores, There Was A Two Digit Score And A Three Digit Score. The 3 Was For The Total # Of Questions, And The 2-digit Was The Percentile Rank Right? Because The Number I Got For A Percentile Rank On That Paper From Teh Dean Was Different Than The 2-digit Number I Got From The Nbome Website. Anybody Else Notice This, Any Help Here? Thank You***

 

[Apgae]

My understanding is that there are two, 2-digit scores. One should say 2-digit percentile and the other is the 2-digit percentile, which is based off of the 3-digit, similar to the USMLE. Eitherway, if you guys received your scores we should start a post similar to the Official USMLE step I thread. Post your scores, amount of time spent and material used, along with any other information that might help the beginning second year students.

 

[passthebiscuits]

I unfortunately failed the COMLEX on the first try, but blew it out of the water this time. Glad to have this monster done with so I can continue with my 4th year!

Just for anyone who may have failed it:
1. Don't feel bad, I did well in the class and had a good MCAT...the Comlex makes no sense to me at all...you probably know now what you have to do to pass it.
2. As good as everyone's intentions are, don't fret too much about board scores, grades or whatever...most residencies look at the whole package. Just go out and pass it.
3. Remember to SIMPLIFY for future studying. You don't need 13 books to review for this thing...it won't do you any good anyway...first aid, something to review OB, an OMM review, and lots and lots of USMLE questions (stay away from the Kaplan Q Bank)
Good luck everyone!

 

[joshua_msu]

Whats the highest score possible or that you have seen?

 

[Ratch]

When we were given our scores by the school, or at least allowed to view them on paper, there was a # of correct questions and a percentile rank. that was it (and a Pass/No Pass). So I guess you will get your percentile rank when you get your paper report in the mail. And as far as the SD goes, i am pretty sure using about 75 as the SD and 500 as the mean you can approximate your percentile pretty close.

 

[Apgae]

I looked on NBOMEs site and I only had the 2 digit score (that was "not" the percentile score, as it said in the fine print), the mean, the SD, and my 3 dig score.

How does one find the percentile rank?
lets say for example that your were approx. 2 SDs from 500 (or 79x2 above 500) would that mean that you are in the 95th percentile...using the bell curve model??
What if you were in between one and two SDs, how do you find your percentile... my last stats class was like a decade ago🙂

My friend who is now a resident received ~550 which was somewhere in the 60% percentile. I honestly have no clue as to what the ranks are, but you will know you 2 digit percentile when you get your score report in the mail 😀.

Whats the highest score possible or that you have seen?

I figure it this way, there were basically 188 question per section x 4 = 752. I'm not sure how many were dropped, but I would guess around 30, so thats about a 722, give or take. If my methods are way off someone let me know. I'm pulling this outa my ass right now. I really don't know what kind of adjustments NBOME does, but hopefully it will make more sense than how the test was written.

 

[realmdo]

Hi folks, I need a little help. Just found out that I got comlex 1 core 664/88. can someone tell me what it mean, how good(or bad) this score is. I got 234/95 on USMLE 1. Seem to me that I did better on usmle than comlex. no wonder I feel comlex is harder than usmle.

 

[smgilles]

Hi folks, I need a little help. Just found out that I got comlex 1 core 664/88. can someone tell me what it means, how good(or bad) this score is. I got 234/95 on USMLE 1. Seem to me that I did better on usmle than comlex. no wonder I feel comlex is harder than usmle.

Same here...635/87 on the COMLEX and 232/94 on the USMLE.

 

[realmdo]

Same here...635/87 on the COMLEX and 232/94 on the USMLE.

Hi smgille, it's so funny to see how well comlex corresponds to usmle.
comlex 635/87=usmle 232/94
664/88= 234/95 etc... hahaha.....

 

[passthebiscuits]

a 630 is very, very good for the COMLEX. I have a feeling you may have been bragging, eh?

 

[Cowboy DO]

I got a 632/86 (i wish i knew what that meant), ill let you know the usmle score as soon as i get them back.

 

[dr_sax_29]

624/86.

One piece of my experience that I will share with everyone: nothing you study for COMLEX will "help prepare you". I did all of the review books, Kaplan and a few thousand questions(as did most people). The test was a complete crap shoot.

I shouldn't be so cynical after today, but it's the truth.

Peace.

 

[tcom200901]

So How did the Schools do comparitively? Did any school out there get a 100% pass rate?

 

[com-LEX Luthor]

I can definitely tell you what to study for COMLEX-1.....microbiology, pharmacology, anatomy, microbiology, microbiology, and probably a little bit more microbiology just to be on the safe side....Oh by the way, since I used that technique I scored a 666 and was wondering....is that good, or just a bad omen?

 

[Apgae]

I would think that anything in the 600's is ~80th%. 650+ ~90th%. Just a guess. Anyone have any more definitive info? How much do you guys want to bet that we won't get our mailed scores till late next week. Either way, at least it won't be like next year when they move to computerized, I heard it's going to take up to 4 mos to get their scores back as they need a large amount of data to complete the process.

Oh, yeah. I was also told that most of the time you do better on the USMLE than the COMLEX. Obviously, most of the study material available is geared towards USMLE type questions. With regards on what to study for the COMLEX; the only help I can provide is summed up in this one sentence.....Every single piece of information that you re-read, re-learn and commit to memory won't be on the COMLEX.

 

[novado]

Using statistical analysis here are some of the percentiles. The COMLEX says that the mean is 500 and the standard deviation is 79.

550 = 73.7%
600 = 89.7%
624 = 94.2%
630 = 95%
635 = 95.6%
650 = 97.1%
664 = 98.1%
726 = 99.8% (NSUCOM's valedictorian's score)

Also, since they say that a score of 500 will be the mean and the SD will be 79 every year, the scores are not simply the number of questions you get right. They do some statistical analysis where 800 is the highest score you can get. and every year there will be someone who gets 800.

 

[Idiopathic]

Using statistical analysis here are some of the percentiles. The COMLEX says that the mean is 500 and the standard deviation is 79.

550 = 73.7%
600 = 89.7%
624 = 94.2%
630 = 95%
635 = 95.6%
650 = 97.1%
664 = 98.1%
726 = 99.8% (NSUCOM's valedictorian's score)

Also, since they say that a score of 500 will be the mean and the SD will be 79 every year, the scores are not simply the number of questions you get right. They do some statistical analysis where 800 is the highest score you can get. and every year there will be someone who gets 800.

I know of a 757 from last year (ahem)

I think the 800 is theoretically the highest, since 757 was like 99.99% and less than 10000 people sat for the exam.

 

[sophiejane]

But there were only 187 questions in each book this year, which means there couldn't be more than 748 possible points, and don't they drop a few?

What am I missing here?

**edit: nevermind. just saw the post about the "statistical analysis" that makes 800 the top score. Obviously I got into medical school before they started requiring statistics. 🙂

 

[novado]

I hope thats right. However somewhere i heard that they only start counting percentile after they account for the people who failed.

So if the passing rate nation wide was 90% then youd have to subtract that 10% from your "real" percentage. not sure if im explaining that well.

so if you just passed(400) that would put you at 1% nevermind the 10% before you that failed, regardless of the national average and SD...

Meaning they only calculate the percentage of the people that passed, so in reality the percentage score would be lower that then real "raw" percentage. Is that right?

I think you are confusing percentage with PERCENTILE. I am not guaranteeing that what you see will be correct for us as they have not confirmed that the past 4 years of the mean, SD, etc are the same for us. I plugged my scores in and the percentile was the exact same for the 2 digit and 3 digit number. They have to include the people who failed in the PERCENTILE, because the percentile is out of everyone. The 3 digit score is NOT the number of questions you got right. They predetermine the mean (500), the minimum passing score (400), and the Standard deviation are usually the same....so it cannot be the number you got right.

 

[novado]

Also, when you plug in 400, that puts you at the 10th percentile. Meaning 10% of all the people who took it failed...which is true most years of the COMLEX. It does not put you at the 1%tile.

 

[gagolden]

We got a email from our Deans office saying that the national average was 510 this year. So wouldn't that through off the percentile chart Novado made? I hope not, cause I like it the way it is. Also the nationwide pass rate this year was 90.9%

Oh and by the way, I didn't take the USMLE cause if they take my degree they can take my test. I'm not going to any residency that will only accept part of my chosen career path. Kinda seems like discrimination to me

 

[sophiejane]

so the question is, and I'm sure it's been asked before...

what does it mean?

it means nothing beyond residency program acceptance (which is big), but it's also part of a whole package.

are there "cut-off" scores for the COMLEX and the USMLE? Do programs use the 2-digit number for that? Anyone know of any actual cutoffs for certain programs?

our dean once told me he has seen a number of people land great residencies that their numbers would not have predicted because they did a rotation at the program and impressed the right people.

i am and always have been just above dead-center average when it comes to exams, class rank, etc. but i'm a hard worker, a fast learner, and I must say that patients love me. 🙂

so those of you not posting in the 600s, take heart. All will be well in the end...(unless you want derm at Standford, yaddah yaddah yaddah...)

 

[Apgae]

All I know is that my friend who graduated from OUCOM in 05, received around a 550 and he said that was in the 60%. He also wanted to get into radiology and applied to many programs, one of which he had recommendations from the staff there and he didn't even get his application looked at. Apparently he said that they toss out all the applications that don't have a base score of around an 80th%. I don't know that that was (3-digit/2-digit), but since so many people apply to these residencies, they can discriminate (initially) merely based on your score.

 

[***Carol***]

634 = 92nd Percentile
Thats What My Nbome Report Said (not The Website Report, The Paper Report), So You Can Estimate Your Percentile From There

 

[Apgae]

Thanks so much Carol! So Navado, your stats are a little of, but close 🙂.

 

[sophiejane]

Of course, the competitive residencies like radiology (which is more popular than ever, apparently) I would expect to have cutoffs in the 80s.
I should have mentioned that along with "derm at Stanford"...I was being kind of flip there, but I meant competitive residencies in general. I would think that most people would sort of self-select for those spots, and not apply if they weren't really contenders, but maybe not, since there are so many applying.

 

[NKMU]

COMLEX I 645 87
USMLE I 230 93

took USMLE one month after COMLEX. "I swear I'll study every day in between!" Yeah right... I should have taken it a couple days after, I found myself forgetting things I had known for COMLEX.

USMLE, while not easier content-wise, was a much easier test to take. Hopefully the computer format for COMLEX next year is similar to the NBME's format. I bet they could find a way to make it confusing, though... 🙂

 

[sophiejane]

So why does the COMLEX still use percentiles? USMLE quit using them in 1999. I don't understand why an allopathic program would use percentiles as a cutoff for osteopathic applicants when they don't get them for allopathic students.


USMLE SCORE REPORTING: PERCENTILE INFORMATION DISCONTINUED
May 1999
Policy Change


As of May 1999, percentile information is no longer provided in connection with reports of USMLE scores.

The primary focus of USMLE is on the licensure decision, and Steps 1, 2, and 3 scores are used in this process. The scores for each administration of a USMLE Step are equated so that a given two-digit or three-digit score always represents the same level of examinee performance for that Step. In other words, a score of 200 on one administration of a Step indicates the equivalent level of examinee performance as a score of 200 on any other administration of the same Step. This equivalence holds even if the pass-fail standard is changed, which permits comparing performance across time.

It is important also to remember that the two-digit score shown on USMLE transcripts is not a percentile. The two-digit score is a total test score that is designed to meet the requirements of many state licensing authorities. The two-digit score scale is one on which a 75 is always the minimum passing score. However, a given two-digit score may represent a different level of performance if the two administrations were subject to different pass/fail standards.

Percentiles are different from the two- and three-digit equated scores in that they can only be interpreted in the context of the examinee (norm) group upon which they are based. When the norm group changes, the percentile for a given score will change and percentiles based on different groups cannot be compared. Although the performance of large groups of examinees typically does not change dramatically from one year to the next, over a longer period of time there have been substantial changes. For example, in the late 1980s, applications to medical schools showed a marked decline, and this was reflected by lower performance on the initial administrations of USMLE as compared to the present when group USMLE performance has improved. As a result, identical three-digit scores are associated with significantly different percentiles if those percentiles are based upon the examinees from the different periods.

Summary
Percentiles are not meaningful when attempting to rank order students whose percentile equivalents were calculated using different examinee groups. Utilizing percentiles can lead to the types of errors illustrated above. It is for these reasons that percentile information is no longer available in connection with USMLE scores.

 

[Apgae]

Wow Nick, you ROCKED OUT!! Good Job! We were all anxiously awaiting your scores.

COMLEX I 677/88
USMLE I 237/96
MCAT, worse than anyone here, I'm sure of it. 😀

Nick, I also felt the same way as you about the USMLE. Their question were fair and actually represented the material that you spent so much time reviewing, unlike the COMLEX.

I took kaplan, which was great for USMLE, and not so great for COMLEX. I don't think anything is good for COMLEX. The only thing I can recommend is make sure you know OB, GI (every case scenario had some person come in with jaundice or nausea) and MICRO. In addition I used the USMLE Board Similartor Series, which I thought was more geared for COMLEX type questions. Qbank was also a poor review for COMLEX. None of the OMM questions were in Savarese or any other review book, but just know one thing.....CORD LEVELS! BRS neuro and path were also great books to get. Molecular biology, maybe 15 questions on it, epidemiology, maybe 5 questions.

Again, this is the last year for the written exam, we have no clue what the test will be like once it goes computerized. I just hope that the questions are written better and focus more on the high yield clinical topics and not the random fluff that I felt we had on this past written test.

Quick question, anyone ever have a vaccine with this before?
😉

 

[Idiopathic]

Oh and by the way, I didn't take the USMLE cause if they take my degree they can take my test. I'm not going to any residency that will only accept part of my chosen career path. Kinda seems like discrimination to me

This is admirable and often repeated. However, some of us took both tests just as a way to make us more competitive. I have only seen one or two places that wouldnt 'take' COMLEX scores, but I just wanted a way to make myself more competitive for the more competitive locations/programs.

So, it isnt always a case of 'they wont take my test, they dont want me', but rather just an extra thing for them to have when evaluating you.

High horses are nice and all, but I do whatever it takes to get me where I want to go.

 

[BBBB]

OUCOM did really great this year. 4 scores over 700-- and I know one was 764. Congrats OU!!

 

[medstud2]

This is admirable and often repeated. However, some of us took both tests just as a way to make us more competitive. I have only seen one or two places that wouldnt 'take' COMLEX scores, but I just wanted a way to make myself more competitive for the more competitive locations/programs.

So, it isnt always a case of 'they wont take my test, they dont want me', but rather just an extra thing for them to have when evaluating you.

High horses are nice and all, but I do whatever it takes to get me where I want to go.

So Idio, in your opinion, do you think that not taking the USMLE limits a D.O. applicant's competitiveness at allopathic programs? Hypothetically speaking, let's say you have a COMLEX score that puts you in the 95+ percentile yet your USMLE score is average.....in this particular example would your USMLE score make you more or less competitive at thos allopathic programs that indeed accept COMLEX? Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[realmdo]

comlex 1 == usmle 1
645/87 ==== 230/93
635/87 ==== 232/94
664/88 ==== 234/95
677/88 ==== 237/96

Does it tell you guys something?
I think we should just make a chart to allo PDs and save some $$ in taking USMLE.
🙄

 

[Idiopathic]

So Idio, in your opinion, do you think that not taking the USMLE limits a D.O. applicant's competitiveness at allopathic programs? Hypothetically speaking, let's say you have a COMLEX score that puts you in the 95+ percentile yet your USMLE score is average.....in this particular example would your USMLE score make you more or less competitive at thos allopathic programs that indeed accept COMLEX? Thanks for your thoughts!

I have explained this several times, but I believe strongly that you should only take the USMLE if you feel very confident in your ability to do well on that test. Should that not happen, and you only get an average score, I would not report the result. I dont see how an average score could help you at a competitive program. My case is kind of unique, though, and I did well on both exams...hindsight is often 20/20, and if I had not done well on USMLE, I might feel that I shouldnt have taken it.

To answer your first question, I believe there are some program in some specialties where it is difficult for anyone to get in (rads, for example). If you are looking at specific allo rads programs, for instance, how could you not take the USMLE?

 

[Idiopathic]

comlex 1 == usmle 1
645/87 ==== 230/93
635/87 ==== 232/94
664/88 ==== 234/95
677/88 ==== 237/96

Does it tell you guys something?
I think we should just make a chart to allo PDs and save some $$ in taking USMLE.
🙄

Just FYI, the NBOME prepares conversion charts from COMLEX-->USMLE for allo program directors. HOWEVER, it tends to underrepresent the students performance relative to USMLE. Like, they would report a COMLEX of 677/88 from you table as being equivalent to a 220/90 USMLE (or whatever) when the statistical analysis clearly doesnt bear that out.