usmle vs. comlex

[amyl]

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I know everyone says take the usmle step one, don't rely on comlex. A friend of mine told me that the PD at Miami told him to forget taking step one, rely on his average comlex score and study super hard for step two usmle. This is different than all other advice I had previously been given. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[VentdependenT]

Maybe because your buddy has already taken Step I and Step II COMLEX. Going back to study step I crap a year and a half later is an absolute way to get a crappy score.

Take Step I USMLE. If you miss the boat then take USMLE step II when you take COMLEX step II.

Remember that the USMLE STEP I is the weed out variable on applications. It behooves you to take it for that reason.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

Take Step I.

 

[joncmarkley]

take step one

i got 100% on comlex and it didnt mean much to some programs because they couldnt compare me apples to apples to their usmle people....so i took usmle II


TAKE STEP 1!

 

[lymanite37]

I took both USMLE and COMLEX Step I. I got a 212 on USMLE, should I consider taking USMLE step 2 or should I be okay with just taking COMLEX 2

 

[smgilles]

I took both USMLE and COMLEX Step I. I got a 212 on USMLE, should I consider taking USMLE step 2 or should I be okay with just taking COMLEX 2

212 is below the mean....I would study hard and bring up that USMLE step II score. I would not give the programs any reason not to interview you. I took both steps of both tests and was told many times by programs they were glad I took USMLE I and II. It just removes any doubt.

Apples to Apples. You want to play in their sandbox you have to play by their rules.

 

[amyl]

Maybe because your buddy has already taken Step I and Step II COMLEX. Going back to study step I crap a year and a half later is an absolute way to get a crappy score.

So I have the month of July off to study (in between third and fourth years) and I was planning on going back and studying "step I crap" for the usmle step one-- think I am doomed to a crappy score?!?!?

 

[VentdependenT]

So I have the month of July off to study (in between third and fourth years) and I was planning on going back and studying "step I crap" for the usmle step one-- think I am doomed to a crappy score?!?!?

I don't think you are doomed to get a crappy score. It just SUCKS to go over that junk again. If you have it in ya then kudos to you. I may just say screw it and go for STEP II.

A good step I score is tough to beat. However I don't think anyone will look down upon a good step II score. Either one will greatly help you.

Choice is up to you my friend.

 

[amyl]

I don't think you are doomed to get a crappy score. It just SUCKS to go over that junk again. If you have it in ya then kudos to you. I may just say screw it and go for STEP II.

A good step I score is tough to beat. However I don't think anyone will look down upon a good step II score. Either one will greatly help you.

Choice is up to you my friend.

yes -- nothing is worse than having to memorize the stupid intermediates of the krebs cycle for the fifth time...the biochem is killing me. if i broke 600 comlex i would just take step II...but I didn't. I am afraid if i say screw it and take only step two and I don't match I will kick myself forever. I am hoping I get bonus points for going back and taking the step one usmle after third year (and that they take it into consideration if i don't rock it). thanks for the advice.

 

[VentdependenT]

ethyl-guanil-co-aminotranferglutenase-alpha 6.

F-THAT stuff.

 

[CremeSickle]

I did not take step 1 and it cost me my 1st 2 choices. They both were very clear that was a major factor. Dont do what I did and you will be more competitive.

 

[VentdependenT]

Did you take step II?

 

[CremeSickle]

yes but my comlex I score was just above the mean. I did well on step II.

If i had of just taken step I from the jump I would not have had all the anxiety and difficulty that ensued. Its my own fault for not listening to people who were telling me I should do the USMLE. It was really made clear to me when it came up in interviews OVER and OVER..... stupid.

 

[Noyac]

yes but my comlex I score was just above the mean. I did well on step II.

If i had of just taken step I from the jump I would not have had all the anxiety and difficulty that ensued. Its my own fault for not listening to people who were telling me I should do the USMLE. It was really made clear to me when it came up in interviews OVER and OVER..... stupid.

That says it all.

The attendings here have been harping on this for as long as I have been here. I don't know why you would even consider not taking it.

If you want to be treated like your MD counterparts then take the same exams as they do. Otherwise, you are playing Russian Roulette with your future. Harsh maybe. But real for sure.

 

[CremeSickle]

Exactly Noy.

I was being an idiot and I learned the hard way. I had the attitude that "Im a DO and dont need to take MD exams". Well, that was a wake up call and my attitude was seriously readjusted.

I hope others can learn from my dumb mistake. I was lucky cause i still matched, however, it could have went very differently.

That says it all.

The attendings here have been harping on this for as long as I have been here. I don't know why you would even consider not taking it.

If you want to be treated like your MD counterparts then take the same exams as they do. Otherwise, you are playing Russian Roulette with your future. Harsh maybe. But real for sure.

 

[Noyac]

Cremey,

It might help if you told others which programs gave you the feedback.

And tell us your Comlex 1 score. If you don't mind.

 

[CremeSickle]

At the risk of embarrassing myself...

My complex 1 score was 495/50... I didnt take it seriously enough and paid the price.

Id prefer not to mention the programs as I dont want to identify myself to anyone. (who knows who reads these boards). Ill say that they wernt "top tier" as many would consider, more location related to me and considered "average" by most and i STILL didnt get accepted.

Cremey,

It might help if you told others which programs gave you the feedback.

And tell us your Comlex 1 score. If you don't mind.

 

[VentdependenT]

I did well on my COMLEX and on the interview trail programs kept asking me why I did better on the USMLE than the DO exam.

I was like "wtf are you talking about?" I did decent on the USMLE but I didn't crush the damn thing.

Turns out that programs are give some bogus conversion sheet put out by our friends at the NBOME. Guess what? Its completely friggen wrong. I had something like a 96% (cant remember the three digit) on COMLEX uno and with their conversion score it turned it into a USMLE three digit score of something like 210. That score was lower than the USMLE score I got.

After that I carried my official COMLEX transcript with me.

Just ANOTHER reason to take the USMLE.

 

[Green912]

The fact that I took the USMLE, step I&II, was brought up during the majority of my interviews. I matched at my #1 program and had it not been for the USMLE I'm positive that I wouldn't have even been extended an interview invite (reading between the lines while talking with the PD).

Take em.......

 

[badgas]

I did well on my COMLEX and on the interview trail programs kept asking me why I did better on the USMLE than the DO exam.

I was like "wtf are you talking about?" I did decent on the USMLE but I didn't crush the damn thing.

Turns out that programs are give some bogus conversion sheet put out by our friends at the NBOME. Guess what? Its completely friggen wrong. I had something like a 96% (cant remember the three digit) on COMLEX uno and with their conversion score it turned it into a USMLE three digit score of something like 210. That score was lower than the USMLE score I got.

After that I carried my official COMLEX transcript with me.

Just ANOTHER reason to take the USMLE.

That exact same thing happened to me when I interviewed at the program I matched at. Damn that COMLEX mystery 2 digit score.

To the OP, I was told at no less than 7 interviews last year how happy they were that I did well on Step I and how they honestly didn't even know what the scores on COMLEX meant.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I did fairly poorly on the USMLE Step I (200) and I kind of gambled and took Step II early and fortunately got a much improved score (241). This score was in line with my COMLEX I/II as well as subsequently my USMLE III score (mid 230's or so). Don't know if I had a bad day on USMLE I or what, my test was a bear. So while there is some risk to taking the USMLE and then potentially going through the whole business of score reporting - my advice is to study hard and roll the dice. You don't want to be in the position of wondering if you should have taken the USMLE and/or studying for it during your clinical years.

This topic has been beat around multiple times before.

 

[Stimulate]

Turns out that programs are give some bogus conversion sheet put out by our friends at the NBOME. Guess what? Its completely friggen wrong. I had something like a 96% (cant remember the three digit) on COMLEX uno and with their conversion score it turned it into a USMLE three digit score of something like 210. That score was lower than the USMLE score I got.

After that I carried my official COMLEX transcript with me.

Just ANOTHER reason to take the USMLE.

I agree 100% with this post.

Also, I have no evidence to back this up other than a discussion with a program coordinator back in 2003 but apparently NBOME was not releasing the two-digit percentile score just the three-digit. Lucky for me I nailed the COMLEX 1 with like 690/99, however, the only number given to the program directors was "690". Needless to say, none of them knew what that number meant. This same program coordinator advised me to FAX my personal score report to my favorite programs along with a letter explaining my score and how I compared to other osteopathic applicants. I think this was great advice and this was commented on during interviews. I also took USMLE Step 1 and did well so that helped.

I have been advising those who do well on USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Step 1 not to bother taking any additional USMLE exams. I don't think programs put a huge weight on USMLE step 2 (at least in anesthesiology) and you only need steps 1-3 of COMLEX for licensure in all 50 states. So basically USMLE Steps 2/3 are just wallet biopsies.

I am glad that more and more osteopathic applicants are taking USMLE Step 1. Unfortunately there are still a lot of DO schools who give their students bad advice about how allopathic directors need to learn how to embrace the COMLEX or their programs are worthless. I hate to say it but sometimes I wonder if they want their students to fail in the allopathic Match to force them into a DO internship while they reapply.

 

[Mista Suprane]

212 is below the mean....I would study hard and bring up that USMLE step II score. I would not give the programs any reason not to interview you. I took both steps of both tests and was told many times by programs they were glad I took USMLE I and II. It just removes any doubt.

Apples to Apples. You want to play in their sandbox you have to play by their rules.

👍 completely agree - especially with a less than rockstar step I score (mine wasn't awesome either), killing USMLE step II would be a bonus to your application.

so how is it going for you, mr. mayo? can't be as bad as me - i'm on call in the ICU right now, by myself with no in house senior, covering 9 surgical patients. so far so good, just need to get through the next 8 hours.

 

[smgilles]

👍 completely agree - especially with a less than rockstar step I score (mine wasn't awesome either), killing USMLE step II would be a bonus to your application.

so how is it going for you, mr. mayo? can't be as bad as me - i'm on call in the ICU right now, by myself with no in house senior, covering 9 surgical patients. so far so good, just need to get through the next 8 hours.

2 weeks of orientation and being "Mayonized" is killing me. I start on Cards and then CVICU. No weekends for an entire year is kind of depressing. I am on service this Sat. Stay strong brother man!

 

[ComicBookHero20]

At the risk of embarrassing myself...

My complex 1 score was 495/50... I didnt take it seriously enough and paid the price.

Id prefer not to mention the programs as I dont want to identify myself to anyone. (who knows who reads these boards). Ill say that they wernt "top tier" as many would consider, more location related to me and considered "average" by most and i STILL didnt get accepted.

how does the comlex I two-digit score become a 50?

i thought since the minimum passing three-digit score is 400, they make that correlate to a 75 (i still don't know what this 2-digit or 3-digit score actually represent, if you can enlighten me on this, that would be lovely)

so i'm a bit confused on how a three-digit score above 400 becomes equivalent to a 50 on their two-digit scale

 

[amyl]

I don't think that 50 is right either. 400 is passing, 500 average, the standard deviation is 75. From what I know the 500's correlates to the 80s. 50 is not a passing score.

I understand not wanting to divulge where you work but would mind sharing where you got interviews?

 

[me454555]

I don't think that 50 is right either. 400 is passing, 500 average, the standard deviation is 75. From what I know the 500's correlates to the 80s. 50 is not a passing score.

I understand not wanting to divulge where you work but would mind sharing where you got interviews?

If 500 is indeed avg, then the 2 digit score by definition is 50 as in the 50th percentile b/c the 50th percentile is average. FWIW, I'm fairly sure 500 is a 50 b/c my 2 digit score was my percentile and I was able to calculate it by assuming 500 was avereage and then figureing out my sd.

 

[ComicBookHero20]

If 500 is indeed avg, then the 2 digit score by definition is 50 as in the 50th percentile b/c the 50th percentile is average. FWIW, I'm fairly sure 500 is a 50 b/c my 2 digit score was my percentile and I was able to calculate it by assuming 500 was avereage and then figureing out my sd.

so is that what the 2-digit score is? a percentile? because the NBOME site says it's not a percentile

then doesn't this make our grading scale completely different from the USMLE in every which way?

 

[me454555]

so is that what the 2-digit score is? a percentile? because the NBOME site says it's not a percentile

then doesn't this make our grading scale completely different from the USMLE in every which way?

IIRC, it was a percentage when I took it. Definatly seemed to work out that way and made sense from std deviation point of view but they may have changed it since. And yes, its completely different than the USMLE so take the test.

To sum up this thread You wanna live in their world? Play by their rules or don't complain about not getting a spot!!

 

[ComicBookHero20]

If 500 is indeed avg, then the 2 digit score by definition is 50 as in the 50th percentile b/c the 50th percentile is average. FWIW, I'm fairly sure 500 is a 50 b/c my 2 digit score was my percentile and I was able to calculate it by assuming 500 was avereage and then figureing out my sd.

IIRC, it was a percentage when I took it. Definatly seemed to work out that way and made sense from std deviation point of view but they may have changed it since. And yes, its completely different than the USMLE so take the test.

To sum up this thread You wanna live in their world? Play by their rules or don't complain about not getting a spot!!

i got no problem with taking the test, just wanna know how the score stands

 

[VentdependenT]

so is that what the 2-digit score is? a percentile? because the NBOME site says it's not a percentile

then doesn't this make our grading scale completely different from the USMLE in every which way?

its not. Its some fugged up fudge factor conversion thing that magically castrates your COMLEX 3 digit into a USMLE 2 digit score. Based on what data? Who the hell knows. But its waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy off. Unfavorably so.

 

[hotlikebutter]

ok, so from what ive read and my understanding, the 3 digit score is how well you did in relation to total number of questions correct. but please dont think that this is what you got on the test itself, its standardized. the 2 digit scores factors in the fact that some questions are harder than others. so the 2 digit score is how you did on the harder questions compared to the rest of the field.

please let me know if im thinking about this wrong, or if you can add anything else to this 3 digit 2 digit madness 🙂

 

[VentdependenT]

ok, so from what ive read and my understanding, the 3 digit score is how well you did in relation to total number of questions correct. but please dont think that this is what you got on the test itself, its standardized. the 2 digit scores factors in the fact that some questions are harder than others. so the 2 digit score is how you did on the harder questions compared to the rest of the field.

please let me know if im thinking about this wrong, or if you can add anything else to this 3 digit 2 digit madness 🙂

Never heard that before.