COMLEX bugs and drugs

[Atlas]

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Hey,

I've started doing questions in preparation for the COMLEX and I'm holding my own in most things, but I feel like Pharm and Micro Q's on Q bank and the Kaplan books seem ridiculous! I don't think that Microbiology made ridiculously simple would be enough to answer those Q's even though that's what everyone lives by (almost everyone). So, my question is...is Kaplan making these micro questions more difficult or is this how they'll be on the exam? Also, the pharm questions seem hard too...more than what FA can handle! Is it me or are these Q bank questions impossible! Thanks.

Atlas

P.S. I kinda needed to vent about this too!

 

[DrSmiles]

I found the Kaplan Qbank pharm was right on for the USMLE, but more than enough for the COMLEX. The COMLEX won't ask you to interpret graphs for pharm, but the USMLE will. That being said, I think that by doing the Qbank pharm questions make the COMLEX pharm seem very easy by comparison.
The micro is much more intense on the COMLEX and although I used the Micro made simple book, I thought that the Kaplan review micro book did a great job of offering some review for the COMLEX. The COMLEX likes to ask about the "rare and weird" micro bugs, like the ones you will only see in the outskirts of Africa. The weird worms too. They will try to through you off on the COMLEX too, like give you a certain buzzword that actually has nothing to do with the bug. Like "a man was cave exploring in the midwest (and you are thinking, ding ding ding...Histoplasmosis, but then the question will go on to say something like he lost 25lbs and the sputum specimen grew on Lowenstein-Jensen agar- and if you don't know that TB grows on Lowenstein-Jensen agar you just missed the entire question.) So there will be a few red herrings thrown at you.
I thought First Aid was very good for review of micro and if there was something in First Aid that I thought I was weak in for micro, then I would use another source to supplement it.
Bottom line, KNOW your micro very well for COMLEX. There is a ton of micro and what you find on Kaplan Qbank is very close for what you need to know.

 

[Atlas]

I found the Kaplan Qbank pharm was right on for the USMLE, but more than enough for the COMLEX. The COMLEX won't ask you to interpret graphs for pharm, but the USMLE will. That being said, I think that by doing the Qbank pharm questions make the COMLEX pharm seem very easy by comparison.
The micro is much more intense on the COMLEX and although I used the Micro made simple book, I thought that the Kaplan review micro book did a great job of offering some review for the COMLEX. The COMLEX likes to ask about the "rare and weird" micro bugs, like the ones you will only see in the outskirts of Africa. The weird worms too. They will try to through you off on the COMLEX too, like give you a certain buzzword that actually has nothing to do with the bug. Like "a man was cave exploring in the midwest (and you are thinking, ding ding ding...Histoplasmosis, but then the question will go on to say something like he lost 25lbs and the sputum specimen grew on Lowenstein-Jensen agar- and if you don't know that TB grows on Lowenstein-Jensen agar you just missed the entire question.) So there will be a few red herrings thrown at you.
I thought First Aid was very good for review of micro and if there was something in First Aid that I thought I was weak in for micro, then I would use another source to supplement it.
Bottom line, KNOW your micro very well for COMLEX. There is a ton of micro and what you find on Kaplan Qbank is very close for what you need to know.

Thanks for the great reply! That helps a lot. Do you recommend memorizing/knowing the flow charts in micro? For example, gram + --> catalase neg. --> alpha hemolytic --> optochin susceptible --> S. Pneumo.
I had a ton of Qbook questions on that kinda stuff and I never really focused on that so much. I think I might have found where I screwed myself! Thanks again.

Atlas

 

[DrSmiles]

Yes, definitely know those flow charts. I found them useful during my board exams for both the COMLEX and USMLE. Know the features of the bugs because all you might get in a question is something like gram-neg diplococci without much else. Know the weird stuff about each bug like "the contact lens wearer with the eye infection from pseudomonas", or "the stacatto cough in the baby from chlamydia". I really felt the Kaplan review book filled in the gaps that First Aid missed. Things like which bugs cross the placenta, what are the bugs you typically find in a Day Care setting, which bugs cause a rash, etc. And keep in mind that First Aid does not do a thorough job covering the parasites because they are not hit on the USMLE as hard as they are on the COMLEX. Make sure you get that review from another good source or you stand to miss some questions. I had heard about this from someone in the class ahead of me, so I heeded the advice and I was glad that I did so because I did have a lot of parasitology on my COMLEX last year. COMLEX was much more clinical in asking their micro questions too, so you will typically be given a patient with some sort of symptoms and what they found on culture, etc.