Okay so I failed my comlex PE the first time around march. it's funny because I actually walked out of that one thinking i did well. the gave me a poor on humanism. then i sat down with the head of the omm department and they had me go through an OSCE where the the dean and 2 others physicians watched me do it. They went through the whole thing and to sum it up, the changes they told me to were to stop crossing my legs of which I crossed in every single patient since thats how i hold up the soap note to write. secondly, i was told to speak a little slower and maybe give a little bit more eye contact (even though I felt like i did). The school knows me to be a pretty out going person and were shocked to find out i failed. I literally had meeting in front of 8 of the doctors and i straight up told them i really didn't think i failed. I have actually never failed a test or class ever up to this point. So i practice studying again. did like around 30 of the cases on comlex pe book, practiced on a friend, and even watched like 2-3 of the vids online. I go to chicago for my second one instead of conshaw for my retake. this time around i walked out even more confident. I felt like i engaged the pt more. I greeted them, wash my hands, draped, listen through their skin. I touched them when necessary. Asked them permission before i do the exam. I literally did everything i have been doing. I spent all 14 minutes on all patients and never left early like i had in the first test. I asked them about their hobbies. and explained the plan fully. I really felt like i treated them for their concerns.... i get my results this morning and fail on humanism. I really swear i am being cheated. I keep telling my school if they were able to watch the vids of me on either of my exams, they would really see that there's something seriously wrong with this test. Now i have another meeting again and now i risk my residencies and have to explain myself. Maybe I am doing something wrong. i dont even know at this point....
~~~~ COMLEX FAIL TWICE ~~~~
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I'm terribly sorry to hear this. The only thing I want to ask is, did you go over A/P with your pts before you left the room? That's what I heard the most common failure for humanistic portion. But seriously, f*ck the PE. I'm rooting for you.
yeah its weird. my first time around.. i felt like 3 of them i didn't really have a good grasp of the diagnosis so the plan was unsure. even though I explained what tests i was wanting to order anyways. This time around i felt like i landed all 12 diagnoses right and used all 14 minutes to explain the A and P.... so confused :/.. emailed and called them for an explanation.. and they keep telling me to order a score confirmation..... they will not review the videos of my performance
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The humanism part is NOT graded by physicians. It is graded by non-physician standardized patients. It is sad that this is allowed to occur imo.
D
deleted564680
Isn't it supposed to represent how the patients feel? I think they would know this best. If physicians are graded by patient surveys now, then I guess we should start this practice early on!
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I am terribly sorry to hear this. I am in the same boat as you, in a way. I failed the first time as well but not for humanism. I am returning to Conchohawken this week to retake my PE and frankly hearing something like this really frightens me because I too thought that I passed the first time. Same thing happened at my school...the dean reviewed all of my simulated patient encounters during medical school and said I had no red flags. I went through all of the cases in the PE book as well and practiced every day.
I really wish you nothing but the best. I wish they could just give you feedback on why you failed, because it is so incredibly frustrating to take this exam, pay $1500, and have your career hang in the balance, all the while not knowing exactly WHY you failed. I am rooting for you though. Keep your head up.
I really wish you nothing but the best. I wish they could just give you feedback on why you failed, because it is so incredibly frustrating to take this exam, pay $1500, and have your career hang in the balance, all the while not knowing exactly WHY you failed. I am rooting for you though. Keep your head up.
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Keep badgering your faculty and administration to be able to see any videos of you in action. At my school, our clinical deans have told us that people who fail the PE usually have defects that are picked up in films of OSCEs.
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I have never heard a coherent answer from the NBOME for why this test is given to students who have not even finished medical school. Skill levels improve with each year in medical school and with each year of residency training. If this is a LICENSING exam, then why is it not given right before getting licensed? Why not give it at the end of the first year of residency for instance?
Yes my school did the same thing. They reviewed my entire osces through 2nd year and told me they were a "fan" of me.... and did another osce with more advice.... even with the advice. i have still failed. honestly still lost for words. it's sad because there is no way to validate my performance. They really should be sued for this one or something. Thanks for the positivity man. I wish u the best of luck too
They reviewed all of my osces and all the things they told me were not related to the humanism aspect of my performance. there were just minor details that were picked out... all these changes were made for my 2nd attempt and still a fail...
it's true. i swear my patients liked me... i like to think i know when i am liked or not by my patients whether they are actors or not. I made more than half of them smile or laugh.... no way could they have said i wasn't "humanistic"....
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As someone who just got accepted and has trouble making eye contact w/ others at times, this terrifies me.
I could probably name about 30 classmates who have trouble making eye contact with other people. Something like 96% of people pass this test. I wouldn't worry.
At least you are aware of this. You have a good 2 years to focus on this even just in daily life. Not everything "ideal" comes naturally. But be sure to get feedback early on. It can help build your confidence. And congrats on getting in! You made good enough contact I would think.
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I guess they are failing people on purpose because of the petition to get rid of that BS...
The passing rate on the MD side was 95%+, and I was told it suddenly drops to 90%... I guess it's a pure coincidence.
The passing rate on the MD side was 95%+, and I was told it suddenly drops to 90%... I guess it's a pure coincidence.
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It's step 2 CS (Clinical Skills)... Most people take it at the end of 3rd year...
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The NBME is also in the business of making money at the expense of med students...
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92% was the figure I heard.
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The pass rate for the PE is 92%. I think the CS is ~96%.
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Don't you technically have the ability to take Step 2 any time during fourth year?
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90% is actually an improvement. It has never been above the high 80s, historically.
Edit: Nevermind, I'm thinking of the written portion.
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The real question is WHY does the exam exist...
...Wait...NVM....$$$$$$$$
...Wait...NVM....$$$$$$$$
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Even then, 90% for the CS is pretty terrifying. Do you think that number gets brought down significantly by ESL FMGs?
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For the COMLEX, it's >95%. The USMLE doesn't publish failure rate of non-US MDs to the best of my knowledge, but supposedly this year they made the CS more difficult to address concerns that the test was pointless because it was too easy (lol, that's one way for things to backfire horribly, way to go Harvard kids that started the petition to end the CS).
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Smartest med students in the country my ass. They forgot the cardinal rule... they can always hurt you more
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The PE is 92%. It's never been above 95%.
D
deleted564680
The PE shouldn't be eliminated as it does serve a screening purpose but it's current form is just not worthwhile. The actual problem is two-fold. 1. The test could easily be administered at a low cost at each individual medical school and 2. There is truly no reason to have a barrier exam if failure is not an option.
To further explain point no. 2, medical school tuition is so high and schools make so much money from tuition that students actually "can't" fail. If we ran a true system of a medical education that was valuable to our future patients and held true to high standards, then every medical school would fail 10-15% of their students and these barrier exams (USMLE/COMLEX) would actually mean something other than pissing contests to see who can score the highest. Medical school is hard, but honestly the thing that no one is willing to say is that some people just shouldn't be allowed to finish/pass and that's okay. We just cannot fail them in the current environment of 300k+ debt.
To further explain point no. 2, medical school tuition is so high and schools make so much money from tuition that students actually "can't" fail. If we ran a true system of a medical education that was valuable to our future patients and held true to high standards, then every medical school would fail 10-15% of their students and these barrier exams (USMLE/COMLEX) would actually mean something other than pissing contests to see who can score the highest. Medical school is hard, but honestly the thing that no one is willing to say is that some people just shouldn't be allowed to finish/pass and that's okay. We just cannot fail them in the current environment of 300k+ debt.
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Sorry this has happened to you! I would recommend combank videos for PE section. They were worth it for me when I took it a few years ago, its from the same guy that wrote the red comlex PE book. Good luck!
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I have failed the PE three times. The 4th attempt was taken one week ago.
1st take... Failed humanistic and biomedical
2nd take... passed humanistic, failed biomedical
3rd take.... passed biomedical, failed humanistic
If I didn't pass the exam this time I will be dismissed from medical school. Aside from the COMLEX STEP 2 PE, all requirements for graduation were completed in July 2016. The PE is the single factor that decides if I will be a physician or not.
Depigmentation of my hair is not fully complete but this situation will surely finalize the process. This test has initiated enough stress to drag me down the path of premature baldness and most likely will induce permanent stress-related gastrointestinal damage. I am severely depressed, all since of self worth has been completely annihilated. I feel horrible!
1st take... Failed humanistic and biomedical
2nd take... passed humanistic, failed biomedical
3rd take.... passed biomedical, failed humanistic
If I didn't pass the exam this time I will be dismissed from medical school. Aside from the COMLEX STEP 2 PE, all requirements for graduation were completed in July 2016. The PE is the single factor that decides if I will be a physician or not.
Depigmentation of my hair is not fully complete but this situation will surely finalize the process. This test has initiated enough stress to drag me down the path of premature baldness and most likely will induce permanent stress-related gastrointestinal damage. I am severely depressed, all since of self worth has been completely annihilated. I feel horrible!
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I took mine 4th year. If you take it too late, you're risking not graduating on time.
A few other fourth years I stayed with in at an AirBNB during auditions last summer were also taking this year.
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Well sounds like you did everything right. But if you failed the same thing twice, then obviously you're doing something wrong. Maybe the test is flawed. Maybe they're just out to get you. But having that victim mentality isn't going to help you pass, and thats what you need.
One observation though...your title is pretty annoying. All caps and extra symbols to draw attention to this thread? Most people that post requesting advice don't feel the need to do that. Do you think you're special? Want to make sure people see your thread so you get the most responses cause your situation is more dire than others?
Maybe you're self-centered and give off an arrogant vibe without realizing it. Reflect on that while you prepare for your 3rd attempt.
edit: this post was reported, I guess OP couldn't handle advice that actually makes OP accountable. so they just want more "test is flawed" etc etc comfort answers.
One observation though...your title is pretty annoying. All caps and extra symbols to draw attention to this thread? Most people that post requesting advice don't feel the need to do that. Do you think you're special? Want to make sure people see your thread so you get the most responses cause your situation is more dire than others?
Maybe you're self-centered and give off an arrogant vibe without realizing it. Reflect on that while you prepare for your 3rd attempt.
edit: this post was reported, I guess OP couldn't handle advice that actually makes OP accountable. so they just want more "test is flawed" etc etc comfort answers.
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