COMLEX STEP I :o(

[UNEOSTEO]

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Did anyone else think COMLEX Step I really sucked?? Many questions were vague, were never taught by our professors or were not in board review books, etc...

I hope I passed!

P.S> WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE 2 DAYS LONG?

 

[JP2005]

yea that test was poorly written but i expected that because every year that seems to happen (from what i've heard at least)....

it seems like they focused a lot on CNS pharm, female problems (path, endo, micro etc.), and of course NEUROLOGY/NEUROSCIENCE.....

 

[DOtobe]

I also thought the COMLEX sucked - and a lot of people in my class felt that way too. Hopefully the rest of the students in the country felt the same way so there will be a curve enough for all of us to pass! I felt that the questions were very poorly worded too (some of the questions I couldn't even figure out what they were trying to ask.) I hope I passed...I will have 8 weeks to be happy and then we'll see what happens...

 

[Aloha Kid]

Heavy topics:

Neuro like no other!!! CNS Pharm!!! OMM!!! Genetic Dis. mutation Mechanisms!!! (Who in the world remembers those?)

Low Yeild Topics:

Human Behavior (like 3?) Stats/epidemiology(0)


I heard a 400 is passing. That's about a 50%. Is that true? Anyone know what a good score is?

 

[Molly Maquire]

I heard that the COMLEX was a very clinical test, but it was really too clinical--I thought that many questions would have been more appropriate for STEP 2 rather than STEP 1.

Also, there is really no reason why that test has to be two days. They asked every question like 5 times. How about only asking each question once, so that it can be one day??

Anyway, on to the USMLE later this month.

 

[Sabre_DO]

There was alot of pharm, micro, and anatomy. If i were to advice anyone, study those in great detail!!! Pharm was ok for me, but thats cuz i expected it. Micro was abit surprising in that it gets very detailed (such as vectors), and anatomy was total surprise b/c supposedly it's not a main focus.

The questions were very short and sometimes confusing. I remember one question about L3 movement in presentation stem, and the question is asking for L3 diagnosis again. I was like, HUH?! Rubbed my eyes twice and read again... Then again, and finally say f it and put down wuts in question stem as answer. It was weird....

Hope we all passed. USMLE on 20th....

 

[JP2005]

yea i remember that sabre......i thought i was losing my mind.....i think i did the same as you.....

 

[cookypuss3]

We all had the same test -- that L3 question was so bizarre -- I'm like, OK, we'll just answer with exactly what was stated above!

I thought that the micro photos were terrible, out of focus (maybe that was me by the time the fourth booklet rolled around!).

They did ask the same questions repeatedly. I was thinking, how many times will I answer "tibial nerve" or "middle meningeal artery" in the same block???

Overall though, COMLEX was a vacation after the USMLE. That was the true bitch-kitty.

 

[dochuffman]

COMLEX was alot more difficult than I expected. Very picky questions and pharm out the wazoo! Many questions were poorly worded. Absolutely no reason to be two days. I think I passed but not sure if I did really well. It is really dissappointing to me because I have worked hard to keep my class rank high and now it may be hurt by my board scores. Although many students before me said that you will do better than you think. Let's hope so.

 

[joaquin13]

I also thought that the COMLEX was HORRIBLE. I feel like I studied so much for wasted knowledge!! Instead they focused on neuroanatomy (which I barely looked at but I should have), Duchenne's, and potassium levels! What was the deal with everyone getting different exams for the first day, second block? Hopefully those are the throw-away questions! Anyway does anyone know how they score those? Am scared I will be retaking it in October!

 

[cookypuss3]

The first-day second block did seem to vary a lot. I got a frantic phone call that evening from a classmate freaking out about like half a dozen questions on the stupid worms. ?? I was like, well, I had maybe one question about vermicularis and scotch tape or something but no five in a row! HAD to have been experimental.

As for how they are scored, that is The Great Mystery. Lots of curving and tossing of questions... who knows...

 

[JP2005]

yea i had that matching column.....5 questions...didn't know them so i put Fe def anemia for 3 and intestinal obstruction for 2.....i figured ill get 2, 3 right....but it doesn't matter bc i think it was experimental.....

on the other hand, that column was followed by a gift which was a matching column of reflexes and nerve roots involved....unfortunately i think that was experimental as well......some kids in my class had a cancer drugs matching column.....

 

[normalforce]

I think this is how they score the test. First, they go through all of the questions and toss out the statistically "poor" questions. (So that means maybe 2 or three will count, right?😉 ) Then, they get a mean score and set that as 500. Then they use standard deviations of 79 from the mean of 500. If ya get below 400, you'll be taking it again in October. So, about 10-15 or so percent of people will be taking it again.
I think this is how it works, I may be wrong, but it is my best guess from talking to other people and from reading the NBOME website information on the topic.
Overall, don't worry too much. It sucked, but we'll all move on and be great physicians. Take care.

Normalforce 😀

 

[Sabre_DO]

I sure hope they throw a curve on this one. Also, for those who already took usmle, is it similar to comlex? Wut were the focus? Any tip would be appreciated. I'm gonna get back into studying after taking a couple days off (stupid ACLS).

O yeah, wut's the Rx to tx stress urinary incontinence? I got that question like 2-3 times, and i looked for it in my class notes and the Rx they gave isnt on the test. Also, there wasn't any anticholinergics on it, so I have no idea...

 

[JP2005]

normal force...i think that is how they are "supposed" to do it...who knows what happens behind those closed doors....

 

[Popoy]

Originally posted by Molly Maquire
I heard that the COMLEX was a very clinical test, but it was really too clinical--I thought that many questions would have been more appropriate for STEP 2 rather than STEP 1.

Also, there is really no reason why that test has to be two days. They asked every question like 5 times. How about only asking each question once, so that it can be one day??

Anyway, on to the USMLE later this month.

My sentiments exactly.... I was actually glancing at some of the Step 2 review books after the exam and thought to myself that our COMLEX 1 seemed to have questions that were more traditionally oriented for COMLEX 2.... Changing times I guess....

I also felt there were asking the questions that were related to the same idea.... They should really consider having the test for only a day and not two.... Then again, that's just a suggestion of but one man....

Tons of questions on diabetes, drugs, bugs, anatomy, neuroanatomy, cerebral blood, penile dysfunction, ECGs, histological slides, etc....

But unlike Aloha Kid, I was expecting more OMM but hardly got any.... disappointing really, being COMLEX, I was really expecting more OMM....

After reading each post, I can definitely relate.... I share everyone's sentiments.... and hoping and praying that I pass and not have to take this test again....

With that said, I wish everyone the best of luck in passing COMLEX and for those taking the USMLE, much luck as well....

Later, 😎

 

[Yosh]

I think the drug is ipitronium...or something spelled like that for urinary incontance.

As for the COMLEX....I have never felt so beaten and abused in all my life. The questions were ambigious and quite poorly worded...I just don't see what the problem is.

I took the USMLE on Saturday, and to echo what has been said by other posters....I many not have known the answers to some of the USMLE questions...but I KNEW EXACTLY what they were asking for...

I am still baffeled by the pics on the end of the last day...esp the one of the spine and the "OBVIOUS" problem shown in the X-ray. I stared at that thing for I DUNNO how long..and was like...oh yeah....I think "B" is good for this question....

How about out favorite L3 question....who needs to know which side is positive in a seated flexion to determine a sacral dx? I was like...WTF??? Apparently sacral dx is taught differently around the country...as I had no idea where that was going....Whatever school learns to dx w/out the +seated flexion...please clue me in....

ILA moving INFERIOR and posterior? In my two LONG years of OMM and year of TA-ing OMM...I have never encountered a INFERIOR moving sacrum.....

Let's pray to God we don't need to redo this in Oct.....

It was just a sad sad sad statement on Osteopathy.....

 

[NorthJerseyGirl]

400 is passing and 10% of the people fail. Having failed this exam before, I know, with a 395 and 9%, you gotta take it again!

 

[Teufelhunden]

Originally posted by Yosh
Apparently sacral dx is taught differently around the country...as I had no idea where that was going....Whatever school learns to dx w/out the +seated flexion...please clue me in...

You could use the L5 rule (?) Whichever way L5 is sidebent defines the sacral oblique axis, and that rotation about that axis is opposite of whichever way L5 is rotated. I think I had at least one problem where you weren't given a seated flexion test, but had to make the dx based on L5.

Originally posted by Yosh
ILA moving INFERIOR and posterior? In my two LONG years of OMM and year of TA-ing OMM...I have never encountered a INFERIOR moving sacrum....

Yeah, none of us knew WTF they were talking about with that "inferior ILA" crap...as far as I can tell, the ILA can't move inferior with any type of sacral torsion. What do I know, though (?) Apparently NOTHING, after that madness.

 

[Popoy]

Originally posted by NorthJerseyGirl
400 is passing and 10% of the people fail. Having failed this exam before, I know, with a 395 and 9%, you gotta take it again!

NorthJerseyGirl, what did you do differently the second time that helped you through boards again??? Can you elaborate more on how they score the COMLEX, or at least from what you've found out?

Thanx, 😎