UWorld or Comquest? Only taking COMLEX Level 2 CE

[mandym00]

For a DO student who is only planning to take COMLEX Level 2 CE which exam prep source would you recommend: UWorld or Comquest?

UWorld
- pro: known as the best out there for board prep
- con: geared towards USMLE (didn't do as well on COMLEX last year partly due to less exposure to COMLEX style questions), expensive
- price 3 months: $369

Comquest
- pro: geared towards COMLEX (I have really been liking their COMAT question bank), cheaper
- con: ? maybe less "hard" questions than UWorld? I honestly don't know though
- price 3 months: $159

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[SurgDoc95]

I'm a huge fan of comquest tbh. Plan to mix Uworld blocks and comquest blocks while studying for step 2 and level 2, but would likely only use comquest if I wasn't taking step 2

 

[risus_sardonicus]

For a DO student who is only planning to take COMLEX Level 2 CE which exam prep source would you recommend: UWorld or Comquest?

UWorld
- pro: known as the best out there for board prep
- con: geared towards USMLE (didn't do as well on COMLEX last year partly due to less exposure to COMLEX style questions), expensive
- price 3 months: $369

Comquest
- pro: geared towards COMLEX (I have really been liking their COMAT question bank), cheaper
- con: ? maybe less "hard" questions than UWorld? I honestly don't know though
- price 3 months: $159

Uworld is king. You’re digging your own grave not doing uworld.


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[mandym00]

Uworld is king. You’re digging your own grave not doing uworld.


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Is there any specific reason why you think that? I know that "UWorld is king" but why?
So I should do UWorld & Comquest then?

 

[mandym00]

I'm a huge fan of comquest tbh. Plan to mix Uworld blocks and comquest blocks while studying for step 2 and level 2, but would likely only use comquest if I wasn't taking step 2

Thanks for the input! At this point I'm not sure what advantage using UWorld would give me besides additional questions on top of Comquest, if I even have time for them... (which I might with the COVID situation). I'm a little less than 4 months out from my exam so maybe I'll see how the next month goes and then make the decision on buying a 3 month UW subscription.

 

[JibsGuy52]

Any reason for not taking step 2? Off topic but I haven’t heard of this method of action. Uworld seems like the move.

 

[mandym00]

Any reason for not taking step 2? Off topic but I haven’t heard of this method of action. Uworld seems like the move.

No that's a great question. I debated taking step 2, but I figured it wasn't necessary since I'm applying to psych. I'm not sure that taking step 2, even if I did well, would give me much of an advantage as far as my residency application goes. But let me know if you think otherwise, I'm happy to hear differing opinions.

Only thing that makes me hesitant: I did score about 10 percentile higher on Step 1 vs Level 1. But I hadn't prepared well enough for the Comlex question style and the difference in pacing of the exam. I also had an extra month to study for Step 1. I don't foresee myself doing as poorly on Level 2 as I did with Level 1 due to many factors: doing much better on clinical material (vs. didactic material in first and second year), focusing on comlex style questions (Comquest has been great for my COMAT shelves, having improved on my test taking skills, and being in a better state of mind Also by the time I take Level 2 the exam will be paced at nearly 82 seconds per Q instead of 72 seconds like it was previously

 

[phagocytosis41]

I'm using UWORLD and I'm in a similar position as you, only taking Level 2 but took Step 1. How much harder is Step 2 than Level 2?

 

[bogle8]

I'm using UWORLD and I'm in a similar position as you, only taking Level 2 but took Step 1. How much harder is Step 2 than Level 2?

Did feel like Step 2 was significantly more challenging compared to COMLEX 2. Required higher order thinking.

 

[phagocytosis41]

Did feel like Step 2 was significantly more challenging compared to COMLEX 2. Required higher order thinking.

You mean Step 1 more challenging vs COMLEX 1? I didn't take Step 2/COMLEX 2.
In terms of Step 1, it was more challenging in terms of higher order thinking. But the questions were way more clear. But thats me. I did way better on Step 1 because I like when questions are presented directly.

 

[Spectreman]

I’m gearing up for step 2 and level 2 so I’ll try not to make too many conjectures. That said, the vast majority of people come up significantly on Step 2. I think it’s silly not to at least give it a go by doing Uworld and a some NBMEs to see where you land.

 

[phagocytosis41]

I’m gearing up for step 2 and level 2 so I’ll try not to make too many conjectures. That said, the vast majority of people come up significantly on Step 2. I think it’s silly not to at least give it a go by doing Uworld and a some NBMEs to see where you land.

you mean improve from level 2 to step 2?

 

[Spectreman]

you mean improve from level 2 to step 2?

No improve on Step 2 from Step 1. Some of the posters above say they took Step 1 and do not plan to take Step 2. I’m just saying give it a go, especially if you’re going to chop through Uworld 2 and OME or DIT. Then if you utterly bomb the NBMEs don’t take it. I mean maybe this is a scenario where someone did VERY bad on step 1 and just don’t want to send any Step info to programs. In which case I could understand just cutting your loses and focusing on level 2.

 

[risus_sardonicus]

Step 2 is not a joke. It only seems easier because you study the same content for your shelves all year long, so almost everyone is better prepared. The avg on the exam is a 244, whereas step 1 is 230. Taking step 2 lightly and doing poorly = digging your own grave because almost everyone else will perform better than you


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[risus_sardonicus]

As soon as you take USMLE step exams, no one gives a crap about your comlex scores, they are meaningless. And just poorly written tests in general.


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[mandym00]

I got my level 2 ce score today and I got a 608. Completely shocked. I definitely felt better about level 2 vs level 1; no panic attack this time around lol. But not expecting this score WOW. Now I'm slightly regretting not taking step 2, which I could always still take. My school is proctoring some comlex and usmle exams so it wouldn't be unreasonable to get a score back by late October for residency programs to have.
*Edit: for reference I scored 437 on level 1

 

[Spectreman]

I got my level 2 ce score today and I got a 608. Completely shocked. I definitely felt better about level 2 vs level 1; no panic attack this time around lol. But not expecting this score WOW. Now I'm slightly regretting not taking step 2, which I could always still take. My school is proctoring some comlex and usmle exams so it wouldn't be unreasonable to get a score back by late October for residency programs to have.
*Edit: for reference I scored 437 on level 1

Congrats. I don’t know how I feel about Step 2 with no Step 1, but if you think it will be doable and help then go for it! That’s such a solid jump that targeting old AOA programs will go a long way. I guess it depends on what you want to go after.

 

[Scumione]

I got my level 2 ce score today and I got a 608. Completely shocked. I definitely felt better about level 2 vs level 1; no panic attack this time around lol. But not expecting this score WOW. Now I'm slightly regretting not taking step 2, which I could always still take. My school is proctoring some comlex and usmle exams so it wouldn't be unreasonable to get a score back by late October for residency programs to have.
*Edit: for reference I scored 437 on level 1

Congrats on the score!!! Did you end up using comquest or Uworld out of curiosity?

 

[risperdoll]

I also did really poorly on Level 1, only took Level 2 and used COMQUEST alone, and jumped about 40 percentile points. I still think the COMQUEST assessment over predicted my score a bit, but I’m happy overall with the results.

 

[mandym00]

Congrats. I don’t know how I feel about Step 2 with no Step 1, but if you think it will be doable and help then go for it! That’s such a solid jump that targeting old AOA programs will go a long way. I guess it depends on what you want to go after.

I took step 1 got a 218 which is slightly better than my level 1 score percentile wise. I'm applying to psych, there's only 1 program with osteopathic recognition and I'm not interesting in applying there. There's plenty of DO friendly & DO majority (among residents) psych programs I am interested in though so I guess the score looks good to programs that are familiar with DO applicants.

 

[mandym00]

Congrats on the score!!! Did you end up using comquest or Uworld out of curiosity?

I used Comquest! Then anki for incorrects/weak topics.

 

[mandym00]

I also did really poorly on Level 1, only took Level 2 and used COMQUEST alone, and jumped about 40 percentile points. I still think the COMQUEST assessment over predicted my score a bit, but I’m happy overall with the results.

Congrats! So crazy how different the score can be. Did you use Comquest the first time around? I wonder if my score would have been any different if I used comquest for level 1 instead of just doing UWorld.

 

[Spectreman]

I took step 1 got a 218 which is slightly better than my level 1 score percentile wise. I'm applying to psych, there's only 1 program with osteopathic recognition and I'm not interesting in applying there. There's plenty of DO friendly & DO majority (among residents) psych programs I am interested in though so I guess the score looks good to programs that are familiar with DO applicants.

218 is solid for psych and you should definitely try to squeeze in Step 2! Congrats, sounds like you’re well on your way to a career you want.

 

[mandym00]

218 is solid for psych and you should definitely try to squeeze in Step 2! Congrats, sounds like you’re well on your way to a career you want.

Thank you! Especially for the input regarding Step 2.

 

[risperdoll]

Congrats! So crazy how different the score can be. Did you use Comquest the first time around? I wonder if my score would have been any different if I used comquest for level 1 instead of just doing UWorld.

I did COMBANK like a fool because it was what the school provided for free and I was broke unfortunately! Definitely worth it this time around to pay for COMQUEST.

 

[hungrydoc710]

COMBANK irrelevant for Level 2? Is COMQUEST a must?
Is the formula of UW for Step 2/Level 2, then throw in OMM combank questions not functional for Level 2 of boards?

Thanks.

 

[risperdoll]

COMBANK irrelevant for Level 2? Is COMQUEST a must?
Is the formula of UW for Step 2/Level 2, then throw in OMM combank questions not functional for Level 2 of boards?

Thanks.

I just used COMBANK for Level 1 since it was what my school provided for free and it did not serve me well lol.

 

[hungrydoc710]

COMBANK was solid for my Level 1 experience. Think I’ll go the COMQUEST route this time though to hammer some OMM leading to Level 2.

 

[AceMedBoards]

From what our students have seen, both COMBANK and COMQUEST are good for level 2 in different ways. COMBANK helps more with the weird info and longer stems. While COMQUEST has shorter stems but can "feel" easier.

 

[Mad Jack]

I only used UW aside from doing the OMM COMLEX questions the week before the exam on COMBANK and scored over 700. UW is the way to go

 

[Neopolymath]

I only used UW aside from doing the OMM COMLEX questions the week before the exam on COMBANK and scored over 700. UW is the way to go

This is the right answer. Absolutely no need for DO resources besides just cramming OMM.

 

[SereneApple]

I got my level 2 ce score today and I got a 608. Completely shocked. I definitely felt better about level 2 vs level 1; no panic attack this time around lol. But not expecting this score WOW. Now I'm slightly regretting not taking step 2, which I could always still take. My school is proctoring some comlex and usmle exams so it wouldn't be unreasonable to get a score back by late October for residency programs to have.
*Edit: for reference I scored 437 on level 1

Hi Mandy,
What did you change about your studying for level 2 vs level 1?