Percent of Questions Needed to Pass COMLEX

[Rad99]

Does anyone know how many questions are needed to pass this year's COMLeX step 1? Is is based on how you do compared to other people or is there is fixed number predetermined before you took the exam. Do they curve the exam so that so many people pass at each school or is the curve the same nationally? How many questions truly count and how many may have been disqaulified? Are there certain point values to certain questions? I have heard that 400 equates to anwhere from 38-50%. I took the exam in June and I am almost certain I got slightly over 50% of the quesitons correct and I did not pass and I am worried because that was as many questions I could have possibly have gotten correct on that exam. Whatever I could not get correct was not coming from any review books I used and I studied from almost every source possible?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Amy B]

I was wondering about how many questions correct you need to pass also. Anyone know what it is??

 

[pencilfloor]

Well on the comlex website it states that test takers have to get 75% correct to pass so that would mean that you can only miss 100 questions on a 400 question exam.

 

[deleted19731]

Well on the comlex website it states that test takers have to get 75% correct to pass so that would mean that you can only miss 100 questions on a 400 question exam.

75 is the two digit score which isn't a percentage... as far as I can tell something around a 40% will get you a 400 or 75.

 

[pencilfloor]

75 is the two digit score which isn't a percentage... as far as I can tell something around a 40% will get you a 400 or 75.

I think 40% would be equivalent to a failure. I think it's somewhere around 55%.

 

[MCATTT]

I think 40% would be equivalent to a failure. I think it's somewhere around 55%.

To be safe, I have been told that passing is around 60% or greater.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

To be safe, I have been told that passing is around 60% or greater.

Are you serious?!

 

[joeylux]

Are you serious?!

Are YOU serious? 60% on an exam, even if parts of it are written as poorly as some of the questions on COMLEX, is hardly an unreasonable requirement for making sure someone is competent enough to practice medicine. This is the least-gunner thread I've ever seen and it's difficult to imagine a more apathetic approach to assuring that those that attain a medical degree deserve to have lives in their hands.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Are YOU serious? 60% on an exam, even if parts of it are written as poorly as some of the questions on COMLEX, is hardly an unreasonable requirement for making sure someone is competent enough to practice medicine. This is the least-gunner thread I've ever seen and it's difficult to imagine a more apathetic approach to assuring that those that attain a medical degree deserve to have lives in their hands.

Nah, I am studying hard. However, we had a Kaplan Diagnostic that was REALLY hard ... and the class avg was around 53% on the exam, hence my curiosity.

 

[joeylux]

My Class also took that exam and our average was right around there if I remember correctly but the Kaplan exam had many, many very poorly, sparsely worded questions (especially the OMM) so I can understand your apprehension from that test. For all my bitching about how poorly written the COMLEX, I probably only could complain about 10-15% of them and that's far fewer than the Kaplan diagnostic, so don't freak out based on that.

 

[MCATTT]

Kaplan estimate score on USMLE step 1 is 211, if you get avg of 50%. Avg of 60% would give you 227. That's just for kaplan USMLE qbank.
COMBANK states 60% or above for their qbank. So, different qbanks saying differently based on their level of difficulty.

I don't really sure how the real exam % are. Sorry if I freak anyone out.

 

[pencilfloor]

Are YOU serious? 60% on an exam, even if parts of it are written as poorly as some of the questions on COMLEX, is hardly an unreasonable requirement for making sure someone is competent enough to practice medicine. This is the least-gunner thread I've ever seen and it's difficult to imagine a more apathetic approach to assuring that those that attain a medical degree deserve to have lives in their hands.

I think that anyone taking the USMLE or the Comlex wants to score well. However as test time approaches people start getting freaked out and I think this thread was started to try and lessen some of the those fears. Many of us freak out before an exam only to find out that we did much better than we expected. I think this is a valid thread that addresses a question that many people have and it certainly doesn't make you less of a gunner if you read it or decide to comment on it. Really people be nice. 😍 Good luck to all

 

[bigdog8829]

From what I've heard passing is usually around the 50% mark.
This comes from info I've gathered over the last year from various speakers. Deans, teachers who write questions, and combank writers.

 

[stenorx]

why can't these examiner make it the scoring simpler? why can't it be something like the MCAT or SAT. There is a raw score, which is the number of questions you get right, converted to a scaled score, which is curved. Fine, the COMLEX and USMLE has two scaled score, a 2 digit score and a 3 digit score. You'd think that the 2 digit score might represent a precentile score, but no. And you'd think that somewhere along the entire NBOME website they might include some sort of raw score conversion to scale score, or a minimum raw score to pass, but no. There is only a 3 digit score to 2 digit score and percentile conversion. Jeez! I want to do really well, but I have no idea if I'm gonna do ok, pretty good, or really good based on what I've been scoring on COMBANK, at least USMLE world gives you their scale scores and percentile scores. I don't even know if I'm studying enough or not, I just know I'll probably pass, but no idea if I'll be so so, above ave, or really above ave...I don't want to kill myself studying or lose more done density than I have too....but unfortunely, the boards scores do matter...so, I guess I'll just blindly study as hard as body will allow me to

 

[Lamont]

from what i understand, based on what a faculty member has told me (and nobody knows for sure - so grain of salt).

44-50% will generally be the passing rate, depending on how everyone did and how the curve looks like once it is standardized. they shift the curve so that 400 is the passing score, 500 is the mean, std dev of 80, etc. it really all depends on the test and how everyone did. if people did awesome on the test, 50%. if people got abused, closer to 44 (or lower if need be, probably not).

 

[nowaysanjose]

from what i understand, based on what a faculty member has told me (and nobody knows for sure - so grain of salt).

44-50% will generally be the passing rate, depending on how everyone did and how the curve looks like once it is standardized. they shift the curve so that 400 is the passing score, 500 is the mean, std dev of 80, etc. it really all depends on the test and how everyone did. if people did awesome on the test, 50%. if people got abused, closer to 44 (or lower if need be, probably not).

Bump-- is this still accurate??

 

[Mad Jack]

Bump-- is this still accurate??

No one knows if it was ever accurate.