the official COMAT shelf thread

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Brorthopedic said:
Got it. What about the Qbank for the CE?
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Same principle applies, UW should be the primary resource. You could buy and use Combank for weird off the wall ethics questions and other bs that the CE throws at you, and the OPP questions don't hurt either. The CE bank is more useful for those reasons; the bs and the opp. If you are fine with wading through ethics and law questions using deductive reasoning, and feel confident in OPP, there's no reason for the CE in my opinion.
 
jrlob91 said:
Same principle applies, UW should be the primary resource. You could buy and use Combank for weird off the wall ethics questions and other bs that the CE throws at you, and the OPP questions don't hurt either. The CE bank is more useful for those reasons; the bs and the opp. If you are fine with wading through ethics and law questions using deductive reasoning, and feel confident in OPP, there's no reason for the CE in my opinion.
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I appreciate the quick responses!
 
Fresh OMS4 here. Bought UWORLD for all of 3rd year COMATs, flipped it and restudied for COMLEX II.
Our school gives us COMBANK, used it as well for all of above. Not many Qs, probably 125 per subject.

Did average or above on all except Surgery, which I had taken early in 3rd year. Felt Surgery COMAT was mostly an ER/IM mix and hadn't taken either of those. Scored above average on COMLEX II

Case Files 1x runthrough as well as selectively doing Online Med Ed during all COMATs. I saw selectively because the content for family or IM is too large to cram into the time frame.

Advice: Hit your COMAT study hard, make those long months of study with Case Files and UWorld as your backbone. Repeat all UWorld sections of surgery, OBGYN, Peds and Psych for dedicated level 2 study, and do medicine as you are able (like 1200 medicine questions, impossible to repeat in time). Watch OME on things you are fuzzy on, vaccination schedules, stats, other must-know material.
COMBANK is very good for simulating exam like conditions and question wording. A few practice days leading up to exam with 400Q sessions will give you an idea better than COMSAEs, IMO.
 
Recommendations for studying for the IM comat? Is UW enough or is combank going to be necessary? Is it possible to get through 1300 medicine questions and SUTM in 1 month?
 
t5Nitro said:
Recommendations for studying for the IM comat? Is UW enough or is combank going to be necessary? Is it possible to get through 1300 medicine questions and SUTM in 1 month?
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110+ using just Combank and SUTM. You'll be more than fine using UW instead
 
UWorld definitely did not feel like enough for psych, UWorld was far too easy.
 
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I've got a few days left before my FM COMAT. I feel pretty meh at derm, peds, ob/gyn, and indications for procedures i.e when you have x you do z instead of y, though y makes sense too.

What should I be cramming lol.

Also just how hard is it to legitimately fail these things?
 
Drrrrrr. Celty said:
I've got a few days left before my FM COMAT. I feel pretty meh at derm, peds, ob/gyn, and indications for procedures i.e when you have x you do z instead of y, though y makes sense too.

What should I be cramming lol.

Also just how hard is it to legitimately fail these things?
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It's pretty damn hard to fail one. Don't worry about it.
 
Rekt said:
UWorld definitely did not feel like enough for psych, UWorld was far too easy.
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What other resources would you recommend to supplement UW?
 
turkeytomato said:
What other resources would you recommend to supplement UW?
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I did nearly every qbank, OME, and looked through a couple psych texts and there still was a lot of stuff I've never seen before so I don't know what to recommend, but I still haven't got my score so I'm not sure.
 
Rekt said:
I did nearly every qbank, OME, and looked through a couple psych texts and there still was a lot of stuff I've never seen before so I don't know what to recommend, but I still haven't got my score so I'm not sure.
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Thanks, I am sure you did fine.
 
So, I'm pretty sure that I didn't do my FM shelf but instead walked into some weird universe where I managed to do comlex level 2 in 2:30 hours no break.

Anywho, that was a special test.
 
Roxas said:
I felt the same about the peds comat today. So much wtf
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I also got really burnt by timing. I spend maybe 30 minutes on my first 10 questions just being stunned at how far beyond what I knew they were.
 
Same here! And my computer was freezing from time to time in between questions and the time kept running! I wound up with like 1 minute per question in the last 50 questions or so. They were much like the COMLEX in that some of the questions were absolute novels! I hope we did enough to pass!

Drrrrrr. Celty said:
So, I'm pretty sure that I didn't do my FM shelf but instead walked into some weird universe where I managed to do comlex level 2 in 2:30 hours no break.

Anywho, that was a special test.
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Any insight into FM comat a week out? I've been watching some OME and started the combank COMAT for FM and not doing so great on the questions. My rotation has been 66% OMT.
 
t5Nitro said:
Any insight into FM comat a week out? I've been watching some OME and started the combank COMAT for FM and not doing so great on the questions. My rotation has been 66% OMT.
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The FM comat is so bizarre. I watched ome 2x and did FM combank and got an average score. Def do combank because there are repeats. Pretty much all other studying didn't matter because the test was so left field.
 
electrolight said:
The FM comat is so bizarre. I watched ome 2x and did FM combank and got an average score. Def do combank because there are repeats. Pretty much all other studying didn't matter because the test was so left field.
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This is discouraging! I ended up only scoring 61% on the FM comat from combank. Buckling up for the ride on Friday.
 
Any one have any resource recommendations for the EM COMAT? I do have MTB but I'm not sure it's enough.
Thanks!
 
drecharles said:
Any one have any resource recommendations for the EM COMAT? I do have MTB but I'm not sure it's enough.
Thanks!
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Just took the EM COMAT without studying and after I worked a 9p-9a shift in the ER. It’s just a repeat of level 2. I don’t have my score yet but I definitely think I passed. Very few questions are specific to emergency medicine, but rather comprehensive ambulatory care in general. Just use MTB and SUTM randomly and you’ll be fine!
 
Thanks for your response, I greatly appreciate it! 🙂 I have been using MTB for most of my rotations, but I do find that I need additional resources at times. Do you prefer SUTM over FA-- not necessarily for EM but in general? I know it's a matter of opinion, but I'm just curious. Thanks!
 
drecharles said:
Thanks for your response, I greatly appreciate it! 🙂 I have been using MTB for most of my rotations, but I do find that I need additional resources at times. Do you prefer SUTM over FA-- not necessarily for EM but in general? I know it's a matter of opinion, but I'm just curious. Thanks!
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I preferred SUTM for level/step 2, along with online med ed
 
Anyone have OMM COMAT recommendations? Was there viscerosomatic questions to save you on it?
 
Rekt said:
Anyone have OMM COMAT recommendations? Was there viscerosomatic questions to save you on it?
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Very few viscerosomatics. COMAT is similar to level 2, pretty in depth
 
jrlob91 said:
Very few viscerosomatics. COMAT is similar to level 2, pretty in depth
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Only a third year. Haven't taken level 2 yet. Been doing Combank and will also do Comquest OPP questions with a read through of Savarese. What else do you/anyone recommend?
 
Rekt said:
Only a third year. Haven't taken level 2 yet. Been doing Combank and will also do Comquest OPP questions with a read through of Savarese. What else do you/anyone recommend?
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That’s all I would recommend, maybe look through your OMM didactics from 1st/2nd year
 
For anyone looking for what resources to use for the COMATs. These are the resources I used for my COMATs in addition to looking up patient conditions on UpToDate/Dynamed during rounds and stuff. All my scores ranged from 112 to 128.

• Psychiatry: First Aid for Psychiatry, UWorld and combank questions, OnlineMedEd videos
• Family Medicine: combank questions, free AAFP questions, Ambulatory section of Step Up to Medicine
• Internal Medicine: UWorld and combank questions, some sections of Step Up to Medicine, UT Health Science Center review video, OnlineMedEd videos
• Surgery: Pestana’s Surgery Notes, UWorld and combank questions, UT Health Science Center review video, OnlineMedEd videos
• Ob/Gyn: Uworld and combank questions, OnlineMedEd videos, UWise modules
• Pediatrics: Uworld and combank questions, OnlineMedEd videos
 
Can anyone comment on how good UWise is for OBGYN? or Is UWorld, and doing Comquest COMAT questions along with OME enough?
 
mj2323 said:
Can anyone comment on how good UWise is for OBGYN? or Is UWorld, and doing Comquest COMAT questions along with OME enough?
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UWise is more than enough for the COMAT. I didn’t use UWorld so I can’t comment on that but if you use OME, comquest, and one other bank, whether it be UWise or UWorld, you should be set (as long as you have a good fund of knowledge and are a good test taker)
 
mj2323 said:
Can anyone comment on how good UWise is for OBGYN? or Is UWorld, and doing Comquest COMAT questions along with OME enough?
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I'm more of a book reader and read First Aid OBGYN Clerkship and did the OBGYN COMBANK and COMAT questions and scored >120.
 
mj2323 said:
Can anyone comment on how good UWise is for OBGYN? or Is UWorld, and doing Comquest COMAT questions along with OME enough?
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Only did Comquest COMAT and UWorld. ~125
 
Anyone have any suggestions for studying for the surgery comat? I have several good weeks to study for it but I wanted y'alls opinion on it because my school has mandatory reading that I don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole.

The mandatory reading is Essentials of General Surgery by Lawrence and Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine. I glanced at both and they're hot messes, both are extremely text dense and I have never been able to read textbooks like that. My mind immediately wanders off and no studying tricks have helped me get my focus back. I've tried, school has tried, etc. And watching WiseMD surgery videos.

What I would like to do instead is read Pestana Surgery notes, OME notes and videos, do combank, comquest, kaplan, and uworld surgery questions. Also, I have to score a 90 minimum on the comat in order to pass it, so I'm not sure how doable it is with my tentative study plan.

If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I'm all ears. Thank you!
 
So I've been scoring around 80% on all of my combank/comat and kaplan q's for psych. Do yall think this is good enough for 110+ for psych? I have been wanting to put off UW for a month that way I don't run it out by the end of dedicated for level 2.
 
PathoTurnUp1865 said:
So I've been scoring around 80% on all of my combank/comat and kaplan q's for psych. Do yall think this is good enough for 110+ for psych? I have been wanting to put off UW for a month that way I don't run it out by the end of dedicated for level 2.
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Should be fine. Just know your psych pharm really well and adjustment disorders. If you need a reference book, First Aid Psychiatry Clerkship is quick and helped me a lot with the COMAT.
 
moyamoya6 said:
Should be fine. Just know your psych pharm really well and adjustment disorders. If you need a reference book, First Aid Psychiatry Clerkship is quick and helped me a lot with the COMAT.
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Yeah I’ve been reading through it and onlinemeded throughout the clerkship. It’s been really helpful. So has the new Zanki step 2 deck. Just don’t know what to expect.
 
PathoTurnUp1865 said:
Yeah I’ve been reading through it and onlinemeded throughout the clerkship. It’s been really helpful. So has the new Zanki step 2 deck. Just don’t know what to expect.
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No one ever knows what to expect from the NBOME. They like to throw random questions in there that you won’t find in COMBANK, UWorld, or any of the commonly used psych shelf books.
 
trs88 said:
Anyone have any suggestions for studying for the surgery comat? I have several good weeks to study for it but I wanted y'alls opinion on it because my school has mandatory reading that I don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole.

The mandatory reading is Essentials of General Surgery by Lawrence and Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine. I glanced at both and they're hot messes, both are extremely text dense and I have never been able to read textbooks like that. My mind immediately wanders off and no studying tricks have helped me get my focus back. I've tried, school has tried, etc. And watching WiseMD surgery videos.

What I would like to do instead is read Pestana Surgery notes, OME notes and videos, do combank, comquest, kaplan, and uworld surgery questions. Also, I have to score a 90 minimum on the comat in order to pass it, so I'm not sure how doable it is with my tentative study plan.

If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I'm all ears. Thank you!
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I got a 113 with pestana and combank alone. You will be more than fine if you supplement pestana with a crap ton of banks like you said. Don’t bother with textbooks for any of the comats.
 
DNC127 said:
Anybody willing to share their COMBANK / COMQUEST OMM percentage and their OMM comat score? We need a 115 for honors at our school
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I got a 106 after doing combank one time through at 80%. We didn’t need a 115 to get honors since we had other assignments, otherwise I would have done more than one pass of combank but you will be fine for a 115 if you do multiple passes of both and know savarese.
 
Took the psych comat yesterday and it was WACK lol such random questions. Lots of pharm questions and surprisingly (or not) psychoanalysis questions.
What I used:
-1 x Kaplan questions: scored 80% first pass
- 2 x combank/comat questions: scored 83% 1st pass and 88% second pass
- 1.5 x through FA Psych for the wards (great book, got a few random questions just because of this)
- 1 x through online Med ed (doesn’t cover everything but it laid out the basics in an easy to understand way)
-ran through zanki step 2 for psych probably ~ 6-7 times. Really helped get the minutiae down. Really good deck and recommend it. Added my own cards from combank and FA to it as I went a long.

Overall don’t know how I did. Very similar to comlex questions. Was harder than combank, but felt similar to the Kaplan questions I did. Didn’t do Uworld because I don’t know when I’m taking level 2/step 2 and didn’t want my subscription to run out before then. Will be using it instead of Kaplan for future rotations. Like others said there’s no good way to prepare for those random questions they like to ask. Will post score regardless of how I did when I get it to this post.
 
In case anyone is wondering the OMM COMAT SUCKED.

Did truelearn CE and COMAT questions = 85%

After that I did Comquest CE and COMAT Questions = 92% (100th percentile for reference) and then on the COMAT there were probably 40 ish where I had to guess (30ish percent) whereas on truelearn I guessed on like 2-4 per block of 20 and comquest I guessed like 5-10 times total. Basically, there is no way you can prepare for it aside from just working hard and hoping for the best lol.
 
DNC127 said:
In case anyone is wondering the OMM COMAT SUCKED.

Did truelearn CE and COMAT questions = 85%

After that I did Comquest CE and COMAT Questions = 92% (100th percentile for reference) and then on the COMAT there were probably 40 ish where I had to guess (30ish percent) whereas on truelearn I guessed on like 2-4 per block of 20 and comquest I guessed like 5-10 times total. Basically, there is no way you can prepare for it aside from just working hard and hoping for the best lol.
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That’s how the psych comat was too lol gonna be a great year
 
OMM- Comquest, Combank and Savarese.. not much else you can do.
 
Just walked out of the FM COMAT totally dejected. I’m sure it didn’t help that FM was my first COMAT, but I felt like no amount of studying could have prepared me for that. I used Comquest, Case Files and Aquifer. Our school gives us OnlineMedEd subscriptions but I didn’t have enough time to go through a lot there. So many questions were so long they were practically novels, and many were totally out of left field. I hear it’s tough to fail these things but I feel pretty miserable right now.
 
Used psychiatry shelf COMQUEST and was scoring in 95%tile, read FA for Psych and watched OME 2x. Got killed on the COMAT. Rediculous. I had to guess on the last ten cause I ran out of time. It was nothing like any practice questions and there was stuff I had never even heard of before. Gotta love it.
 
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