How do I study for COMATs?

[laboholic]

I looked at an example exam and one question outlined a probable case of cholecystitis (50 y/o, female, ab pain following fatty meal) with with some associated tissue texture changes that do NOT fit with cholecystitis. It then asked what the most likely diagnosis was. The answer was pancreatitis.

Are all the COMAT questions like this or are there some that are reasonable? I mean, do we assume that tissue texture changes are more important than statistical probability and findings from the history and physical exam?

Thanks.

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[Cranial ALLDAY]

Why waste your time on the osteopathic garbage? just take the NBME's

 

[willen101383]

You don't study. Its essentially worthless. At least with the NBMEs if you study you will do well. The COMATs will have crap like "whats the innervation to the hyoid bone?" Yes, I had that on a peds comat last year.

 

[Siggy]

Why waste your time on the osteopathic garbage? just take the NBME's

At my school we didn't exactly get a choice.

 

[Daedra22]

I found that there was some magical cosmic law that anything I studied before the COMAT (generally the things that seemed important on the rotation/in review books) would invariably not be on the exam. I kind of laugh when students in third year ask me what to study... my advice is always to go over board prep material since that's just a good idea in general, but that you shouldn't expect the exam to be anything like the prep material. I have no idea how I could have prepared better for the COMATs.

It's possible that you will feel like you did poorly because of the randomness of the questions, and my advice there is not to panic. I did pretty well despite feeling like I bombed them most of the time. I choose not to question it.

 

[corpsman33]

I found that there was some magical cosmic law that anything I studied before the COMAT (generally the things that seemed important on the rotation/in review books) would invariably not be on the exam. I kind of laugh when students in third year ask me what to study... my advice is always to go over board prep material since that's just a good idea in general, but that you shouldn't expect the exam to be anything like the prep material. I have no idea how I could have prepared better for the COMATs.

It's possible that you will feel like you did poorly because of the randomness of the questions, and my advice there is not to panic. I did pretty well despite feeling like I bombed them most of the time. I choose not to question it.

That sounds like a miserable excuse for a test. Can't wait.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

What worked well in my case was doing the relevant sections of COMBANK/Comquest through the rotation...usually going through the question banks 2x while reading a good review book for each rotation delivered pretty decent scores.

You should still expect to see a lot of questions that resemble the wackier ones from the COMLEXes.

 

[jd1031]

Just took it. I was using USMLE World and case files to study, and the COMAT was NOTHING like UWorld. Some give-aways mixed-in with some poorly written questions (where there were 2 equally right answers and an unclear question. seriously.) I have no clue how i did. The UWorld questions were longer but much more clear in what they were asking for.

 

[heroes31]

How long does it take to get scores back for these exams?

 

[Makati2008]

That sounds like a miserable excuse for a test. Can't wait.

It's not that bad dcom gives a decent curve.

 

[Makati2008]

How long does it take to get scores back for these exams?

It's very school dependent. Our school post them two weeks after the exam except the omt one.

 

[kdhmed]

Study just like you would for any other exam. Now IM and FM are so broad that there's not much you can do. But for Peds, Psych, OB I used First Aid for Step 2 plus your choice of QBank (just do a few hundred questions). For Surgery I recommend Case Files, supplement with some peds issues (intussusception, Meckel's, etc.) and basic trauma management. they scatter in some OMM here and there but nothing too extreme.

Yes they can be hit or miss but if you study this stuff well now, Step 2 won't seem as daunting.

 

[Daedra22]

It's very school dependent. Our school post them two weeks after the exam except the omt one.

Indeed. My school generally takes 3-6 weeks.