DO schools curriculum and COMLEX

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ikovaly1

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hello:
i would appreciate if someone could give me feedback on few questions.

I looked through curriculum of many schools and it is evident that many top allopathic schools (Cornell, UChicago, Albert Einstein and many others) finish their second year april-may, in contrast to osteopathic schools, students of which have about only 2 weeks to prepare for the boards. Does not it contribute to higher boards score of allopathic schools?
I will be attending most likely CCOM where students are given only 2 weeks to prepare for boards. That is a bit competetive because I will be competeing with students who have almost 2 months to study. (I plan to take USMLE)

Would you please give me your opinion whether DO SChools prepare a student well for boards? I know it is much up to a student but curriculum does matter.

Also, if any of you are attending CCOM, would you please provide the passing rate on COMPLEX and if possible for USMLE as well or give me your personal experience.
Thank you so much!

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"...would you please provide the passing rate on COMPLEX and if possible for USMLE..."

Howdy,

COMLEX = Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination

COMPLEX = You didn't do your homework.

The amount of time needed to study really depends on the type of student you are, the best way to study IMO is to pay attention during the first two years with focused study and practice tests in the last few months to week before the exam. Others are better with waiting until the end. Consider how you handle undergrad finals or midterms then choose the system that best fits you.
 
Well, first of all it is COMLEX not COMPLEX...

I attend CCOM and there is a rumor (haven't heard it substantiated yet) that the MS-III's this year didn't do so well on their COMLEX Step I. I have no idea what that means in terms of passing rate but I'd imagine that it was somewhere in the mid to upper 80's instead of 90's.

We are in class a LOT here at CCOM and there is some fear about how we will find time to study for the boards. I'm only an MS-1 and I'm sure there is a CCOM upperclassman around here, but I plan on starting to study for boards around January-February of 2006 and hopefully that will be enough. I plan on taking the USMLE as well but will probably just study for the COMLEX and only study extra for those parts that are stressed more on the USMLE.
 
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delicatefade said:
Well, first of all it is COMLEX not COMPLEX...


ZZoooom!
-------->
:confused:


Right over your head!

-NS :laugh:

p.s. Whoops, this is NotShorty. Nobody signs out in the NSU HPD library!
 
I can only speak for OSU-COM, but we got less than 30 days between finals and COMLEX and we had 100% passing. We also had about half the class take USMLE (most within a week or so of the COMLEX) with 100% passing. I would say focus on COMLEX (obviously) and schedule USMLE for a time when you feel like you will be better prepared. Many of us began reviewing around spring break anyway, so the time between finals and boards was more catch-up than anything.
 
It's not necessary to humiliate pre-meds who don't know the ins and outs of medicine. Better to politely point out that our board exam is called COMLEX.

To answer the question, I go to COMP and I've heard from our second year students that our pass rate has been poor the last couple of years. The administration has chalked it up to poor admission standards. I like the curriculum there and I'm exceling in my classes. I don't know if I will enjoy the same success on COMLEX.
 
donvicious said:
The administration has chalked it up to poor admission standards.

Very nice...I hope that the student body doesnt settle for this bull****. Essentially the administration is saying that the students arent good enough rather than that the preparation isnt good enough. Any group of students can succeed on this test, given proper preparation. I would love for a faculty/admin member to feed me a line like this.
 
In regards to board preparation, I find myself hearing the similar rumors mentioned about my previous class. Now, one of the previous posters brought the idea that maybe the caliber of students osteopathic schools select is sub par. I think this is somewhat true. In my humble and general opinion, I think osteopathic students are great learners but poor standardized test takers. Many of my friends at NSUCOM are excelling in class but fret to take the board exams due to their "poor standardized test taking" ability. I find myself in this category as well. Can anyone give a remedy to such a problem? When should a student start preparing for the boards and what should they focus most on? What reviews are beneficial and which ones are a waste time and money? THANKS!!!
 
DoctorDoogie4 said:
In regards to board preparation, I find myself hearing the similar rumors mentioned about my previous class. Now, one of the previous posters brought the idea that maybe the caliber of students osteopathic schools select is sub par. I think this is somewhat true. In my humble and general opinion, I think osteopathic students are great learners but poor standardized test takers. Many of my friends at NSUCOM are excelling in class but fret to take the board exams due to their "poor standardized test taking" ability. I find myself in this category as well. Can anyone give a remedy to such a problem? When should a student start preparing for the boards and what should they focus most on? What reviews are beneficial and which ones are a waste time and money? THANKS!!!

This is such a ridiculous idea, but it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. DO students have the ability to be just as good as MD students on board exams, and when considering that only DO students take the COMLEX, you are theoretically judged only with those other poor standardized testers. No reason for some schools to have sub-80% passing rates and others to have near 100%, other than quality of preparation. Hold your school to it.
 
Hey idio or other OSU-COMers,

Is OSU-COM on a block exam schedule or an every week exam schedule? Does anyone think that has anything to do success on the boards? We're on a block schedule and it totally spews. Just wondering...
 
Elysium said:
Hey idio or other OSU-COMers,

Is OSU-COM on a block exam schedule or an every week exam schedule? Does anyone think that has anything to do success on the boards? We're on a block schedule and it totally spews. Just wondering...

We do a regular semester schedule with tests scheduled at each professor's discretion. Sometimes we'd go a week without an exam, but other weeks we'd have 3+ (especially around midterms). The worst testing schedule we had was 13 weeks with 30 exams followed by a finals week with 8 or 9.

I don't think that our schedule had anything to do with the pass rate. We have an excellent path professor (Goljan) and our class has a reputation for high performance as a group (anyone below a 3.5 is in the bottom half of the class). We have some other good professors, too, but I think Goljan really helped us integrate. Unfortunately, the school gave us a really poor board review class. I'd have been much better off skipping it and studying myself.

Curious what Idio thinks, though :)
 
Something to consider... If you are applying for med school now, you will (should) have a little more time to study for the COMLEX since it will be offered as a computer exam. This may account for the discrepancy between the allopathic and osteopathic study time.
 
still depends on when rotations are scheduled to start. It would be good for applicants to ask schools how they are going to schedule in study time.
 
DrMom said:
I don't think that our schedule had anything to do with the pass rate. We have an excellent path professor (Goljan) and our class has a reputation for high performance as a group (anyone below a 3.5 is in the bottom half of the class). We have some other good professors, too, but I think Goljan really helped us integrate. Unfortunately, the school gave us a really poor board review class. I'd have been much better off skipping it and studying myself.

Curious what Idio thinks, though :)

Our success was completely due to Ed Goljan, MD...in my honest opinion. An excellent working knowledge of pathology and some OMT is sufficient to pass COMLEX, and after a year from him, we all had an excellent working knowledge of path, I believe.
 
Idiopathic said:
Our success was completely due to Ed Goljan, MD...in my honest opinion. An excellent working knowledge of pathology and some OMT is sufficient to pass COMLEX, and after a year from him, we all had an excellent working knowledge of path, I believe.

I agree and am happy that I chose OSU over another school solely based on his presence.
 
DireWolf said:
I agree and am happy that I chose OSU over another school solely based on his presence.

i think you meant His presence.

lol.

seriously though-- he's a great resource for the school, and hopefully when he decides to hang it up they'll find someone equal in his teaching abilities (and maybe a bit less in the ego department) to replace him.

--your friendly neighborhood proud OSU alum caveman
 
Hey guys, Im wondering what is the best Path book by Goljan? He seems to have a few on Amazon. Also, is that USMLE step 1 review book by him any good? Thanks.
 
Rapid Review is the most current, but in a pinch, his STARS book is quality. I like a prose book rather than an outline, also, and his STARS series has both, whereas RR is pure outline. RR is very good, however.

His RR for USMLE Step 1 is excellent also. I did all the questions in it (1400 or so) and was pleased with the quality level. I asked him what he thought of it and how well it represented USMLE ?'s, given that he edited it, and he assured me that he would not have allowed questions in there that were not indicative of Step 1 material/structure/difficulty.

That was enough for me.
 
I am a first year at COMP and I know that we have about 4 wks off between the 2nd year and the COMLEX. I am positive that UMDNJ-SOM has approximately the same. I believe NYCOM has 4-6 wks, if I remember correctly. This is definitely a question worth asking on your interviews.
 
Hey guys,
I hate to break this to all of you out there in the premed world but boards (COMLEX and USMLE) are not hard. I will let you know that I thought the USMLE was easier (more organized and straightforward) than COMLEX. But, If you study and do your work in school you should pass your boards. There are so many premeds or MS1/2's out there that think they are hard but they really are not. They are not meant to be tricky or keep you from moving on to third year. They are only meant to make sure you achieved a mandatory level of basic science knowledge. I am not in the top 10 in my class but I could not have studied at all for COMLEX I and I know I would have passed. Albeit, I would not have done as highly as I did, but I can guarantee you I would have passed. So my pointers are these, do you coursework and make decent grades. Review wise, study about 2 months and really study, interacting with the material and if you utilize any brain matter at all you will pass.
So quit freaking out about these tests and letting people scare the crap out of you about it. Worry more about being great at medicine and being a good Doc!!!
Good luck to all!!!
 
hehe I like your post...
 
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