COMLEX breaks/timing

[yosemite419]

For those of you who have taken the COMLEX, I'm a little confused about the timing. On the NBOME website, it says that there is 240 minutes for the morning/afternoon sessions, so are there blocks of 50 questions? If so, if you finish one block earlier, can you add this time on to another block? Also, would anyone advise/not advise taking the optional 10 minute breaks as it cuts into your exam time? How much is timing a factor? I just got done with the USMLE, and didn't at all have issues with timing, got done about 4 minutes early with most blocks. Any advice would be great! Thanks!

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[samnite]

There is a 4 hour morning session and a 4 hour afternoon session. You have 4 hours to complete four 50 question sections (if you finish a section early then the extra time rolls over and accumulates until the end of that 4 hour session).

For instance, I regularly finished each section with like 10 minutes left over. I decided to motor through and let it accumulate so that I ended up with like 30 minutes or so left over after the first 4 hour block. You are only allowed to break between sections 2 and 3 (or 6 and 7) so I went ahead and took that break (unlike the USMLE, you can't break after each individual section).

As for timing, don't worry about it for the COMLEX. If you were able to handle the USMLE and had time left over then I would bet that timing won't be an issue for you. Good luck!

 

[yosemite419]

I really appreciate your feedback!

 

[samnite]

You're going to enjoy the difference in difficulty between the exams. My best advice to you is to relax.

 

[scpod]

You don't have to take any break at all if you don't want to. The optional 10-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon count against your time. In other words, the clock doesn't stop running then. You get forty minutes for lunch-- no matter what time you take your lunch break, the "afternoon" session starts forty minutes later. After you finish a fifty question section, you have to "finalize" your answers. You can't go back and change once you've done that. I took two short optinal breaks and spent maybe 15 minutes walking around and stretching for lunch. I finished a total of 3 hours early-- but I'm usually a fast test taker anyway. I don't go back and change anything and generally do well.