DO and the USMLE??

[JustUnder9000]

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Hello SDN,

I am a big fan of the DO philosophy, and OMM, so I believe DO school is the best fit for me. I also don't really have the stats for MD anyway... I'm not here to start a debate or anything so just calm down.

As of now I'm about 90% sure that I want to do emergency medicine in a ridiculously large and busy hospital, but I know throughout school my goals can all change. I've also gathered that if you want to get into a top, competitive residency, you'll find that in an allopathic one-- in which case you'd need to take the USMLE (typically, I know some you can get into with COMLEX). In an effort to plan ahead, I'm curious if anyone knows to what extent DO school can prepare people for the USMLE? I realize that it's not a DO schools goal to prepare its students for the USMLE. I realize that how far I get, and how successful I am will ultimately depend on my own personal effort and ambition whether I go MD or DO. So I'm just wondering if I'll be pretty much prepared to take the USMLE if I need to, or will it require obscene amounts of studying things I've never heard of?? (I know either route will require obscene amounts of studying... please just work with me here... you know what I mean). Will the information on the USMLE (all parts of it) be like another world to me, or is it more just a different style and way of thinking required?

Thanks!

 

[Ravizzle]

Yes

 

[SoulinNeed]

Yeah, that is true.

 

[pattr]

COMLEX and USMLE test almost the same material. If you prepare well and study hard for your courses you will be prepared for the USMLE when the time comes.

DO's get into allopathic EM all the time. Worry about it once you start medical school.

 

[cliquesh]

Hello SDN,

I am a big fan of the DO philosophy, and OMM, so I believe DO school is the best fit for me. I also don't really have the stats for MD anyway... I'm not here to start a debate or anything so just calm down.

As of now I'm about 90% sure that I want to do emergency medicine in a ridiculously large and busy hospital, but I know throughout school my goals can all change. I've also gathered that if you want to get into a top, competitive residency, you'll find that in an allopathic one-- in which case you'd need to take the USMLE (typically, I know some you can get into with COMLEX). In an effort to plan ahead, I'm curious if anyone knows to what extent DO school can prepare people for the USMLE? I realize that it's not a DO schools goal to prepare its students for the USMLE. I realize that how far I get, and how successful I am will ultimately depend on my own personal effort and ambition whether I go MD or DO. So I'm just wondering if I'll be pretty much prepared to take the USMLE if I need to, or will it require obscene amounts of studying things I've never heard of?? (I know either route will require obscene amounts of studying... please just work with me here... you know what I mean). Will the information on the USMLE (all parts of it) be like another world to me, or is it more just a different style and way of thinking required?

Thanks!

I took both. I thought the usmle was easier. The content is similar, but the wording of the questions are different and the comlex tends to have random topics on it. You should take usmle step 1 and 2 if you end up applying for em. There are several good AOA em residencies, though.

 

[JESSFALLING]

If you're curious, here's the OMT book you'll need for the COMLEX:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967009014/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I plan to order it on day 1, if I end up going the DO route..... otherwise, I'll save my money for some new sun shades or something 😎

 

[dntke1518]

In addition to the text above, a good number of students use something like FirstAid to aid them in studying for both the COMLEX and USMLE

 

[Goro]

The majority of my students take both exams. I do hear this common refrain, that USMLE has more molecular genetics and molecular biology. I'm proud to say that my students seem to do quite well on USMLE and their match day results mirror that.

COMLEX and USMLE test almost the same material. If you prepare well and study hard for your courses you will be prepared for the USMLE when the time comes.

DO's get into allopathic EM all the time. Worry about it once you start medical school.

 

[SpecterGT260]

I took both. I thought the usmle was easier. The content is similar, but the wording of the questions are different and the comlex tends to have random topics on it. You should take usmle step 1 and 2 if you end up applying for em. There are several good AOA em residencies, though.

when you say "easier", do you mean you didnt feel as ass-kicked at the end of it, or do you mean that your score was better for USMLE vs COMLEX?

 

[Dissected]

when you say "easier", do you mean you didnt feel as ass-kicked at the end of it, or do you mean that your score was better for USMLE vs COMLEX?

In my experience the USMLE was easier in the way of being more straightforward (easier to prepare for) and feeling better coming out of it. Not that it felt super..but the comlex makes you feel like a pile of crap.

The scores on the comlex did NOT reflect how I felt coming out of it. It was much higher, which was common amongst other folks I talked to afterwards. Don't fret too bad coming out of it..just wait a few weeks for the score. Most people feel the same way.

 

[SpecterGT260]

In my experience the USMLE was easier in the way of being more straightforward (easier to prepare for) and feeling better coming out of it. Not that it felt super..but the comlex makes you feel like a pile of crap.

The scores on the comlex did NOT reflect how I felt coming out of it. It was much higher, which was common amongst other folks I talked to afterwards. Don't fret too bad coming out of it..just wait a few weeks for the score. Most people feel the same way.

So you're saying
COMLEX: Feel crappy, higher score
USMLE: Feel better, lower score
??

Not that the scores were necessarily high or low, but just that in general you got opposite results based on how you felt coming out?

 

[Dissected]

So you're saying
COMLEX: Feel crappy, higher score
USMLE: Feel better, lower score
??

Not that the scores were necessarily high or low, but just that in general you got opposite results based on how you felt coming out?

Yes except for what's in red. I felt about the same as I did on my nbme practice tests and my score was very similar. It felt about right on par coming out of the usmle with the score I received.

Sorry I might not be making sense..I've been in the OR since 5AM lol

 

[cliquesh]

when you say "easier", do you mean you didnt feel as ass-kicked at the end of it, or do you mean that your score was better for USMLE vs COMLEX?

I thought the usmle was more straightforward and when I left the test I thought I did well. I was like "wtf just happened" when I finished the comlex. My usmle score is slightly better than my comlex.

 

[cliquesh]

In my experience the USMLE was easier in the way of being more straightforward (easier to prepare for) and feeling better coming out of it. Not that it felt super..but the comlex makes you feel like a pile of crap.

The scores on the comlex did NOT reflect how I felt coming out of it. It was much higher, which was common amongst other folks I talked to afterwards. Don't fret too bad coming out of it..just wait a few weeks for the score. Most people feel the same way.

Hah, I didn't see this post.

I was just looking at the usmle pass rate for do's. For the last few years, the pass rate for usmle step 1 has been 80% for DOs, but last year it was 88%. That's a weird jump. The average pass rate for us-mds was 93% last year and 73% for everyone else.

 

[angldrps]

can other medical students give their opinion on how different and similar the two exams -usmle , comlex- are. Do students study for both of them with the same material?

 

[illegallysmooth]

I used USMLE study materials. I took the USMLE, then took a few days off, then reviewed a few OMM topics before taking the COMLEX a week later. I did very well on both. I'd rather take the USMLE again.

OMM is the only material that separates USMLE from COMLEX. You will be fine for allopathic EM as long as you score decently on boards.

 

[pattr]

i used usmle study materials. I took the usmle, then took a few days off, then reviewed a few omm topics before taking the comlex a week later. I did very well on both. I'd rather take the usmle again.

Omm is the only material that separates usmle from comlex. You will be fine for allopathic em as long as you score decently on boards.

+1

 

[qwerty2012]

I used USMLE study materials. I took the USMLE, then took a few days off, then reviewed a few OMM topics before taking the COMLEX a week later. I did very well on both. I'd rather take the USMLE again.

OMM is the only material that separates USMLE from COMLEX. You will be fine for allopathic EM as long as you score decently on boards.

This seems to be the consensus from what I gathered. And USMLE's stuffs are much more in depth especially the biochem aspect. So you will be very prepare for the COMLEX.

 

[angldrps]

I used USMLE study materials. I took the USMLE, then took a few days off, then reviewed a few OMM topics before taking the COMLEX a week later. I did very well on both. I'd rather take the USMLE again.

OMM is the only material that separates USMLE from COMLEX. You will be fine for allopathic EM as long as you score decently on boards.

Even though the material overlaps, are the questions in the two tests written differently? The reason why I ask is because i have read many posts here on SDN where its recommended to practice with a qbank such as COMQUEST or COMBACK (i think thats what they are called😕) to practice the type of questions in COMLEX.

 

[pattr]

Even though the material overlaps, are the questions in the two tests written differently? The reason why I ask is because i have read many posts here on SDN where its recommended to practice with a qbank such as COMQUEST or COMBACK (i think thats what they are called😕) to practice the type of questions in COMLEX.

Yes, the question styles are different and the focuses of the test are different. My USMLE step 1 exam had almost no pharmacology; the COMLEX level 1 had more. COMLEX had more microbiology, anatomy, and clinical vignettes; USMLE, more basic science: biochem, immuno, research-oriented q's, etc.

You will need to practice using qbanks like Kaplan, COMQUEST/COMBANK, etc for the COMLEX in addition to your usual USMLE World etc qbank prep for the USMLE.

So in some respects DO students have a more difficult board prep b/c they have to prepare for two different tests. When MD students finish taking step 1, they're done and they can go celebrate. But for DO students, once USMLE is done, they they need to direct their attention to COMLEX (if that's the order they decided to do the two tests). In my case, since I did USMLE prep ONLY for the most part for the 6 months before the test, that meant studying OMM and getting accustomed to the style and focus of the COMLEX via qbank. The way you think about/approach questions on the two tests is definitely different.

 

[MedicinaeDoctor]

taking the USMLE as a DO? what the -- no way! what's next? getting a residency? treating patients?! easy there!

couldn't help myself. in the mood. lol.

 

[cabinbuilder]

can other medical students give their opinion on how different and similar the two exams -usmle , comlex- are. Do students study for both of them with the same material?

Use the same material + the OMM review for the COMLEX