Comlex Step II vs USMLE Step II

[me454555]

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I took both for step I and I plan on taking both again. Are the step II tests very similar or are there major differences like step I?

 

[swaamedic]

I took both for step I and I plan on taking both again. Are the step II tests very similar or are there major differences like step I?

NOOOO very different. USMLE is a much better written test but it is also more difficult. The USMLE II was very similar to Kaplan's test bank online in length and difficulty of questions and focused on the nitty gritty, where as the COMLEX II only had 2-3 line question stems and seemed to test over more practical medical (family practice) type knowledge. At least that was my experience with the 2 exams. Passed em both so I think if you study u'll do fine.

 

[me454555]

Did you study for them differently or the same way and just add OMM? How much time between each test did you take?

 

[swaamedic]

Did you study for them differently or the same way and just add OMM? How much time between each test did you take?

I studied for them both the same (I used Kaplan stuff I bought on ebay), and the night B 4 i studied my Kaplan OMM review book. This wasn't quite enough, I recommend more than 1 night on OMM as at least 10% of my test was OMM (as I recall). I took the COMLEX first then 4 days later I took the USMLE. Worked pretty well for me. I did spend about 3 weeks studying for both exams doing Kaplan stuff and I got almost through QBank. Since I'm sure your dying to know, I improved on my USMLE II but went down on COMLEX II. Scored 224 and 560 respectively. Puts me in the middle 50th on USMLE (avg was 217 when my score was released) and I don't know where on COMLEX. Hope this helps.

 

[Sugar72]

Did you study for them differently or the same way and just add OMM? How much time between each test did you take?

I took both sets and I studied with boards and wards throughout the year. REvving up to the exams i did about 600 mcq's from USMLEworld qbank and for OMM I found a link on the SDN from this forum to an OMM cheat sheet - about 7 or 8 pages and that is all I studied for OMM. Both of my step 2's improved from step 1. But my Comlex step 2 improved a lot more than my USMLE did (but then I had more room for improvement with COMLEX!) I'd say the best way to study is with qbanks - i liked USMLEworld. Definitely take them both if you are even thinking about it. I applied allopathic for residencies so the USMLE was my money test so I studied with that in mind.

As for differences - swa is right on. The 3 line clinical scenarios on the comlex are a little annoying. I definitely walked out the comlex wondering if I had ever even been to medical school. Lots of emphasis on ethics and laws (hppa, emtala) on my test.

I am so glad to be done with those!

 

[drdrtoledo]

swaamedic is exactly right! They are nothing alike and I actually enjoyed the USMLE II much more. The COMLEX has a lot of "WTF???" questions and is poorly written. The questions are vague and the stems are short. How someone concluded these tests are equivelent is beyond me. I've heard someone say the COMLEX is a better test at proving competence...Actually I'd love to see the data. Anyway, study for USMLE II and you'll do fine on COMLEX II. A night or two of OMM and review the stuff at drsimmons.net and you should be golden. Take COMLEX first and make sure you do a databank like usmleworld or kaplan.

In my opinion the hard questions on the COMLEX are questions that are poorly written or the data given is not sufficient to point to one answer. Also the digital photographs on comlex look like they were taken with 1.0megapixel camera in the dark with no flash. COMLEX tends to have a theme each year... my exam was an "ovary fest". Remember these are just my opinions but I took both exams for steps I and II. For comlex try to look at Swanson's family practice review and physical diagnosis Secrets. I feel a lot of questions are found in these sources. Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[BDawginit]

Hey just throwin this out there, but I suppose you all took step II USMLE in order to more competitive for residency selection right? if so then are you not taking the ck portion, and just the osteopathic equivalent in Philly? or was the reason because of future licensing concerns? thanks for the info

 

[drdrtoledo]

I did it for residency reasons. My school requires the comlex PE for graduation so I couldn't justify paying another thousand dollars to take USMLE CK. I have no future licensing concerns. If I could I would rather have taken CK and USMLE III, but PE was forced on me. So COMLEX III and PE it is. (I really don't feel like being tested on OMM anymore)

 

[Sugar72]

Hey just throwin this out there, but I suppose you all took step II USMLE in order to more competitive for residency selection right? if so then are you not taking the ck portion, and just the osteopathic equivalent in Philly? or was the reason because of future licensing concerns? thanks for the info

All states now accept the comlex licensure track so you don't need to worry about taking nbme stuff for licensing anywhere in the US.

 

[FutureSoxDoc]

All states now accept the comlex licensure track so you don't need to worry about taking nbme stuff for licensing anywhere in the US.

Can you take USMLE Step 2 without taking Step 1? Is it worth it as a D.O. who didn't take USMLE Step 1?

 

[drdrtoledo]

Can you take USMLE Step 2 without taking Step 1? Is it worth it as a D.O. who didn't take USMLE Step 1?

Yes you definitely can take Step 2 without taking Step 1 first. It's value, however, I am not sure of. Again, it comes down to what you feel will make you more competitive. Several people on the boards have done this, hopefully they can let you know what they think. Also some residencies consider Step 1 more important than 2, so research the field you are going into. Good luck!
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