Doing well on USMLE and COMLEX if have low class rank?

[PIacebo]

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Does anyone here have any advice for someone at the lower end of the class academically to do well on the USMLE or COMLEX? My advisor recommended I do not even bother signing up for the USMLE and just study for comlex since my class rank is low. I still want to prepare for the USMLE (would take it next summer) since I want to keep my options open for residency and fellowships, but if everyone says don't do USMLE then I'll just focus on COMLEX. Any advice?

Not sure if it makes a difference, but did well on SAT/ACT/MCAT. I know not comparable to the step, but my grades have been the same in undergrad and in medical school...mainly Bs and C's in science classes and now.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I think there is something called COMLEX boot camp that students that fail the step usually recommend using and it boosts their score significantly. The service is available to everyone, so I'd probably go in that direction of using a really strong prep program.

 

[NontradCA]

You're a first year? I don't really see a reason to count yourself out of the test yet. I would think at this point you'd recognize what you're doing wrong in class. I think for the majority of students it's just a matter of studying more (despite SDN people saying there's an intelligence factor).

So yea, start studying. Don't become a statistic.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Before worrying about boards, worry about your test grades. The B's are alright, but diagnose what's causing those C's. Fix that first. Plenty of time before boards, but if you're not learning the material now, it only makes it harder to excel later.

 

[kenjixshadow]

x

 

[DopaDO]

Does anyone here have any advice for someone at the lower end of the class academically to do well on the USMLE or COMLEX? My advisor recommended I do not even bother signing up for the USMLE and just study for comlex since my class rank is low. I still want to prepare for the USMLE (would take it next summer) since I want to keep my options open for residency and fellowships, but if everyone says don't do USMLE then I'll just focus on COMLEX. Any advice?

Not sure if it makes a difference, but did well on SAT/ACT/MCAT. I know not comparable to the step, but my grades have been the same in undergrad and in medical school...mainly Bs and C's in science classes and now.

Class rank means nothing when it comes to Step. I strongly advise you take it, unless you are military. I'm consistently blown away by how bad the advising is at some DO schools.

Use First Aid, Pathoma, and Uworld. Focus on Step and put class on the back burner - skip class if you can, do just enough to pass. Class rank means very little on residency apps as well.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Class rank means nothing when it comes to Step. I strongly advise you take it, unless you are military. I'm consistently blown away by how bad the advising is at some DO schools.

Use First Aid, Pathoma, and Uworld. Focus on Step and put class on the back burner - skip class if you can, do just enough to pass. Class rank means very little on residency apps as well.

It's not class that's the problem. It's the idea that trying their best, they're getting B's and C's, and have always done so stretching back to college science classes. It's that pattern of behavior that has to stop before you can give advice specific to boards study. There must first be a self-diagnosis of why there is no mastery of the material occurring.

 

[sia_simba]

Study habits.

If you are only getting C's on your exam, there is an issue with studying and retaining knowledge. However, this is based on how the school teaches you. Unless if you are doing "self studying" constantly.

Getting B's and C's on your medical school classes DOESN'T mean you can't get a high grade on the COMLEX or USMLE. =)

However, one has to consider why they plan to take the USMLE. If you are a first year medical student, I wouldn't concern myself with that issue as your career path will change in the next few months. Then it will change again and again, until you complete your clerkship... then it may change again as well. So just concentrate on your study habits and pattern, see what works and what doesn't. Leave the COMLEX and USMLE for its appropriate time.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

@AlbinoHawk DO agreed

To op, I read a quite few stories of low class rank folks did well on the USMLE. It looks like that you are finishing your first year and you have a year to prep for it. Go to the USMLE 1 forum and do everything SDNers recommend, I'm sure you can pull 230+ if you study hard for it.

Btw, I have a question. Would a 230 on USMLE 1 looks better than 500 on COMLEX 1? Not to stir anything, this is for my own curiosity.

It depends. An osteopathic residency will put probably more weight on COMLEX, but an MD residency will probably not even look at your COMLEX the moment they see a USMLE on file.

 

[Petypet]

FWIW my classmates that chose to take COMLEX b/c they didn't think they would do well on USMLE (and its worse to not take than to do poorly), still ironically did poorly on COMLEX. Some even failed and are now having to study as MS-IIIs for Level 1 again. For them it came down to study habits, which were developed prior to med school (just my n = 1 opinion)

Those students that don't do well in years 1 & 2 probably don't have the background needed to effectively hammer USMLE and COMLEX. Studying for these exams should be review, and for a lot of students they are learning the material for the first time. Like another poster mentioned, numerous "low rank" students have taken USMLE in the past and done very well, but thats probably not the majority of students. This process needs to be very introspective and if you can identify why you are doing poorly now and fix those, you can improve and succeed on USMLE. Its certainly not too early to change things, but that probably means reevaluating your situation and figuring out how and what to study.

 

[PIacebo]

Main issue is my professors seem to test on random minutia from the textbook or what they have done research on. There is barely any clinical relevance on our exams. I know if we were tested on that and I used board relevant study materials I would be able to do well on their exams.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Every school is like that. For what it is worth, I was bottom half/bottom quartile of my class. I ended up doing average on the USMLE and nicely above average on the COMLEX. I didn't do anything special. My first two years I was balancing work, being a father, and being a student and did well enough in class for my standards. Never really rocked anything. I was happy with it all. Our professors tested minutia. I just focused and did questions for boards and did well enough. I also never had any aspirations for the ultra competitive specialties.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Main issue is my professors seem to test on random minutia from the textbook or what they have done research on. There is barely any clinical relevance on our exams. I know if we were tested on that and I used board relevant study materials I would be able to do well on their exams.

All throughout undergrad, and now throughout medical school? I doubt it. How about this: play their game for a semester. Study their minutiae. Worship their stupid research. Prove to your foolish detractor, me, that you can get A's with elbow grease and rage. If you can do that, I totally support you going off-road and just studying board materials and scraping by in classes.

The distinction most fail to realize is that the people who are low-ranked that do well on USMLE do it on purpose. They let their grades tank either because they know they're superb test-takers, or because they favor board-study material over class-material to such an extent that they barely know what the hell's happening in class, they just turn up and take the tests and go right back to First Aid. But if you're trying to study the class material and not doing well? I'll bet against boards being your breakthrough to the other side, unfortunately.

 

[0ncogene]

Does anyone here have any advice for someone at the lower end of the class academically to do well on the USMLE or COMLEX? My advisor recommended I do not even bother signing up for the USMLE and just study for comlex since my class rank is low. I still want to prepare for the USMLE (would take it next summer) since I want to keep my options open for residency and fellowships, but if everyone says don't do USMLE then I'll just focus on COMLEX. Any advice?

Not sure if it makes a difference, but did well on SAT/ACT/MCAT. I know not comparable to the step, but my grades have been the same in undergrad and in medical school...mainly Bs and C's in science classes and now.

I would study hard for both the USMLE and COMLEX. If your NBME practice exam scores are not above average for the specialty you want, then it is better not to take it.

 

[j4pac]

The key to your coursework activities in medical school is to learn as much as possible, and to not fail. Residencies generally don't care about your class rank. They just want to see that you aren't failing your tests. The most important factors in determining if you get residency interviews are your Step 1 and Step 2, along with specialty LOR. Everything else helps...but to a much lesser extent. So if you are President of five clubs and are involved in multiple research projects...they better not be getting in the way of you getting an elite board score.

 

[preDoGuy24]

I was pretty average in just about everything first and second year, probably top half of the class...scored ~250 on step 1/2. Most important thing is your prep before and trying to learn material the first time around. I tell students all the time to be careful what advice they take...whether it's from an advisor who hasn't ever taken a board exam or from an upper level student who may just have barely passed there steps.

The formula for success on boards is easily available here...the ability to follow through is where the rubber meets the proverbial road.

 

[Dharma]

I would study hard for both the USMLE and COMLEX. If your NBME practice exam scores are not above average for the specialty you want, then it is better not to take it.

Exactly! From here on through prep as if you were going to take the USMLE. Add in Greenbook. Start becoming acclimated w FA, Pathoma, and a non-UW qbank (Rx or Kaplan). Don't count yourself out until a few weeks out from the USMLE (maybe even less) when MULTIPLE NBME attempts show that it's best to bow out. Don't let some advisor or whomever tell you to call it quits. Dive into the prep with everything you have and give it a solid go first. It may cost you 600 bucks but it's a gamble worth taking IMO.

That said, prep begins now with you deciphering how to improve your approach to studying. Use the resources I mentioned above to streamline your studies. It may not describe your situation but from what I have noticed, many students struggling w grades find themselves lost in minutia. While those tiny details may be important, it's all about prioritizing attack (ie triage your work). Apply Pareto's principle in all you do (the 80/20 rule).

Other than that, read up on the Step 1 experience threads during spare time and breaks... A wealth of experience and wisdom there.

FA/Pathoma/Qbank/Savaresse. NOW!

 

[Moose A Moose]

When the time comes, prep for both. Don't place yourself at any disadvantage for the 2018 match.