COMLEX: DAY 1

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
K

kundun

Senior Member
10+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 10, 1999
Messages
174
Reaction score
0
how did everybody do today??
Members don't see this ad.
 
:confused:
I agree...I am down this first half...Hopefully I can make some three pointers tomorrow! :confused:
 
Members don't see this ad :)
This is definitely a test of stamina. After finishing the second test book my head felt like it just got bashed with a shovel.
 
Does anyone know if Burger King is hiring?
 
Keep your heads up guys and gals! GOOD LUCK!
 
I think I discovered a new sensory pathway. The one that gives pain with overuse of the brian when trying to figure out some meaningless medical trivial pursuit. (We all know there were some questions like that on the test)

Only one more day.
 
oh shoot...we had a test today?

It sucked. I just went ahead and sent my money in for the re-test. I figure I'll save time that way. :)

I'm sure we'll all pass. I think (hope) it comes out better than it feels. It certainly can't be any worse than it feels!
 
Geez!!! With comments like this... I sure am scared and I'm not even starting my first year yet? :eek:
 
I'm with you Popoy!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :(
 
Man i feel like an idiot - SSP is gonna come kick me out when i get my nice 300 back from our COMPLEX scores. Why is it that we can do well for 2 years, come to class almost every day, study for 7 hours/day and still come out of this feeling like dirt.

*sigh* I'm not happy about how this is going. I had better go eat a power bar or something.
 
is there comlex harder than the mcat? i thought that it might be easier b/c every subject is related in someway. what score do you need to pass?
i start lecom this august!
 
I feel pretty good about the whole damn thing...sure I had to guess alot....but so did everybody else...everybody usually does better than they think they do...we just went through 800 questions as long as you got around half of them right you'll pass...what was up with all of that immunology??
 
Members don't see this ad :)
The Pharm was killing me. There wasn't a whole lot of path either..and no path pictures. They sure didn't mind throwing some radiology out there though! I feel like crap about the whole thing, but so does most everyone else, so I'm sure it will be ok. I don't know if I could handle taking that bad-boy a second time! Hopefully, most of us won't have to.
 
Hey Zorro, I am not a med student yet, nor am I even a senior member here at SDN. I have not taken the mcat or comlex yet(mcat in april) However, I would venture so far as to say that the licencing exam for physicians is probably just a wee bit harder than the mcat enterance exam, which tests basic scientific knowledge. What do you think?
 
Personally, I don't think anything is harder than the MCAT. The boards cover more material, but you have been buried in it for 2 years and typically know more than you think you do. Also, with the boards, you are already in medical school and almost everyone passes. The MCAT was highly stressful for me. Everything seemed to be riding on it, and I wasn't that interested in the material, which made it harder to study for it. I'm whining about the COMLEX now, but I do think the MCAT was tougher.
 
If it comes to the event that one has to take the COMLEX again.... is it a bad thing? I mean does the "bad" score follow you even after you take the board again and score well?

MCAT's harder than COMLEX.... wow!!! I guess, maybe because most medical students enjoy their studies unlike some of the things we have to take as undergrads.... :)
 
I thought the MCAT was much easier - because you can go with strategy there...The COMLEX -either know it or you try and narrow it down til you are so unsure of yourself! Ick! So, "B" it was! ;)
I was beaten...I think I might have to go in for the rematch...ick! :eek:
But gotta move on and rest my brain :cool:
 
And what did you think about all the NEURO????!!!!!!!! that was insane! And where were all the sacrum questions everyone kept on harping about? OMM was mainly sympathetics and paraympathetics...... Ugh. Hello psych residency in Kalamazoo, MI!
 
Why would anybody in the world shoot an arrow in the back of somebody's knee????
 
That question had to come from one of our anatomy professors at UHS. His exams were classic for stuff like that!
 
I'm still trying to figure out the posterior medial lateral calf question! :D Hilarious..don't they proofread that stuff??
 
Teeehehe.....

how about the one with the long distance runner who kept on running with foot drop?
 
and I thought that those questions were all serious! And to think I strained my brain over this stuff! :D
I just hated the questions where they (1) gave you the diagnoses before the questions' end and (2) told you the drug they used! Then I knew I was in trouble! :rolleyes:
ha ha how funny! :D
 
IzlamicM,

Someone would shoot another in the back of the knee as a form of training for the art of war.... the vulnerable spots during in the knights armor is in the pivotal points of the armor.... That is, the ankle and the knee.... I'm sure that stops a person from running.... Just wanted to share that.... :D
 
yeah, but would they shoot them in the medial lateral calf, the lateral medial calf, the superior inferior calf, the anterior posterior calf, or the right left calf? :D

Another of the all-time horrible questions was that matching the electrolytes to the disease question. That one sucked. I have no clue what the right answers were. I was also clueless on those barium GI radiology questions. In fact, I was clueless on a lot of stuff :confused:
 
I have to admit that "calf" thing was a pretty bad typo -- MOOOOO!!!! :D
 
I honestly think that someone must have had a bad case of ear aches and hemorrhoids... ;)
(each time they re-asked these questions - I realized I got the one in the last book wrong! ha ha) :rolleyes:
 
the thing that surprised me the most was the some questions were repeated...ear ache with purulent discharge?? I wasnt' sure on how to treat it...so I put different answers each time it came up...sucks
 
OK let's come up with some useful things that we remember about the exam, so people like popoy, (who hasn't even started yet -but has ample time to comment on everything) and first years can get an idea about what the exam was actually about.

Themes that I remember - hepatitis, STD (gonorrhea & chlamydia), hemorrhoids & abdominal innervation/blood supply (know your splanchnics!), endocrine everything, upper limb innervation, viscero-somatics, psych drugs, fairly basic micro (know your gram stains & you can eliminate 2 or 3 answers right away), gait, and about every permutation of hyper/hypo kalemia, natremia & magnesemia you can think of.

what does everybody else remember?
 
Thanx IzlamicM.... Yes I definitely have tons of time in my hand.... I've taken noted of your list....

Anyone else remember themes from COMLEX Step1? I'd surely appreciate it.... :D
 
Here's another question:

What are things you could have done, looking back at it, now that you've taken the first step?

Themes you folks remember as well... pleazzzzeeee!!!
 
Popoy did you know that you can edit posts to add that "one more thing" so you don't have umpteen itsy bitsy posts? just combine them to one substantial post. who cares about how many pages the forum has.

I forgot something on my list - neuro. Lots of neuro i.e. what part of the brain is affected in this lesion.
 
I remember a few questions about portal shunts. Know what is shunting where when you see esophageal bleeds, caput medusae, or rectal bleeding in an alcoholic. Esophageal bleeding was hit more than once.

There was very little embryology, and zero path pictures (aside from a couple of blood smears and one weird looking hypersegmented neutrophil.)

The third book was full of radiology. Know basic CT scan anatomy and be able to pick up some basic things on a chest X-ray. There were a couple barium studies also.

By far, the thing I noticed the most was all the pharm. Tons of heart meds (know your antiarrythmics and anti-hypertensives!)

I thought a lot of the questions were after some pretty low-yield stuff, and First Aid was not very helpful..at least that was the consensus of many of the people I talked with.
 
Thanks for telling me about the Edit/Delete....

I noticed that long a$$ posts are not often read and short ones do... Althought you're absolutely right, pages don't matter just the substance of it.

Later, :cool:
 
I think for me, was that I was studying more for the USMLE and not the COMLEX...There wasn't a lot of side-bend rotation stuff (that I enjoy!), but more about anatomy - the nervous system and blood supply and questions that seem more osteo'like in that aspect...
Not as much pathology as I hoped for either. I thought the COMLEX would have more buzzwords-then again, may be I just didn't recognize them!!!
Let me Lurch on...
 
And even if they use buzzwords, they are there to trick you. How did you like that TB case from San Joaquin Valley??????!!!!! That was a really low blow
 
yeah that and the 22 year old woman with needle marks who had sickle cell.

akemi i hope that left sided lurch gets better - and doesn't turn into a full blown scissor gait!

who has taken both USMLE & COMLEX (or is scheduled to) and how/when are you studying differently? I'll be taking USMLE later in the summer - haven't registered yet - but we still have a month & a half of classes yet so I'll be kind of "half" studying. Somebody in my class who took USMLE last week (before COMLEX) said there were tons of pictures & histology (which is virtually free cause it's just a file now - no need to print grainy b&w pictures) and that it's 350 questions. Does anybody know how it is scored (i.e. what they use for the cull for the relative scoring?)
 
UHS03, First Aid helped me nail 3 questions in the first booklet at least..."I 8 10 EGGs AT 12"... :D :D

BTW, I'm curious...in the case with TB, does anyone actually learn it as the "Mantoux" test and not as just "PPD"? I was agonizing over this case because for some reason I thought this might have been a precursor of the PPD or something...luckily I reconsidered and just answered all the questions on the assumption that they were the same.
 
Yeah, we learned it by that name, but it took me forever to remember that. I always just think of it as the PPD.

That stupid First Aid mneumonic! I knew I wouldn't remember it..and I didn't. I tried like hell to come up with it when I saw that question, but I just couldn't. Some mneumonics are just too complex. I like the simple stuff...PUre As Gold, Private Tim Hall, buy AT 30, CELL at 50. Nice and simple :)
 
Did anyone out there ever learn in OMM what a TENS unit was? I sure the hell hadn't! And how about that matching section on "gaits" Another non stressed area from OMM that has now come back to bite me. bummer
 
Jeez..I don't even remember a question about a TENS unit..I have no idea what that is.

A lot of those matching questions were crazy I thought. I got beat up on those!
 
No, Izlamic M, the full blown scissors kick happens when I dance :D he he

Does anyone know how this thing is graded? I hear we need 50% to pass and then someone was saying you need to be the top 96% (that they fail 4%) are any of these rumors spreading in your neck of the woods? or are they for real? :confused:
 
for info regarding scoring go to www.nbome.org
click on the bulletin of information hyperlink
go to page 10
 
Hey UHS03- a fellow UHSer here...
I assume you can figure out who I am from my screen name, who are you? Initials is all I need...
This is a great site. And yes the COMLEX bit me in the rear as well. I go so tired of trying to remember all the metabolic ins and outs of diabetes. You think that they will give it up after a while so you don't worry about it between books. What do you know-there it is again. Take note first years, if you see it once and don't know it, grab a book between tests-you'll see it again.
Take for instance that Pseudomonas question repeater. I checked out the DOC and the PDR said either Amoxicillin or TMP-SMX. Who knows what they wanted. O well.
On to classes tomorrow...
 
Hey drnick, the spankin' photo was hilarious!!!! True to form, man.
 
What's going on drNick? Who am I? I'm your worst nightmare on the ping pong table. I'll catch ya at school tomorrow.
 
Small observation:

From your postings, it sounds like COMLEX was more "clinically" based than solely "textbook" -- no?

Kat :)

PS: Why did you folks decide to take COMLEX and USMLE?...curious...
 
Hi NurseyK,

I think most people take USMLE and COMLEX to have more options as far as placement is concerned with residency..... So I've read.... Some programs would like to assess people via USMLE and not COMLEX.... why that is, I don't know....

Later, :cool:
 
Yeah, I took the USMLE just in case I need it someday. In my opinion, if I were to apply to an MD residency, it is my responsibility to provide them with a means to evaluate me with the MD applicants. The USMLE is the best way to do that. I don't view it as an insult if a residency requires the USMLE..I think that is their perogative as it is mine to pursue training with them...if that is what I choose to do.

In terms of the two exams, they were both pretty clinically based. The COMLEX did not ask about certain things...specific aspects of second messenger systems, biostatistics, and specific oncogenes to name a few. The USMLE hit all that stuff. Aside from the few questions like this on the USMLE, I thought all in all it concentrated on more of the high yield type of information, whereas COMLEX really got specific sometimes. Even to the point where I felt like a review book could have never covered things in the detail they were testing on. If I had it to do again, I woudl have spent more time with my class notes for COMLEX, and more time with First Aid for USMLE. First Aid is GOLD for the USMLE!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

A
Comlex 1 Preparation Advice
Replies
2
Views
445
yougotquestions
Y
El-Rami
Ready for COMLEX Level 1?
Replies
4
Views
1K
DOhustle
D
D
match day
Replies
1
Views
568
ToKingdomCome
T
H
Which is better- retake Step 1 for a pass + get strong Step 2 vs. report COMLEX only?
Replies
11
Views
538
mbdriver
M
Darrow O'Lykos
When to take Step 1/COMLEX 1
Replies
4
Views
1K
Whysoez
Whysoez
Top