Failed COMLEXNeed help please!

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Vash311

Vash311

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I took my COMLEX in Aug. and found out I failed them 2 weeks ago. Got a 356 on the test. My biggest fault was that I was burned out and just did not study at all. Bad excuse I know and I deserve what I got. But now Im determined to ace this test. I have two months off to study. I have purchased the Qbank and have been doing questions. I hated the Kaplan Comlex books, they were just too much, and have been using first aid and step up as my primary review books. Im also reading Saverese's OMT review for the boards for the OMM stuff. I've got BRS path and pharm for back ups incase i need further clarification.

Bascially, Im asking anyone to give me some feedback and let me know if this is an effective game plan or should I be going about it a different way. Also, if anyone remembers anything or knows if anything is particularly high yeild for this test I would greatly appreciate it. (Also, some encouragement would be nice, if you guys don't mind :)

sorry if im asking for alot, but i know this forum has alot of people who have been successful in this exam and I know your advice is golden.

Thanks for your help!
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If I were retaking it, I'd focus on a few key resources and try to really know them well.

1. Know First Aid, but don't spend too much time on the sections on Biochemistry and Behavioral Science. Really know the sections on Pharm, Path, and Phys.
2. OMT Review
3. Clinical Micro Made Ridic Simple
4. BRS Physio
5. Try and learn the basics of EKG and radiograph/CT interpretation

Sprinkle in a few days' worth of HY Neuro, BRS Path, and review your pharmacology notes and I think you'll definitely pass. By the way, I think QBank is worthless for the COMLEX (but helpful for USMLE).
 
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things to know cold:
BUGS!!!!!
everything about em...everything, diseases, treatments, tests, factoids, idiosyncracies
know your pharm as cold as possible, down to minutia,
know ob/gyn
know anatomy /msk (omm is good for that)
know psych pharm especially
the rest just know well, I actually liked kaplan books, but comlex qbank sucks,
the usmle one or the Qbook are better
 
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Claymore said:
If I were retaking it, I'd focus on a few key resources and try to really know them well.

1. Know First Aid, but don't spend too much time on the sections on Biochemistry and Behavioral Science. Really know the sections on Pharm, Path, and Phys.
2. OMT Review
3. Clinical Micro Made Ridic Simple
4. BRS Physio
5. Try and learn the basics of EKG and radiograph/CT interpretation

Sprinkle in a few days' worth of HY Neuro, BRS Path, and review your pharmacology notes and I think you'll definitely pass. By the way, I think QBank is worthless for the COMLEX (but helpful for USMLE).
Click to expand...

this is great advice for passing Step I or COMLEX.

Best of luck!
 
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I know you hated the Comlex Kaplan books, and so did I, but I found the Qbook to be very helpful. During the last two weeks, I just did the qbook tq's then read why i was wrong (which was more than half the time). After doing that for some time, I felt like I was able to know what a wrong answer is after reading first aid.

And I found the COMLEX questions to be mostly like qbook.

And don't worry about the stupid test. You are gonna ace it the second time, and no one has to know you failed the first time when it's interview time.
 
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This is NOT false information. According to our dean, if you fail the COMLEX but pass it the second time, the NBOME only releases your second score that shows you passed. It also does not show that you took the test more then once. She said that the reason they don't make this too public is that they don't want to deal with all the students who got a 405 coming in and complaining about not being able to retake the exam. If however you fail the exam a second time, then the NBOME releases ALL of your scores. Therefore, someone who fails it the first time but does well the second time would theoretically be in a better position then someone who just barely passed it the first time. I also have a friend who is applying for residency now who didn't pass the first time last year. They told me the same thing. It does not show they failed the exam the first time they took it on their residency app. Study hard and do well this next time around. Good luck!
 
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Interesting. A close friend of mine failed COMLEX Step 1 two years ago. EVERY single interviewer asked her about it before she even had a chance to say a word. They told her it was in the file... along with other information such as repeating a year.

This is first-hand info, apparently like yours, so there appears to be a significant contradiction.

In addition, all allopathic PDs have access to this information on every residency applicant.

Why would the osteopathic PDs not have it?
 
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Memorize autonomics/triggerpoints in Savarese. Thats about 80-100 questions right there. Seriously. Then go memorize all of his high yeild facts or his "trigger points." That will gain you major points.

Memorize those two flow sheets on gram+ and gram- bugs in First Aid. Thats about 40-60 questions.

Memorize drug side effects. Those where most of the pharm q's.

Add this stuff up and combine it with your fist score and you should at the very least pass. Not too shabby for about 4 days worth of studying.

Vent
 
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Not surprised to hear that DireWolf. It would make sense that the information would be on your file. Fortunatly I'm not in that position. Just relaying what I've been told.
 
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Bump

Thanks guys! That is some great advice and I plan to follow it. I know if I came that close without studying then actually putting the time necessary will yeild alot better results. Anyone else with some info. regarding what they specifically thought the COMLEX focused on, like anat, path, pharm., etc?
 
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Vash311 said:
Bump

Thanks guys! That is some great advice and I plan to follow it. I know if I came that close without studying then actually putting the time necessary will yeild alot better results. Anyone else with some info. regarding what they specifically thought the COMLEX focused on, like anat, path, pharm., etc?
Click to expand...

1. Pharm = mechanism of action and side effects of any/all drugs. Make sure you know ALL the side effects.
2. Anatomy = know your upper/lower limb anatomy (especially nerves and muscles) cold.
3. OMT = kind of a crapshoot. I only had 3-5 sacrum questions, which was supposedly high yield in the past.
4. Bugs = know any/all ways that a bug can present in a patient. Don't ignore the parasites or fungi. Viruses were low yield.
 
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DireWolf said:
1. Pharm = mechanism of action and side effects of any/all drugs. Make sure you know ALL the side effects.
2. Anatomy = know your upper/lower limb anatomy (especially nerves and muscles) cold.
3. OMT = kind of a crapshoot. I only had 3-5 sacrum questions, which was supposedly high yield in the past.
4. Bugs = know any/all ways that a bug can present in a patient. Don't ignore the parasites or fungi. Viruses were low yield.
Click to expand...


I agree. Peds and Bugs, Elderly and bugs, bugs and bugs. Especially gram staining, optochin, and alpha/beta hemolysis (remember this was used to describe bugs). Would take some time to memorize this.

But also keep in mind that there are no guarantees on what will be tested.
 
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Don't forget all your patients are gardeners who spend too much time bending down and rising back up too quickly.

Respect the iliopsoas.
 
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