starting to study for USMLE after already taken COMLEX

[aliDO]

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ok, so I know it is late in the game but I've taken a little time off for personal reasons. I've already taken the COMLEX (haven't received scores but felt a little bad about it. I'm sure I didn't fail, just normal bad feeling). Anyway, I didn't prepare much for it. Like three weeks total. Since then I've been studying some, mostly from FA. I want to take the USMLE too so I don't have to report my COMLEX score if it is bad and also because I want an allopathic residency (OB/GYN). Nothing against osteopathic residencies but I just don't like the locations and I have a husband and children and can't live somewhere where there are no jobs available. Anyway, besides doing UWorld what else should I do different? Is Goljan necessary?

 

[DarkHorizon]

ok, so I know it is late in the game but I've taken a little time off for personal reasons. I've already taken the COMLEX (haven't received scores but felt a little bad about it. I'm sure I didn't fail, just normal bad feeling). Anyway, I didn't prepare much for it. Like three weeks total. Since then I've been studying some, mostly from FA. I want to take the USMLE too so I don't have to report my COMLEX score if it is bad and also because I want an allopathic residency (OB/GYN). Nothing against osteopathic residencies but I just don't like the locations and I have a husband and children and can't live somewhere where there are no jobs available. Anyway, besides doing UWorld what else should I do different? Is Goljan necessary?

Slippery slope my friend, be careful, if you bomb the USMLE, consider all allopathic doors closed. Many Allopathic programs don't understand what comlex is all about and passing is all they care about, therefore, a mediocre comlex score will still put you in running for Allo OB/gyn. If you take the USMLE, make sure you nail it.

 

[DarkHorizon]

As for what to use, UWorld is essential in order to do well. COMLEX pathophys is a joke so you must read either Goljan or BRS path. My USMLE had some difficult biochem and molecular bio, stuff you would never see in the COMLEX.

 

[aliDO]

Slippery slope my friend, be careful, if you bomb the USMLE, consider all allopathic doors closed. Many Allopathic programs don't understand what comlex is all about and passing is all they care about, therefore, a mediocre comlex score will still put you in running for Allo OB/gyn. If you take the USMLE, make sure you nail it.

Of course I'm going to take a NBME practice exam. Do you think I actually need to nail it? What exactly is the definition of nailing it? I'm not going to take it if the practice exam doesn't go well. Any suggestion for cut off?

 

[aliDO]

As for what to use, UWorld is essential in order to do well. COMLEX pathophys is a joke so you must read either Goljan or BRS path. My USMLE had some difficult biochem and molecular bio, stuff you would never see in the COMLEX.

What about Goljan audio?

 

[DarkHorizon]

I will shoot for 220+ if not 230. NBME scores correlate pretty well but my actual USMLE score was about 20 points lower than my NBME score. But again, I had some really difficult stuff on my exam. On the other hand, I scored 95th percentile on the COMLEX.

 

[DarkHorizon]

What about Goljan audio?

You can supplement audios with the book. Get the 2nd edition, as 3rd edition is way too much. However, I am afraid you will be very overwhelmed if you didn;t read that book throughout the year.

 

[aliDO]

Thanks for the input! I'm just going to study, take a practice test, then decide from there. I did about half of Goljan audio and it didn't seem like it was anything I didn't already know. Maybe the book will help more since I'm much more of a visual learner anyway.

 

[sylvanthus]

Ban him!

 

[aliDO]

Ban him!

I didn't even see that until now. Maybe I'll send him/her an email, haha.