COMLEX 1 Experiences

[Buster Douglas]

Wow... that last packet sucked.

Just glad it's over.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rchrest1]

Wow... that last packet sucked.

Just glad it's over.

I could narrow most down to 4 on the last packet.

 

[Atlas]

I could narrow most down to 4 on the last packet.

That last book sucked for me too! I have no idea how I did right now. I feel like I missed a lot of gimmes because I just didn't study non-high yield stuff. There was a ton of biochem yesterday, which I "glanced" at a few days before the exam. I found myself guessing alot! I just hope I passed, so I don't have to retake the sonofabitch.

 

[Docgeorge]

I got worked today. Q bank was not indicative of the test!!!!

 

[Docgeorge]

That last book sucked for me too! I have no idea how I did right now. I feel like I missed a lot of gimmes because I just didn't study non-high yield stuff. There was a ton of biochem yesterday, which I "glanced" at a few days before the exam. I found myself guessing alot! I just hope I passed, so I don't have to retake the sonofabitch.

The feeling is mutual...

 

[agl108]

what's it gonna take to pass this one? any guesses?

 

[fuegorama]

what's it gonna take to pass this one? any guesses?

I'm thinking at least 2 yellows and a purple.
I think I might be skrud after pulling all PINK on that last book!

 

[fuegorama]

welcome to fueg after 1 beer and bourbon! My partner says comlex makes a cheap date

 

[Areitman]

Okay,

So what is the deal with the COMLEX? Is the NBOME trying to fail everyone? I am sorry. I am a smart student. I got thru the first two years of medical school, but this exam was not representive of the knowledge we should have at the end of second year! I took the USMLE and I thought that exam was a better exam. One, it was more straight forward and two, when you read the questions, you weren't like, "what the f--k are they asking for?"

On another note, why were there so many pregnant questions? Were the exam writers all pregnant?

Also, I want my money back from KAPLAN. Enjoy, the night you all and make sure you get smashed drunk tonight.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

That test was BS...

What a load of "guess what we're thinking" crap....

 

[Docgeorge]

That test was BS...

What a load of "guess what we're thinking" crap....

They needed to hand out vasalline with that test so it did'nt hurt as much when they F****ing me in the ass.

 

[P Willi]

Everything still looks blurry to me. I don't think i ever will take a longer test. I almost went through 1/2 a bottle of Visine. And the last book did suck. I thought it was me worn out and beaten, but it seemed like they did save the worst for last. Everybody that i talked that took USMLE did say that it was better...epecially cuz it's only 1/2 as long. And what was up with some of the micro pictures. I serious kept thinking every 10 minutes (....what the @*!$ is that...specially that orange PAP smear...what stains is orange????

 

[docslytherin]

yeah those tests were ridiculous. some were really hard, but some were ridiculously easy (like a condom protecting against STDs). i can't believe how much they seemed to focus on certain topics and just completely gloss over others.

and the pharm!!! i can't believe how much pharm there was comparatively. it seemed like there was a lot of pharm and a lot of neuro (which i wasn't prepared for completely).

oh well, glad it's over!!!! we'll see in august how it panned out!

 

[jon62781]

So, I'm pretty sure that everyone at my school (OSU-COM) will be fully prepared to retake that badboy in August!!

I mean seriously... How many people on this planet take Anti-Psychs compared to Anti-Biotics or Anti-Hypertensives....

And were we supposed to complete a Radiology residency before we took that????

I agree with Q-bank being a complete waste of time..... I shoulda bought a "Magic 8-ball" with that money instead.. It would have helped me more!

Well, here's to Cirrhosis!!!!


Ohh, by the Way... A.T. Still can kiss my ass and maybe we can learn ONE way to teach OMT, Not 19!!!!!! Freakin Savarese!

 

[Idiopathic]

I seem to remember most of us uttering comments almost identical to these last year. And yet nearly 90% pass and we saw plenty of excellent scores. The curve balances it all out. Just be glad its over.

 

[P Willi]

It's over.>>>

 

[bentz]

That test was BS...

What a load of "guess what we're thinking" crap....

I pray to GOD that I don't have to take it again!!! GOD please!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[me454555]

Comelx sucked

My 2 favorite questions were

1. Guy has no pmh and gets his bp checked at the mall. Its 160/90. Why is it high? Answer's are 5 things that cause high blood pressure. Gotta love questions where they don't give you any info to answer with

2. They show a picture of a cattle prod or something w/2 prongs at the end and ask. "What disease would you use this instrument for vaccination?" WTF?!?! how is a 2nd year medical student supposed to know that?

 

[shanet74]

Comelx sucked

My 2 favorite questions were

1. Guy has no pmh and gets his bp checked at the mall. Its 160/90. Why is it high? Answer's are 5 things that cause high blood pressure. Gotta love questions where they don't give you any info to answer with

2. They show a picture of a cattle prod or something w/2 prongs at the end and ask. "What disease would you use this instrument for vaccination?" WTF?!?! how is a 2nd year medical student supposed to know that?

I agree man, what the hell is the cattle prod for? Lets see...cattle prod...small pox...sounds good. I had no idea either. Lets just say I'm not immune to whatever the hell that thing is used for.

I agree that there were a ton of questions that were "guess what we're thinking". I say give me the info I'm going to ask when I see a patient.

The picture quality seemed lacking...i.e. the MRI of the knee. Looked like they printed the pics on my epson 640 (which sucks).

 

[H0mersimps0n]

I love radiolography of all sorts, I eat it up but that MRI of that knee had me SO ANGRY!

um still does.......

OB, Pharm, MICRO all low-yield, all slaughtered me.

 

[tkim]

You must have missed the memo:

 

[docslytherin]

Comelx sucked

My 2 favorite questions were

1. Guy has no pmh and gets his bp checked at the mall. Its 160/90. Why is it high? Answer's are 5 things that cause high blood pressure. Gotta love questions where they don't give you any info to answer with

2. They show a picture of a cattle prod or something w/2 prongs at the end and ask. "What disease would you use this instrument for vaccination?" WTF?!?! how is a 2nd year medical student supposed to know that?

i picked renal artery stenosis (since the next question referenced renal disease) for the first and smallpox for the second... but good lord, those were ridiculous.

i think my favorite question was:

woman comes in after finding a lump on a self-exam. this lump adheres to the chest wall and moves upward in inhalation, but has limited movement in exhalation. what is the problem?

 

[me454555]

Yeah I figured out it was small pox after someone told me they saw it on ER a couple years back. WTF was it doing on a step I exam aimed at 2nd year medical students? Where is one supposed to aqurie that kind of knowlege? Its that kind of bs that pisses me off. I take 6 weeks to study for it and then they get me w/this crap?!?!? I thought I was done w/that stuff at the end of classes. Oh well, hope rotations are better

 

[docslytherin]

I love radiolography of all sorts, I eat it up but that MRI of that knee had me SO ANGRY!

um still does.......

OB, Pharm, MICRO all low-yield, all slaughtered me.

i stared at that thing forever until i finally saw a patella (at least that's what i hope it was!!)

i couldn't believe the micro. seemed like everyone had a chlamydial infection (or strep pneumo). AND THE MATCHING SECTION ON RAPES!!! what was that all about??? honestly, and coming up right around the four year old with hpv on his/her (i can't remember) perianal region... good grief!!

that pelvis image of the woman after her honeymoon still makes me crazy... that was just a crazy test. it was so very unlike the qbank. unbelievable.

at least if everyone sucked it up, we all (hopefully) fall into the bell curve.

i need some liquor!!

 

[docslytherin]

Yeah I figured out it was small pox after someone told me they saw it on ER a couple years back. WTF was it doing on a step I exam aimed at 2nd year medical students? Where is one supposed to aqurie that kind of knowlege? Its that kind of bs that pisses me off. I take 6 weeks to study for it and then they get me w/this crap?!?!? I thought I was done w/that stuff at the end of classes. Oh well, hope rotations are better

i'm with you. i thought there was a lot more step 2 type material on there than i was prepared for.

 

[Boomer]

Did you guys have any hand drawn images that had been scanned into the book? We had a hand drawn petri dish when I took Step 1. Un-fuggin-real.

It's been 3 years now since I've taken it....I passed--safely above the mean (on all three steps, in fact)....I'm STILL bitter about it.....that taste never goes away, and believe, I've imbibed enough whisky to kill more than a couple taste buds.....

 

[kpax18]

my favorite q was the 50 ppl in the ofc building moving to another and 45 of them started coughing and sneezing and the other 5 had nose bleed...

And of course, for a moment I thought that I was working toward PharmD degree, which I had to remind my self it was actually gynecologist

one of the worst exams i've ever taken in my life hope i pass

at least no exam in sight for the next 2 months

congrats on accomplishing this feat all, just finishing it was quite an achievement

 

[rchrest1]

Who noticed that the c-spine film had very faint labels where someone had written on the original and then tried to erase it?

 

[fuegorama]

After a rugged night, reality set in and I started thinking about ..."what if"?

That last book really blew. I think more than than the bizarre inscrutability of the questions and pictures, fatigue played a big part in my performance. I smoked pharm in class, but I sat for 6 minutes trying to think "what is prazosin?" I never came up with the answer b/c I was just so spent.

By question 80 in book 4 I was really into a trance. While I had some pretty clear recall on the other booklets, I can't remember anything from that last b@stard.
This has got me into a really great freak-out spiral.

If the really bad thing did happen (you know-the failure thing ) when are we told? Is there some advance warning like "it's not looking good, we don't have your actual score yet, but it's probably a good idea to hold onto your review books" kinda note.
or
Do we all find out in 8 FREAKIN' WEEKS?!!!

Does anybody know what happens? And if the bad thing does happen, how do ramp up again?
I know you guys have been studying like demons...I can't imagine doing any more.
Thoughts?

 

[H0mersimps0n]

nearly all the MRI's and radiographic images had been computer edited in a MAJOR way. I didn't know those old foagie question writers even knew how to use photoshop...

 

[P Willi]

I though the MRI of the Lady with a computer drawn grey circle in the pelvis was awesome (book 4). I kept staring at it and thinking...it's a drawn in circle... on a MRI...it could be a baseball where it doesn't belong???

 

[NMH2001]

I loved the pic of the WBC with the man who had a white count of like 180K and a platelet of 30K. I was prompted to put CLL, but did anyone notice the big fat auer rod in the cytoplasm? That would make it AML. I hate the NBOME.

And yes, the cattle prod question was cool too.

Anyone know if/how many questions are "experimental" and get tossed???

To answer a previous ques-I don't think we get any heads up if bad news is on the way. however, word from the rumor mill is the scores usually show up at 6 weeks-if that eases your mind at all.

 

[Noncompetetitiv]

@#*#, are you serious? I didn't see an Auer rod.... oh well add that to the other 700 questions that I somehow jacked up. Those questions were horrible.

If doxycycline wasn't the treatment for chlamydia... then I missed 50 questions right there...

If you didn't mark S. pneumo as an answer more than 100 times... how screwed are you?

You know I didn't sign up to take the USMLE, but after that reaming I got yesterday, I am definitely considering it... just to prove I am not a ****** and I actually did study for boards.

Seriously, what was that pap smear??! I put SCC from HPV. I talked myself out of candida, chlamydia, etc... because it said a 20 year old ASYMPTOMATIC female... but I guess not everybody who has those STDs has any symptoms... not that I would know... I mean, I can get a more clear pap smear from my a##hole.

 

[zinc]

Comlex writers are the biggest A@@holes for pulling that **** on us. I Know i can kill usmle but as for THIS stupid test I only hope that i passed. We got cow prongs, Baseballs in pelvis's, freakin one sentence questions,,,,,dammit give me a clinical history,,,give me some physical signs,,,hell give me OMM at least. NO PHYSIO CHARTS,,,,, NO classic MICRO only obscure low yeild minutia. NO BIOCHEM, NO PSYch. Where the hell was omm,,,I thought OMM was big on the comlex. TWO years spent studing and I have to leave for rotations with this unsatisfying feeling.

should have gone to Ross

 

[Atlas]

@#*#, are you serious? I didn't see an Auer rod.... oh well add that to the other 700 questions that I somehow jacked up. Those questions were horrible.

If doxycycline wasn't the treatment for chlamydia... then I missed 50 questions right there...

If you didn't mark S. pneumo as an answer more than 100 times... how screwed are you?

You know I didn't sign up to take the USMLE, but after that reaming I got yesterday, I am definitely considering it... just to prove I am not a ****** and I actually did study for boards.

Seriously, what was that pap smear??! I put SCC from HPV. I talked myself out of candida, chlamydia, etc... because it said a 20 year old ASYMPTOMATIC female... but I guess not everybody who has those STDs has any symptoms... not that I would know... I mean, I can get a more clear pap smear from my a##hole.

I feel like I had an IQ of 48 after that one-legged man a**-kicking contest! This is how stupid I feel...come to find out that guy in book 4 with the bar across his eyes...was supposed to be male-pattern baldness! I feel like the ****** cause I was the only person I talked to who didn't catch that! I was like "There is NOTHING wrong with this guy!!!" ...oh yeah...he's freakin' bald! DUH! Man, I hope I didn't do that kinda stuff too much over the last two days or I'm screwed!!! BOTTOM LINE: COMLEX SUCKED!!

Focker-OUT!!

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

Well, after reading all of your reponses I'm starting to think I just might have passed. Or, maybe we all failed.

I was really surprised at the test content. Less Micro, Pharm, Path, and Phys (except endocrine) than I expected. A bunch more Biochem and a little more behavioral/biostats.

Words of advice to future COMLEX 1 test takers (this may include myself in October):

1. Don't get the COMLEX Q-bank. Get the USMLE version. Much better questions. Go in on it with a few people and save some $$$.

2. Know either Step Up or First Aid cold. If you can, study one pretty extensively, and then when you start to lose interest and feel like it's getting a little low-yield, switch to the other book. Do NOT try and use too many different books. Sure, BRS Path is good to maybe shore up a weak spot, but just be careful that you don't spread yourself too thin.

3. Savarese for OMM is all you need. I started reading it 6 days before the test, got thru it twice easily (about 2-3 hours a day).

4. Realize that many, many, many questions are simply not found in First-Aid or Step Up. You have to try to apply some factoid to get the right answer. But don't feel bad, because if it isn't in your First Aid, well, it isn't in anyone else's either.

5. This is critical: study on your lunchbreaks, the night between and the mornings before the tests. Why? Because there are tons of repeat questions that show up again in later test packets. We sort of had a group study session right after packet 2. It sucked because we all wanted to go home, but it was worth it. I seriously got 25-30 more questions right from doing this.


Anyways, best of luck everybody. I'm happy today because I won't ever have to set foot in a classroom again. I might actually get to learn some medicine now these last two years.

 

[smgilles]

Comlex writers are the biggest A@@holes for pulling that **** on us. I Know i can kill usmle but as for THIS stupid test I only hope that i passed. We got cow prongs, Baseballs in pelvis's, freakin one sentence questions,,,,,dammit give me a clinical history,,,give me some physical signs,,,hell give me OMM at least. NO PHYSIO CHARTS,,,,, NO classic MICRO only obscure low yeild minutia. NO BIOCHEM, NO PSYch. Where the hell was omm,,,I thought OMM was big on the comlex. TWO years spent studing and I have to leave for rotations with this unsatisfying feeling.

should have gone to Ross

Couldn't agree more. I took the USMLE 2 weeks ago and it was like walking on air compared to that "thing" we just took. That has to be the worst compilation of test questions I have ever seen. I feel sorry for anyone who didn't know chlamydia, S. pneumoniae, or C. albicans and their treatment. I swear just those 3 things represented >50 questions.

 

[Sinnman]

I guessed I missed the AML question too. Between the fatigue and the fact I've never seen an Auer rod look like that I picked CLL. Oh well.

We should start a list.

My favorites:

1) The Rorschach test that was the knee MRI.
2) The worst lateral C-spine x-ray I've seen

I actually stopped once during the test and read the cover of the book to make sure it didn't say "Board Certification Exam for the American Academy of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists." What was that about? OB/GYN was like 30% of my test.

I can't believe how much information that I studied wasn't on the test. No vasculitities. Practically no glomerulonephritities. The micro was either the same bug (read strep pneumo) or something I've yet to find in a micro book. The pharm was either a joke or asked "Which is the absolutely most obscure side effect associated with..." The OMM was terrible.

I looked several things up during the break and many of the answers were not to be found in most books. I've heard this said on SDN before and I think it's true; it really did seem as though they went through the board review books and purposely omitted questions that were found in there.

Awful exam. Not at all reflective of the first two years. I'm actually looking forward to the USMLE.

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

I can't believe how much information that I studied wasn't on the test. No vasculitities. Practically no glomerulonephritities. The micro was either the same bug (read strep pneumo) or something I've yet to find in a micro book. The pharm was either a joke or asked "Which is the absolutely most obscure side effect associated with..." The OMM was terrible.

Also, no glycogen storage or lysosomal diseases. Lots of protozoa/helminths/fungi compared to straight bacteria. And I kept waiting for some more arm anatomy/neuro lesions/OMM type questions, and they never really happened. The Pharm stuff was all low-yield, and the OMM felt like it was in another language. I guess that what you get when you have 20 different schools writing these questions.

Also, I sure hope everybody knew that the peroneal nerve is also called the fibular nerve. It might seem like is pretty common knowledge, but you're probably kicking yourself right now if you didn't. Probably 6-8 questions about it.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

I too picked CLL right off then as my eyes were briskly moving to the next question a twinkly of auer rod caught my eye just BARELY.....

I agree with everyone here, the NBOME or whoever is in control of the bank should be ASHAMED of those books- they had almost NO OMM and very little anatomy.

missed so many questions it's disgusting...

P.S. for those of u who had the (like I) Chvostek's sign (face tapping causes VII pain)/Trousseau's sign (carpel pain from ischemia) is caused by HYPOCALCEMIA.. = pathophys for boards and wards step 1 (great book- if only I'd memorized it line by line I might have actually gotten a question right yesterday).....

 

[NMH2001]

I'm starting to think that the NBOME had a contest for their test writers this year-whoever could come up with the most obscure, confusing, poorly worded question was the big winner!

Have I mentioned that I hate the NBOME?

 

[Noncompetetitiv]

What was that question with a patient with Osteitis fibrosis cystica (brown bone)... and then they asked what else can look like this?

The choices were something like enchondroangiosarcoma... or something.

I am upset that I spent so much time studying all of the lymphomas and leukemias and missed the one (out of like 2) question that was asked... the mysterious auer rod.

I also wish that I hadn't studied any embryo, besides the thyroglossal duct cyst.

Why did I study any physio, besides endocrine?

After that test, I had more knowledge than I have ever had, but I felt like more of an idiot than I have ever been.

 

[mfrederi]

how'd ya'll like the question that went something like "homeless guy with no productive cough and he is skinny (duh, homeless), what does he have?" No Tb as an answer choice. I went with PC pneumo, but my psychic abilities were not honed in very well on that one. The baby with tongue craziness and floppy was Werdnigg Hofmann dz, some type of obscure infantile ALS like d/o. I think it was actually in step up though, unlike the majority of items on this test.

 

[kpax18]

I say we compile a COMLEX 1st aid, just throw in tons of OB and Rx low yields while putting our personal photos (with black bars over our eyes of course) in there for image ID... show me the money $$

 

[Pitt Panther]

Personally, I thought that it was CLL, my basis being that he was an older guy. I figured that if they wanted me to notice the Auer Rod, they would have indicated it with an arrow like the the patient with the cspine fracture with quadraparesis.

 

[tkim]

Words of advice to future COMLEX 1 test takers (this may include myself in October):

1. Don't get the COMLEX Q-bank. Get the USMLE version. Much better questions. Go in on it with a few people and save some $$$.

Agreed. I'm going suggest to the rising second years to completely ditch Kaplan COMLEX Q-Bank, as the questions were not at all representative.

Hell, you just need to get USMLE Q-Bank, set the thing to test only micro and pharm, and you have a very good representation of the COMLEX. I guarantee anyone who did just micro and pharm killed that exam.

 

[P Willi]

I did the USMLE Q-bank and did think that it was helpful. There were probably about 4 questions that were almost the same (including the a question with a picture of aur rod...) and i'm only 45% done too. It's more expensive, but take out the statistics part and it was pretty helpful for this test.

 

[NMH2001]

OK, so was it CLL or AML???? Damn Auer Rods


I hate the NBOME

 

[H0mersimps0n]

I'd say with 95% certainty that was an auer rod- AML, sorry

EDIT: I only am so certain because Barone drew us a picture of what it would look like if they gave it to us and it was textbook Barone style

BARONE RULES

 

[bla_3x]

Boy I am sure glad that I spent all that time remembering the particulars of all the viruses. WAS there even ANY Q's besides the HBV serology???????????

In the slightly modified words of Henry Winkler
cooomlex su#ks, it really really su#cks. cooomlex su#ks, it really really su#cks