So I just took the comlex today and although I swore I won't look at another computer screen for a week, I'm already back.
I'm not sure how many forms are out there, but here are *my* experiences. They might not help you on your exam, but maybe can answer "what do I need to know as a future physician."
Background: I studied FA, Goljan Path, class notes, Mosby Micro flash cards, Savarese, 1500 questions on UWorld, and read articles on EMedicine and Medscape. UWorld questions were on average much better questions because they tested your understanding rather on regurgitation. I can't memorize and I hate doing it. Hence I'm frustrated with
Test Format:
8 Sessions of 50 questions each. Session 1 2 and 3 were straightforward. I am not a fast test taker but I finished 1.5 hrs early, giving me enough time to go over session 4 which was the beginning of a very long afternoon. I went from marking 2/5 questions / session to 15/ session on round 4. Those 15 questions weren't hard per se, nor were they analytic, but rather "did you memorize this fact," or they were totally out of my league and would not have known if I weren't a practicing physician already. You either know it or you don't.
Micro: maybe 80 questions, and 76 of them were straightforward. Like, what is this cat+ coag+ gram+ cocci, and the answer choices were staph aureus and a bunch of gram-. Def know MCC and the charts.
Virology: just your typicle viruses - very straightforward. Do yourself a favor and look up EVERY bug you've studied and know what it looks like both on a patient and on slide. There were a few pictures of people with a certain viral infection, which most I knew before looking at the picture and then confirmed my thoughts with the "exhibit". However, make sure you know the specific pathology of why people get DIC, why people get a fever and how, and what that would look like on a person, and why exactly they would get diarrhea or a rash or blood in their urine if they took a certain drug, etc.
Pharm: Maybe 100 questions, and 80 of those I learned in class. The rest were OBGYN related and were neither in FA, nor lecture material. Most of the pharm was straightforward, but I have no clue what hypertensive you give to a pregnant mother at what trimester, nor what osteoarthritis/RA drug you would give in certain conditions. I knew I would get Step 2 kind of questions and that's one thing I would have done differently had I not been told otherwise by 3rd/4th years. There were maybe 4 other questions that I had no idea what certain words in the question stem meant. Not a single cancer drug :-(
Biochem: Not that many, just a few basics on what is elevated or deficient in such and such a disease. What is XR and AR. All were in FA.
Path: I didn't see that many, but yet again I got 2 histo slides I had never seen before. Goljan and FA gave me more than I needed.
Anatomy/Musculoskeletal: I felt like there were at least 12 questions on this in each session. I've heard so many times that FA is all you need for anatomy and that couldn't be further from the truth. I knew my brachial plexus cold, as well as dermatomes and innervation and arterial supply of the extremeities, but that was not enough. If you didn't know what EXACT nerve was responsible for any one reflex - you were screwed. I wish I had known all those who wrote the questions were constipated. I mean, how the h-e-double-hockey sticks am I supposed to know what artery/vein profuses your butt. I suppose that's important? So many times I wondered if I was taking a board for the American Orthepedic Oncologists society. Def pick up some kind of book that walks you through all the imporant clinical anatomy of the entire body, including the skull and thorax.
OMM: There was only ONE innominate question and it was so easy an MD could have gotten it right. The rest you would have only known if you got a lecture on this in class; apparently you can cure everything using Cranial. Make sure you know how to cure male erection and ejaculation problems using your palpatory skills - and don't forget the woman in labor, a cheerleader with a headache, and your mom with an ear infection. Forget everything else you learned at your grande College of Osteopathic Medicine. No seriously... they'll call it College of Cranial Medicine if they could.
Repro: Get a step 2 book to read on this. Some questions came from FA, a ton came from Savarese (over, and over, and over), and a bunch I had not expected to see on a step 1 exam.
Other surprises: Physio is def important - I was going to throw an embolus had I gotten yet another question on pulmonary physiology. I also had matching on those beloved suppressor genes - can you say USMLE?
Renal and Heme: Straightforward. If your px has anemia or a kidney problem - how do you tell what it is without palpating their C2-S4.
Cardio: 10 or so EKGs, straightforward. Use Dubin as FA was also inadequate here.
Moral of the story: You can't prepare for every question you're going to see on Comlex - but you can totally prepare to be an awesome physician.
GOOD LUCK to everyone else who has to take it!!!
That comment just made my whole day
