What is a good COMLEX score?

[jaktown]

I am taking the COMLEX tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone knows what a "good" COMLEX score is. I know the scores are given in two and three digit scores and I heard that to pass it is a 400, average is 500, and the highest is 800. Does anyone know how these scores relate to the USMLE? i.e. A 240 on the USMLE would be about a ____ on the COMLEX? Or can anyone shed some light on what a good score is to get into residencies? Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ddmo]

wondering the same thing

 

[Idiopathic]

The best way to compare is to use the SD tables but keepin mind that typically DO's do worse on the USMLE than allopath students so this can devalue the COMLEX relative difficulty. A 400 should equal 180 or so, a 500 should be close to 200, a 700 should be 240-250 or so. Typically people who score really well on COMLEX also do very well on USMLE.

Shoot for 1 sd above the mean (~600) as this puts you in the top 18% or so of testers, I believe.

 

[ddmo]

I found another thread on this topic:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=2855699

 

[jaktown]

Thanks for the reply. Does the score report give you a percentile ranking? Also, where do you find the SD tables?

The best way to compare is to use the SD tables but keepin mind that typically DO's do worse on the USMLE than allopath students so this can devalue the COMLEX relative difficulty. A 400 should equal 180 or so, a 500 should be close to 200, a 700 should be 240-250 or so. Typically people who score really well on COMLEX also do very well on USMLE.

Shoot for 1 sd above the mean (~600) as this puts you in the top 18% or so of testers, I believe.

 

[Idiopathic]

The COMLEX score report used to give you a three digit number and a two digit percentile. That may have changed. The test result will give you the mean and the SD (i.e. mean of 400, SD of 80) and you can tell from your score where you fit on the normalized curve and what percentage you fall in.

 

[jaktown]

When did you take the COMLEX? since I took the COMLEX just recently on the computer supposedly it is going to take months for them to get our scores back to us because it takes a while to get a cohort of people that took the test. I guess we'll see.

The COMLEX score report used to give you a three digit number and a two digit percentile. That may have changed. The test result will give you the mean and the SD (i.e. mean of 400, SD of 80) and you can tell from your score where you fit on the normalized curve and what percentage you fall in.

 

[Idiopathic]

When did you take the COMLEX? since I took the COMLEX just recently on the computer supposedly it is going to take months for them to get our scores back to us because it takes a while to get a cohort of people that took the test. I guess we'll see.

No, I expect you to have scores in 4-6 weeks, since the 'cohort' should be an amalgam of test takers from the previous exam also. LIkely the tests are very similar, if not identical.

 

[stochastic]

No, I expect you to have scores in 4-6 weeks, since the 'cohort' should be an amalgam of test takers from the previous exam also. LIkely the tests are very similar, if not identical.

check out what the NBOME told someone on the phone here

 

[Idiopathic]

Well, there you go. Id also like you all to consider that you should never believe what the NBME tells you. But that certainly is a reasonable explanation.

 

[HoodyHoo]

I have a feeling nobody knows but here it goes..............does anyone know how many questions right on the comlex equates to passing? average? and all that stuff? I don't think they give out that kind of info but i'm not sure. I just took the beast today and came out feeling like I missed 50% of the questions. Hopefully not though.

 

[Fin-Nor]

I have a feeling nobody knows but here it goes..............does anyone know how many questions right on the comlex equates to passing? average? and all that stuff? I don't think they give out that kind of info but i'm not sure. I just took the beast today and came out feeling like I missed 50% of the questions. Hopefully not though.

hoody,

i believe passing was roughly 55% last year. so out of 800... u can do the math. im too lazy

 

[dodo24]

i think this year its different for every test... last year was one test for everybody this what ive been told hope it helps

 

[biodork444]

NoW i don't know if this is true or what any of this scoring means, but I took the comlex today and someone told me like 2 months ago that I could log onto the NBOME website and see if I passed, not get my score or get some score or something the following day- i logged in tonight when I got home and it says scores not available, but there is a place for scores- does anyone know anything about this? i am feeling like I don't want to look, because I don't know what all the scoring means. but if anyone knows anything, let me know- i don;t know how they would do this since it has to be curved and all that other stuff.

 

[DrMom]

Your score (or any mention of pass/fail) won't be on the NBOME website or anywhere else until they release it--which takes weeks to months depending on what time of the year you take the exam.