Post Comlex II Thoughts & Advice

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doctor1984john

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I just took my exam and thought I would share my thoughts on what resources to use to score well. My score was 768.

During third year I studied first aid for step II along with Blueprints. Every time I saw a case I looked it up in both of those books. You would be amazed on how much you retain when you can put a face to a disease. I also used Savarese (a little), Uworld, COMBANK and COMQUEST.

Uworld was way too much info. You dont need to know all that unless you plan on taking the USMLE. Also, the questions are too dissimilar to COMLEX questions. So I wouldn't waste my time or money unless you are taking USMLE.

COMQUEST doesnt have enough questions and it doesnt really simulate the actual exam. Their OMM section is really lacking compared to other sources. But its cheap enough so if you want to use it as another resource thats fine, I just wouldnt use it as a sole source.

COMBANK was by far the best source for step II. They recently changed the format and have added pictures and audio files which really helps. They also have tons of questions. Some of them are vague and seem worthless but that is how my test was so I think it helped prepare me for the off the wall questions. They have added a bunch of OMM questions which pretty comprehensively covers the Savarese book.

I dedicated 4 weeks of study time and read the above books and did the qbanks. I also took 2 COMSAE exams, one before studying and one 2 days before my test. My score went up significantly after my dedicated study period.

Just study hard during third year and use the right resources and you will kill this exam. Good luck, PM me with any specific questions.
 
When did you take your exam? I wonder if we had the same form because my experience was exactly the opposite and my score was in the high 700s (just a few points higher than you).

I think COMQUEST is the most high quality resource out there for the COMLEX and they seem to really focus on quality over quantity - which I preferred because after reading their explanations twice, I was able to answer the majority of the questions. I wouldn't be able to do that with many more questions. Reading the explanations twice is they recommended and it worked very well.

Having said that, their post-exam email said they're about to double the number of their questions, so that would put them at over 2,100 questions. I'm not sure how I feel about that because I do prefer quality - but I guess if they maintain their quality, it's a very good thing.

By the way, the questions in the back of Savarese were more than sufficient as a supplement. I don't think rephrased questions from Savarese would be particularly helpful.

The exam layout, question format, and explanations that I saw on COMQUEST were extremely representative of the real exam.

PM me if you have any questions!
 
By the way, I also disagree with your negativity about USMLE World. It's also very high quality and was so helpful in preparing for my shelf exams (which ultimately also helped when I took Level 2). I would recommend them both.
 
hey guys...quick question...did u feel the comsae predicted ur score accurately?
 
I also disagree. Comquest is by far the better question bank. Style and difficulty was spot on. Uworld was also very helpful. I don't have my scores yet but i did uworld + DIT took usmle and then complete comquest during the week before comlex.

Comlex was very similar to comquest and I feel like it prepared me extremely well for the exam. Overall thought usmle was much easier than comlex just because questions were more clear.

I feel better prepared for internship after completing uworld. If you have the time, it's worth the time investment. Good luck everyone.
 
I also disagree. Comquest is by far the better question bank. Style and difficulty was spot on. Uworld was also very helpful. I don't have my scores yet but i did uworld + DIT took usmle and then complete comquest during the week before comlex.

Comlex was very similar to comquest and I feel like it prepared me extremely well for the exam. Overall thought usmle was much easier than comlex just because questions were more clear.

I feel better prepared for internship after completing uworld. If you have the time, it's worth the time investment. Good luck everyone.

really? i felt like combank was more similar to the real exam in style and in difficulty.
 
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