Advice for COMLEX III

[DO_Surgeon]

I just registered for COMLEX III next month. I am a general surgery intern, and have had the majority of my non-surgical rotations. I just bought crush step 3 and the NMS q book. Anyone have any advice for studying (length of time, books, important topics, etc) What about the new computer format and how many questions do you need to pass?

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[BrownCrown]

A few people get away with cramming for this test, but they are in the minority. I know a bunch of people who have struggle with it. I think it's better to prepare thoroughly just to be on the safe side since you never know what you're going to get with this test. NBOME is just all over the place with there questions. I know smart people in ortho and optho programs who have failed one or more times on COMLEX step 3. Just showing up for the test is not enough in my opinion.

I totally agree, i hate when people come here and brag about how they studied a week and scored a 700 plus ..........just study for the darn exam and make sure you do it and get done with this COMLEX nonsense

 

[Mixmaster]

Anyone know how well the Combank percentage correlates with exam performance?

 

[LonePair]

Hey everyone, I'm about to kick into gear for studying for the COMLEX III. Would anyone be willing to sell their books to me at a good price?

I'm looking for
CRUSH STEP 3
NMS Q BOOK
USMLE 3 RECALL
HIGH YIELD OB GYN

Thanks,
Lonepair

 

[dlm13cwru]

It is worth purchasing the premier review home study prep for comlex 3? I take then comlex in 1 month and currently been studying Kaplan's Master the Boards, First Aid, B&W, Crush, Sarvese, and combank. I'm just concerned because I didn't pass Comlex 2 the first time and don't want that to happen with Comlex 3

 

[DMBmatty08]

Took COMLEX III at the end of April, got my scores back in Mid-June and got 780 (99). I used Crush Step 3 and COMBANK for 2 weeks. I got ~75% correct after going through the questions once. I also used savarese for OMM. I had made notes in my Savarese of OMM questions I had on step 2 and they correlated very well with the OMM questions I saw on step 3. Overall the test was not to bad. Good luck to all future test takers. Oh yeah, I'm an OB/GYN resident.

 

[neuropedsneuro]

Anyone know how many questions are in each block?

 

[Richie Truxillo]

I passed COMLEX III first try. It's basically the same as Step II with some additional medicare and hypothetical social situations thrown in the mix to keep you on your toes. Know your guidelines and how to order appropriate diagnostic tests.

It's 50 questions x 8 blocks. 40 minutes for lunch.

study materials: My residency (FM) and USMLE boards and wards. Also USMLE 3 Board review book (NMS) that SDN gave me for a contest awhile back I read something for 5-10 minutes every day for 4-5 months. Kept the book by the porcelain throne!

Keep the faith gang and NO MORE COMLEX WOO HOO! Time to start studying for FM boards.

With Love Post-Call,
Richie

 

[dmuryan]

2nd year ObGyn resident. Just took Step III 10/13. Combank score only 64%--went through all the questions once and reviewed all missed questions once. Actual COMLEX results still pending.

 

[NJWxMan]

Just to give everyone a heads up; per NBOME website, COMLEX III re-scaling will take place this winter and will affect February 2010 test-takers. Looking at COMLEX II postings, scores were dramatically lower for those folks and included numerous 100 point score drops between COMLEX I and II. Many people ended up failing COMLEX II. It leaves me in a tough situation; do I rush my studying and take it it January 2010 or just take my time and deal with the new scaling system in February or March 2010.

 

[ShyFly]

Just to give everyone a heads up; per NBOME website, COMLEX III re-scaling will take place this winter and will affect February 2010 test-takers. Looking at COMLEX II postings, scores were dramatically lower for those folks and included numerous 100 point score drops between COMLEX I and II. Many people ended up failing COMLEX II. It leaves me in a tough situation; do I rush my studying and take it it January 2010 or just take my time and deal with the new scaling system in February or March 2010.

WOW! I am surprised to read this because I thought I was the only one thinking about this I actually took the COMLEX early for this reason ONLY! Judging from the Step 2 forum, it seems like it'll be a lot harder pass when these new standards take place.

The test seemed pretty fair overall. I used Crush Step 3 and Savarese (hopefully for the last time!). I also used COMQUEST (the new COMLEX question bank) for questions and I felt very prepared with these. The question style was very similar and the topics covered were high yield and focused on outpatient medicine as well as inpatient - something needed for the COMLEX 3. To my understanding, they're relatively new but when I used it they had ~890 questions. I wish I had more time to use it though because some of the incorrect answers would've helped on the exam and I did not spend enough time reading the explanations for the incorrect answer options. My COMQUEST score was 72%. My recommendation is Crush Step 3 + COMQUEST + Savarese. My COMLEX score is still pending but I felt well prepared with these three. Good luck

Edit: I also used Boards and Wards on my downtime in the hospital and went through about half of "Master the Boards" for Step 3. These were both really good sources as well. I was kinda last minute and rushed so I couldn't go through these thoroughly. I would recommend all of these though if you have the time.

 

[JMC_MarineCorps]

Here I go again, taking in 6 days. Psych resident here not fond of treating vaginal infections nor runny noses, but I find myself yet again trying to distinguish that frothy yellow-green, malodorous dischrage b/w that thick grayish white fishy odor discharge on KOH prep. Used COMBANK last time and was close but no cigar.

This time:
Kaplan Qbank (1000 ?s) this really doesn't help w/ COMLEX style questions though - obviously. But I used it to prepare me for Steps 1&2 and it worked.

NBOME COMSAE $50 (200 ?s)

OLD NBOME ?s from 2000, 2003 (300 ?s)

And lastly, I heard about this one late into my studying COMQUEST MED QBANK. I did poorly on COMSAE so I decided I would try this question bank.
This one looks and feels like the real exam. The questions are written very similarly to COMLEX/COMSAE - the format/interface is identical.

I plan to finish this one, there should be enough time (900 ?s). Wish I heard about it sooner, I would have forgone the COMSAE entirely (a $50 one time shot w/o any explanations or idea which ?s you missed) and used COMQUESTMED in its place - a far greater value IMHO ($75 for an entire month w/ explanations and an opportunity to look through/use again).

Also used FA3 principly and got my hands on Step 2 Secrets recently for gap coverage. Also using Crush and B&W for cross reference stuff in addition to Kaplan live lecture series cases - the 2 volume book set.

Hopefully none of you have to endure this much pain and hardship, but in the rare case that you do, perhaps this post will be of some value to you.

Best wishes,

JMC

 

[Rads NR]

hey guys, new to posting but been viewing for a while. any more comlex 3 experiences/advice? ill be taking it end of jan and i cannot get myself to study! lol thanks in advance

 

[lasvegasDO]

Did anyone use the NMS for USMLE Step 3 qbook?

Lastly, how did Crush Step 3 correlate to the COMLEX 3. I'm reading it now and it seems almost identical to Crush 2/USMLE Secrets 2. It seems too basic and easy? Did any of you find it really helpful?

 

[NJWxMan]

Honestly, I think Crush Step III is crap. I read through it once and honestly didn't get much out it. I prefer the Kaplan Master the Boards and Kaplan Atep II CK notes. From what I remember, the First Aid Step II book was also a good review. For OB/GYN, I'm going to use High Yield (100 pages) and for peds, First Aid Peds ( I once read through it in one day). I will then complete the Kaplan Q book and lastly, Comquest qbank and Savarese. Starting in January, the bar is being raised and the pass rate will likely take a bit hit 96% now, and will likely drop to 85-88%, so be aware.

 

[lasvegasDO]

Honestly, I think Crush Step III is crap. I read through it once and honestly didn't get much out it. I prefer the Kaplan Master the Boards and Kaplan Atep II CK notes. From what I remember, the First Aid Step II book was also a good review. For OB/GYN, I'm going to use High Yield (100 pages) and for peds, First Aid Peds ( I once read through it in one day). I will then complete the Kaplan Q book and lastly, Comquest qbank and Savarese. Starting in January, the bar is being raised and the pass rate will likely take a bit hit 96% now, and will likely drop to 85-88%, so be aware.

I'm taking it in a few weeks for precisely that reason. I think they will make the exam harder. I'm guessing there were complaints that the exam is too closely related to step II so they will probably have more subjective management related questions. Yeah, just look at the COMLEX 2 forum. A lot more people failed this past summer than the the previous one.

Are you going to be able to read all those books? That seems like overkill to me

 

[colleezfascia]

First-year resident here....Took it 2 months ago and passed. Used First Aid for Step 3, Secrets for Step 2, Combank, and Savarese....did fine. You will too.

good luck.

 

[kumar28]

hey, does anyone know when the re-scaling of comlex step 3 first starts to take affect. Is it just for Feb test takers. I just registered for my exam on Jan 28th and don't want to be affected by this new 'scale'

 

[jacksparrow82]

To the post above: Directly from NBOME "For Level 3, standards will be reviewed in September 2009, taking effect February 2010."

Darn it! This sort of thing always happens to me! Now, everyone is making the assumption that a "review of the pass/fail standards" means that the test will become harder to pass. That's probably a safe assumption, but is it enough to mean that it would be wise to take the test earlier than originally planned?
I signed up to take mine at the end of February because I'll be on an easy elective rotation that month and will have lots of time to study. So, now I'm stuck with the decision to move the test up by a month and take it in January with 1 month less to study or should I just stick to my original date and study as planned? Either way I'm going to need to study really hard for this thing because I have a bad track record with COMLEX so far. I'm thinking it might be riskier to move it up then to just try my hand at the new pass/fail standards?

Any other thoughts?

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

To the post above: Directly from NBOME "For Level 3, standards will be reviewed in September 2009, taking effect February 2010."

Darn it! This sort of thing always happens to me! Now, everyone is making the assumption that a "review of the pass/fail standards" means that the test will become harder to pass. That's probably a safe assumption, but is it enough to mean that it would be wise to take the test earlier than originally planned?
I signed up to take mine at the end of February because I'll be on an easy elective rotation that month and will have lots of time to study. So, now I'm stuck with the decision to move the test up by a month and take it in January with 1 month less to study or should I just stick to my original date and study as planned? Either way I'm going to need to study really hard for this thing because I have a bad track record with COMLEX so far. I'm thinking it might be riskier to move it up then to just try my hand at the new pass/fail standards?

Any other thoughts?

After reading the horror stories on the COMLEX-II forum about students with 600+ COMLEX-I scores yet significantly dropped level II scores, I'd try to take COMLEX-III **BEFORE** Feb 2010!

Get your FA for Step 2 (or Crush or whatever) register for COMQUEST and nail this bad boy. It's very much like level II. Nothing crazy.

This is even more true if you have a track record of below average COMLEX-I and II scores. You can't afford a big drop b/c of some new (unfair?) standard!

 

[lasvegasDO]

Do you guys remember how long it took to receive your COMLEX 3 scores? Was it more than 4 weeks?

 

[JMC_MarineCorps]

I went into lock down for 3 wks as everything was on the line from my perspective. QBanks were key, but only after I studied FA front to back and used B&W, Step 2 Secrets and Crush to fill in gaps.

I really like COMQUEST for the look/feel of the exam. Tremendous value when you consider the COMSAE that NBOME sells for $50 and is only 200?s and you can only use it once (which I bought and used - and felt ripped off afterwards). I used Kaplan Qbank step3 and Combank too, I like COMQUEST best and this one qbank would definitely be enough to get most by on their 1st attempt.

Scores came in just over the 5 week mark. Good luck peeps.

 

[mountainDOc09]

Any more opinions on combank vs. comquest? I have not used either, but this time I want to avoid the usmle qbanks!

Unfortunately I didn't look into step three early enough, and will be taking it after the February changes.

 

[kumar28]

anyone use usmle world for step 3? Is it good...i have been using that and FA for step 3 and that is basically it. And also Savaresse. Should I stop with usmle world and start using the new comquest question bank??

Thanks in advance

 

[GiantsChamps]

Just finished COMLEX III today. Honestly, if you're a 3rd year medicine resident you dont need to study much at all---it's amazing how much you learn. I just looked over Boards and Wards (OB and Peds) and looked over the notes I made for OMM for step 1/2 (total study time of 3 days prior to the exam). That should suffice to pass (that's all that matters at this point---fellowship stuff is over ).

Good luck everyone.

 

[mcandy]

R2 internal medicine resident...no studying and did exactly the same as step 2. Definitely glad I didnt study cuz it was the same crap as step 2. good luck, dont sweat it. psyched to be done with nbome.

 

[Krazykritter]

Just got my score back yesterday...Only thing I did was do all questions on COMBANK for Level 3 once through & review the Type I & Type II prinicples for OMM.

Took it 6 months into G.Surg residency so I was pretty surprised to find out I scored 713. This was my highest score by far & I did so little to actually prepare for it. Most of my questions were done in down time at the hospital between cases or on a quick lunch break.

 

[justgobeach]

Strong Medicine vs. Crush Step 3 vs. First Aid Step 3 vs Boards and Wards...
(in addition to Savarese for OMM and high yield for OB/gyn)

Seems like people choose either Strong Medicine or Crush though...which one?

Don't want to have too many books....

Thanks!

 

[Dr. Ditka]

I heard that there was a new version of Step 3 COMLEX that was starting this month. Has anyone taken it this month? How was it? What were the changes? Thanks.

 

[JonnyG]

I heard that there was a new version of Step 3 COMLEX that was starting this month. Has anyone taken it this month? How was it? What were the changes? Thanks.

Not new version just a different standard of passing

 

[jacksparrow82]

Well, I take it this friday. I've been studying Crush and doing as many questions on Combank as I can stand and reviewing the ones I missed. Hopefully all will go well. To those of you that passed and used Combank, what kind of percentage were you getting on those questions? They say you need a 63% to have a >90% probability of passing, I'm close to that now, but it makes me nervous if I'm still under that mark?

 

[jacksparrow82]

Just finished taking the Comlex Step 3 this afternoon. Overall it was about what I expected. I knew some questions well, I didn't know others at all, and the rest were somewhere in between. There were lots of pregnancy questions, vaginal discharge type questions, lots of OMM stuff, mostly dealing with somatovisceral reflexes and chapman points. Overall fairly similar to step 2, but more heavily weighted towards medical decision making.
I studied primarily using COMBANK, but started out with Kaplan videos just for peds and OB/Gyn.
I thought the combank questions were very adequate for getting me prepared. I only did about 500 of the 800 or so they offer and if I could go back and do it again I would be sure to finish them all and then go back through all of them again just to make sure I memorized the stuff they said to memorize in the review sections because alot of what they said to focus on ended up being on the exam.
I feel "ok" after taking it. I just hope I did well enough to pass. We'll see in about a month or so I guess!?

 

[IMDoc607]

I heard that there was a new version of Step 3 COMLEX that was starting this month. Has anyone taken it this month? How was it? What were the changes? Thanks.

With the whole disaster with Level 2, we have found out they have been changing the standards for the exam. Level 2 was done last year in June, Level 1 and 3 are starting to change.

The passing rates for 2 dropped ~9%....We may see the same for 1 and 3 now.

 

[lylengeit8]

Thanks for your input, I'm taking the exam next friday. Been using FA, boards and wards, COMQUEST, and Savarese. I'm getting really nervious. What is the format of the exam like (couldn't really find anything on their website, maybe I'm blind)? How may sections? How many questions in each section? How much time do you get? Are there any mandatory breaks?

 

[Blaster]

Taking my step 3 on Monday. What are the specifics on the scoring change? Anyone have an idea what percentage of questions is a passing score now? Working through comquest now...hopefully the tutor section pays off.

 

[Blaster]

there are 8 sets of 50 question sections for a total of 400 questions, divided into 2 4hr blocks. Good luck.

 

[lylengeit8]

Thank you so much. Good luck to you too!

 

[jacksparrow82]

Thanks for your input, I'm taking the exam next friday. Been using FA, boards and wards, COMQUEST, and Savarese. I'm getting really nervious. What is the format of the exam like (couldn't really find anything on their website, maybe I'm blind)? How may sections? How many questions in each section? How much time do you get? Are there any mandatory breaks?

Its pretty much just like step 2. 400 questions, 200 in morning, 200 in afternoon. The questions are almost all single question multiple choice. There are some matching sets. The only new things I noticed were a couple of audio clips of heart murmurs and a video of a patient interview. There were a number of EKGs, CTs, and chest films, even a hip film. Keep studying hard, this is definitely a manageable exam, lots of basics. I can promise you there will be a number of completely out there questions that there is no way you could prepare for, but they are definitely in the minority.

 

[lylengeit8]

I appreciate the words of encouragement. Thank you so much for posting. Cheers

 

[trudragoon]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this: I am doing an ACGME residency and took COMLEX I and II, USMLE step I and II CE, do I have to take USMLE CS and step III or can I just take COMLEX step III? Thanks in advance!

 

[jacksparrow82]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this: I am doing an ACGME residency and took COMLEX I and II, USMLE step I and II CE, do I have to take USMLE CS and step III or can I just take COMLEX step III? Thanks in advance!

I think you just have to take either one, but you'd probably have to ask your state license board if they require COMLEX since you're a D.O. I would directly ask them before signing up for either exam.

 

[wook]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this: I am doing an ACGME residency and took COMLEX I and II, USMLE step I and II CE, do I have to take USMLE CS and step III or can I just take COMLEX step III? Thanks in advance!

I just took COMLEX III. No problems applying for a state license. As previous poster recommended, you may be obligated to take COMLEX, but don't know. I never took the USMLE.


Wook

 

[alimarie81]

comlex 3 scores released yesterday for test takers up through 1/28. Got my results back and did great! 768!
I used Crush, Savarese, the q's in back of Savarese, did all of combank, and did about 50% of USMLE world (on the subjects I was weakest in). Studied approximately 5 weeks. about 45 min/day during the week, then pouding out questions on the weekend. Good luck to those test takers for which the scoring has changed. Not sure if it will be more difficult to pass, but this is the COMLEX, remember. No matter how much you study, you will get crappy questions that are one line long and require inference. some are clearly baiting you to the correct answers, and many questions that are groups of q's will provide the correct answer for diagnosis if you know the work/up, etc (they give you hints). don't stress. you'll be done with COMLEX soon.

BTW- I am a psych resident, 2nd year, and studied for this thing in the midst of call and taking care of my 10 month old baby at home...

 

[alimarie81]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this: I am doing an ACGME residency and took COMLEX I and II, USMLE step I and II CE, do I have to take USMLE CS and step III or can I just take COMLEX step III? Thanks in advance!

since you are a DO, i am pretty sure you need to take the full comlex series in order to get your state license to practice. the usmle is mainly for helping get into residency (ACGME). however, i do have DO friends who chose to take USMLE 3 because they were planning to apply for post-medicine fellowships that would like to see USMLE 3 scores in part of the application profile, and they do not know what to do with a COMLEX score since it does not translate. hope this helps. if in doubt, call the AOA directly to make sure you have your bases covered.

 

[FutureDocDO]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this: I am doing an ACGME residency and took COMLEX I and II, USMLE step I and II CE, do I have to take USMLE CS and step III or can I just take COMLEX step III? Thanks in advance!

I believe you need to take the USMLE CS and Step III in order to avoid taking the COMLEX Step III. You have to complete the entire series of either COMLEX or USMLE to get your license.

 

[chuperman]

the requirements for licensure are state dependent and vary depending on the state. some states have separate osteopathic state licensing boards like California while other states are combined like New York. For example to get a state license in California you are required to have taken and passed COMLEX I, II, III and can't substitute USMLE for it, while in New York they have different requirements and you can, so you could take COMLEX I, II and USMLE Step III and be able to receive your license. As a DO you are probably just better off finishing off the COMLEX series, the only reason to take USMLE step III would be if some ACGME fellowships want to see that.

 

[Dr. Ditka]

I used USMLE World for steps 1 and 2 and I felt like they were awesome for preparing me for the USMLE steps, but a little overkill for the COMLEX. This year I decided to try Comquest and used it and Boards for the Wards as my main study sources. I studied 6 days about 6 hours a day. I took all 900 quesitons on Comquest and reviewed their answers. I am an ER intern so my education all year has been helpful. We also just took our inservice exam which I have steadily been studying for all year. The test overall was very similar to step 2. I had a few questions that I think belong on step 1 and I was having to dig deep to try find the answer. There are some really bad questions as usual. I never know how I did when I leave the testing center. It took me 6 hours to complete. I hope the new grading system doesn't get me. Hopefully I am done with NBOME for life! Good luck to everyone!

Here is what I think of Comquest
Pros:
1. ~900 questions and the concepts overall were pretty good. There were at least 10 very similar topics and of course these topics can get repeated.
2. similar computer layout to actual test
3. has OMT questions which I missed out on with USMLE World

Cons:
1. Comquest needs a little bit longer passages. Although time is not reallly an issue with the COMLEX, the passages were longer overall on the real test. I would finish 50 Comquest questions in 30 minutes so if the real test was like Comquest then I should have been done in 4.5 hours (took 30 minutes for lunch and break) instead of 6.
2. Although 900 questions is a good start, I would like to see more. I was done with the questions in 4 days but I didn't want to spend more money on another question bank.
3. You can "mark" a question which is great and similar to the COMLEX. The problem is the day before my exam I wanted to look at all my marked questions. There was not a way to look at them besides going into each exam and scrolling through to see a red flag indicating a marked question. You need to be able to create a test with just marked questions. You can do it for missed questions so I don't know why you can't for marked.
4. I felt like I would go through 400 questions without seeing a certain topic (ex. ideal cholesterol for an individual) then I would get 5 questions out of 50 on a block. I would rather have them spaced out so that I can learn from one and read the answer and then the next time I could get it right. I felt like USMLE World tested but also taught. I did learn from Comquest but I would have liked to have the knowledge I just gained tested again to see if I retained it.

 

[jacksparrow82]

Found out this week I passed step 3! I did better than my step 2 scores too!
As I think I've stated before I used Combank as my primary study source, basically my routine was to do a block of 50 questions, then take the time to carefully review every question I got wrong and review study material for whatever the subject matter was (if I missed a question on vaginal discharge, I would review all of the possible vaginal infections, their presentation, diagnosis, and treatment, etc..) I did this almost daily for a good 4-5 weeks. Before that I did review some old kaplan videos on Peds and OB/Gyn, but I don't feel those were all that helpful. The combank questions and subsequent review was the most helpful for me.
Best of luck to everyone else!
I'M SO GLAD TO BE DONE WITH THE NBOME!!!

 

[Proverbs31]

Anyone else use COMQUEST for STep 3 prep? Thoughts?

 

[psychResDO]

Did USMLE world most of it,
read Crush 3,
Did Comquest and Combank. Shorter, less number of questions, can go thru quite fast.

Combank is the better question bank. But neither provided a decent preview of OMM questions on the actual test. They are at least couple months behind.

Actual test is 800 questions.
A lot of OMM. Surprisingly only a handful of sacrum, cranial questions. Very few picture questions regarding medical conditions. Lot of 2 set or 3 set questions.
Questions are short for the most part.

If I had to do it differently, I would have read the Green OMM book 3 times end to end. I think the most OMM % out of them all (steps 1,2,3).

the issue about management and stuff is a bit exaggerated in my opinion. It's not like you're typing in a blank slate. It's multiple choice.

 

[psychResDO]

also, a lot of the questions started with the patient being pregnant and ended with a question keeping in mind the patient is pregnant.