Has anyone taken both COMMLEX and USMLE1?

[evescadeceus]

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Have any of you DO students taken both? Could you share some insight on what it was like? Does it make 2nd yr tremendously more difficult than it would have been otherwise, or if you study for one, have you pretty much studied for the other? Did you find that you did better on one? Would you recommend taking one or the other first? Obviously, the cost of taking both is irritating, but what other irritating factors should I be aware of? I'm still premed, considering both allo and osteo, and I am pretty curious about this.

 

[Gibby Haynes]

I have taken both comlex 1 and usmle 1. First of all, you should only consider taking both if you are going to applying to allopathic residencies. Second, if you are going to apply to allopathic residencies, the field and location you are applying to will determine if you need to take usmle. If you plan on doing somthing like rads or surg, plan on taking the usmle. Most primary care fields will accept the comlex w/o having taken the usmle. With that being said, if you want to do peds at competive top-tier programs such as UTSW of MGH, you will need to take the usmle.

There are differences between the comlex 1 and usmle 1. The usmle focuses on basic sciences, while comlex 1 does have basic sciences but also has a high percentage of clinical applications + about 10% is OMM. Also comlex 1 is a 2-day exam on paper, while the usmle is 1 day and on computer. I'm not saying one is better than the other, they are just different. I have found that among my colleagues the general concensus is that people generally do better on the comlex vs the usmle. However there are those that score the same on both and some who actually do better on the usmle.

Basically I studied the same for both tests and it worked out well for me. I did bust my tail though througout 2nd year which I think helped me for the comlex.

You are absolutely right that the additional cost is irritating and if you take both it will cost you about $750. In addition to this, taking any board exam is gruelling and to have to turn around and take another one is extremely difficult to do. I took both exams within one week of each other and after I took the first one I found it very difficult to continue studying at the pace I was before.

Please do not be discouraged by this, b/c in the end it will all be worth it. Hard work never hurt anybody and for some it actually makes them a better person. The bottom line is to go which route you want to go and to be the best physician you can be regardless of degree. Good luck to you.

 

[evescadeceus]

Thanks Gibby, appreciate this.

 

[evescadeceus]

Gibby,
I've PM'd you with a few addl questions.

 

[zan3310]

Just my two cents--
I took both the USMLE and COMLEX - within a few days of each other. I took the COMLEX first and that following Sat I took the USMLE. Actually I did better on the USMLE... go figure. I just liked the format of the USMLE- you get to pace yourself, it is on the computer so no bubbles to fill out, and it is one day. Also, the questions seemed to be better worded than the COMLEX questions. Also, I studied the same for both. I just started early and worked my way through it.
Again- just my experience. If you have other questions, just let me know.

 

[binswanger]

I took both the USMLE I / II and the COMLEX I / II. I studied the same for both and felt well prepared for both exams. The USMLE had much more biochemistry ( a weaker point for me) and the COMLEX had much more clinical (USMLE II) vignettes (a stronger point for me). Therefore, I did better on the COMLEX
(568/80 which is the 80th percentile) than I did on the USMLE (228 - Only slightly above the mean, USMLE no longer gives percentiles). On USMLE Step II I felt well prepared from not only 3rd year but also from the first 2 years of osteopathic school - much more clinically revelant questions and not so much crazy stuff you'll never use
(USMLE II 244/99).

Just took the Comlex II but would be suprised if I did better on that than I did on the USMLE. The reason I took both exams was that I was applying to allopathic residency and wanted the programs to be able to "compare apples to apples". On the interview trail I found mix reactions to me taking both exams from suprise that I took both (some felt there was no need) to they were glad I took both because it did make it easier to compare - some people still have a hard time sorting out the comlex scores.

Ultimately, its up to you on whether to take both exams, many people don't take the COMLEX and still apply to allopathic programs but I always enjoy a challenge and wanted to know how I would compare to other medical students. Don't not choose osteopathic school b/c you think it won't prepare you for the USMLE - at the end of the day it is all up to individual effort, if you work hard you'll do fine - a prevailing theme throughout undergraduate, medical school, residency and even real life.

 

[Teufelhunden]

Have any of you DO students taken both? Could you share some insight on what it was like? Does it make 2nd yr tremendously more difficult than it would have been otherwise, or if you study for one, have you pretty much studied for the other? Did you find that you did better on one? Would you recommend taking one or the other first? Obviously, the cost of taking both is irritating, but what other irritating factors should I be aware of? I'm still premed, considering both allo and osteo, and I am pretty curious about this.

I took both. Let me tell you how NOT to approach it. Do NOT stagger the tests. Most of the people in my class who took both at the same time scored similarly on both, percentage-wise. After taking the COMLEX in June after 2nd year, I decided to wait until October to take Step 1 of the USMLE <--- BIG MISTAKE! (I did considerably better on COMLEX).

Of course, I thought I would be able to study more during my first 3rd-year clerkship, balh, blah. Of course, reality was: I barely studied at all, and basically forgot everything I knew from studying for the COMLEX. With moving across state to my clerkship site, making the transition to 3rd year, etc....I had no time to study. Granted, my school made it a little more difficult than it had to be by bogging us down with a bunch of mandatory classes, etc during our first 3rd year rotation (radiology once a week, group case discussions, OMM lectures, etc).

Anyway, moral of the story is, if you're going to take both, take them at the same time...take them when the info is fresh in your head.