Couples match with Comlex only?

[westsidestoryz]

My wife and I will be sitting for the boards in a month. She will be taking comlex only and I am still on the fence about taking Step 1 as I only scored below 160 on my first baseline NBME 2 weeks ago and dont want to further decrease my chance of matching with a failed step 1 (we are not really looking into matching into a competitive field nor are we interested in living in a nice area).

She is set on FM or Peds and I am still unsure of what I want to do. FM has been on my mind as well as IM for the subspecialties.

My question is, how do couples match work with us having either comlex only or one person having a step score? Should we just skip couples match and rank similarly based on location?
Should I take step 1 even with a chance of scoring really low?

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[ohmanwaddup]

My wife and I will be sitting for the boards in a month. She will be taking comlex only and I am still on the fence about taking Step 1 as I only scored below 160 on my first baseline NBME 2 weeks ago and dont want to further decrease my chance of matching with a failed step 1 (we are not really looking into matching into a competitive field nor are we interested in living in a nice area).

She is set on FM or Peds and I am still unsure of what I want to do. FM has been on my mind as well as IM for the subspecialties.

My question is, how do couples match work with us having either comlex only or one person having a step score? Should we just skip couples match and rank similarly based on location?
Should I take step 1 even with a chance of scoring really low?

A failed Step 1 can be a death sentence but more importantly, have you taken comlex practice exams? If you got a 160 on a step exam and your exam is in 1 month, I would be a bit concerned about passing Comlex.

 

[westsidestoryz]

Taking another NBME tomorrow. With two weeks of studying, I’m hoping I do better. But in regards to my question, any answers?

 

[ohmanwaddup]

Taking another NBME tomorrow. With two weeks of studying, I’m hoping I do better. But in regards to my question, any answers?

I would presume couples matching is hard for comlex only applicants, maybe your speciality choices make it easier.

failing your boards makes it even harder to couples match. Not to be a jerk but That’s the more pressing matter right now.

Honestly whether or not it’ll be harder to couples match is kinda irrelevant. Harder or not you’re presumably going to go for it.

 

[Dr. Puffs]

Taking another NBME tomorrow. With two weeks of studying, I’m hoping I do better. But in regards to my question, any answers?

Yes I know a few previous classmates/friends who couples matched with COMLEX only into noncompetitive specialties. FM seems to LOVE couples who audition together, especially rural areas. My advice? Make it an absolute priority to pass level 1 on your first try. NBMEs are good but take a COMSAE or two to get a feel for the question type. After you both pass level 1 then you both need to sit down and decide on specialties. I highly recommend auditioning at many previous DO programs (the state of Michigan has many), and rank accordingly. You can definitely couples match with COMLEX only, you may just have to sacrifice location. And just because you are entering a couples match does not mean you cannot rank programs separately. I recommend looking up how the match works.

 

[dial1010usa]

You can delay your exam, instead of taking in a month why don't you take in July. Work hard and take complex. If you score 160 I would suggest not to take step1.

 

[westsidestoryz]

So i got a 173 with 4 weeks left till step 1 and 5 weeks left till comlex.

Its a modest increase but obviously im still miles away from passing. You think studying 4 weeks is enough to get a low 200 or should i forego step and focus on comlex?

 

[Prehealth1011]

So i got a 173 with 4 weeks left till step 1 and 5 weeks left till comlex.

Its a modest increase but obviously im still miles away from passing. You think studying 4 weeks is enough to get a low 200 or should i forego step and focus on comlex?

Don’t take step until you’re hitting at least 230s in your practice tests. You need cushion for the usmle’s

 

[Dr. Puffs]

So i got a 173 with 4 weeks left till step 1 and 5 weeks left till comlex.

Its a modest increase but obviously im still miles away from passing. You think studying 4 weeks is enough to get a low 200 or should i forego step and focus on comlex?

If you want to do FM, no reason to take step1 especially since you're hitting very low in your practice tests. Continue studying, take another nbme in a few weeks, but unless its like 220+, drop it.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Regarding the couple's match, you're asking the wrong question.

You can use the couple's match, and if you do it correctly it can't hurt you. You can't end up with a worse outcome than matching separately. This assumes you have less than 16 programs each to rank -- if you end up with very long rank lists, then it might be better to rank separately. There are entire threads on this topic which you can review. Whether you take COMLEX or USMLE is immaterial.

The key here is that you don't need to tell anyone you're couple's matching if you don't want to. There's a spot in ERAS to list if you're in the couple's match and whom your partner is. It's optional. Nothing stops you from couple's matching and not telling anyone.

Does announcing you're couple's matching help or hurt? That's a complicated question without an easy answer. If you're applying to big cities, probably makes no difference -- there are tons of programs you could both match into. If you're applying to smaller places or to places with only a single program, then it might matter more. If a program is the only one for 100 miles around, chances are you'll both want an interview, or neither. Programs might discuss you as a unit. This might help (a great candidate for one might help a borderline candidate for the other) or hurt (a poor candidate for one might sink the chances for the other). But is that even being hurt, if you wouldn't want to be there and apart anyway?

 

[hallowmann]

If you guys are going for FM, IM, peds, I think you'll be fine, especially if you apply broadly to bigger, less competitive areas. I think with that practice NBME, I'd be worried about failing and wouldn't even try for Step 1. For it to actually be worth it (i.e. benefit you), you'd need 210+, which means you should have a 220+ NBME leading up to it. No point in breaking yourself to get a 205 or something.

Good luck, now focus on studying.