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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[Dissected]

COMLEX Level 3: Taken February 19th; felt terrible after the exam.
PGY-1 in Internal Medicine
Did:
Comquest (71% avg)
Combank (72% avg)
Read most of Master the Boards Step 3
COMSAE one week out: 757
OMM Cram Pages day before exam

Real exam: 787!!!

Wow, nice job! Ended up with a modest 697 myself.

I did comquest for about 2 weeks and the savarese book for about 2-3 days before the real thing. That's it. If I would have done anything different (that is, if I wanted the score of the gentleman in the previous post), I would have studied obgyn casefiles and/or blueprints for 2-3 weeks as well. It was by far the heaviest subject as well as my weakest area.

If you did well on the previous 2 exams, don't stress out about this one. You will be frustrated walking out of the test center (because it is just as poorly written/unclear as level I/II), but you will do fine.

Cheers!

 

[bigyihoroi]

Scheduled originally for 2/13 but postponed to 2/18 due to weather cancellation. Felt like I smoked the exam, but given my level 2 score was only a disappointing 430. I felt like that may be my delusion. So I was only hoping to get a 351 at least. I felt like my exam has like 40% of OMM questions. Rest were mostly medicine. OMM>IMed>Trauma>OBGYN>Peds>Surgery>Ethics>Psy>Random BS>Biostatistic (like 1-2 questions).

Finished the entire COMBANK with 67% (50 questions - all timed). Studied for 3 weeks using my old step 2 material. I suggest to review your step 2 material rather than buying new step 3 material as reviewing old material is easier than reading a completely new book. There's really no difference between level 2 and 3. I skimmed through Servarese 2-3 days before exam (KNOW ALL YOUR SYMPATHETIC - that comprised of 60-70% of all OMM questions). If you have rotations in medicine, emergency, and cardiology during internship, you should be well prepared for this exam. I scored 701 on the real exam.

 

[DarkLordofSith]

So I graduate in May and wanted to take Step 3 before I start residency just so I don't have to mess with studying for it during intern year. Good idea, bad idea, the worst idea?

 

[Dissected]

So I graduate in May and wanted to take Step 3 before I start residency just so I don't have to mess with studying for it during intern year. Good idea, bad idea, the worst idea?

If you were prepared for Level 2 and did well, the earlier the better.

 

[koojo]

So I graduate in May and wanted to take Step 3 before I start residency just so I don't have to mess with studying for it during intern year. Good idea, bad idea, the worst idea?

The earlier the better, as long as you actually study for it. Get MTB3 and a QBank and if you're doing well then take it early.

 

[rkaz]

Do you know when is the earliest that graduating DO students can register for COMLEX 3? Just wanted to maximize my chances of getting a good date as I am moving to a state for residency that does not have a DO school (and hence will have less open days for the COMLEX). Thanks!

 

[GQMO16]

Level 3 was a lot like level 2 if I remember correctly, just got done taking III today and it was a fair test. A little heavy on peds and OB and Medicine. Not a lot of psych and not as much gyn as I would have expected. I thought most of the OMM questions were very doable even though I'm in an ACGME residency and hadn't touched OMM in 2+ years. There were some poorly written questions but for the most part I felt like I knew what the authors were getting at. Overall, pretty curious to see how I did.

 

[DrSpine]

Took Comlex III last Wednesday. Brutal I thought, lots of OB/GYN (60%), lots of Peds (30%), and rest was all OMM. Felt the worst I've ever felt after a test walking out of there, and I did fine on I and II. Studied a month for it too, but doesn't seem to make a difference since there was essentially no way to study for that test.

 

[cheruka]

I plan to take comlex III in 2 months. I started studying a week ago (well, sort of) but plan to hit the books hard begining April. I am not a great test taker, so I do need to study for these things. I plan to do both test banks (comquest, combank) and usmle secrets+step up to step2+savarese blue book. i.e, nothing different from step 2. I also bought the comsae which I will take in 5 -6 wks to give enought ime to recover from deficiencies.

 

[cheruka]

Do you think MTB 3 is real useful for comlex 3? I have a second edition from last year that I never read but it looks like an easy read. Do you guys recommend it?

 

[RN2DO]

Any thoughts for when the next release of scores for Step 3 are?

 

[JamesPhilly]

Do you know when is the earliest that graduating DO students can register for COMLEX 3? Just wanted to maximize my chances of getting a good date as I am moving to a state for residency that does not have a DO school (and hence will have less open days for the COMLEX). Thanks!

You can register for the COMLEX step 3 the minute your registrar submits that you graduated. See my old post for all the details, but suffice to say you and everyone else should take it ASAP, I took it before residency started, and my life was much easier for it

Best of luck!

 

[ShanFan]

Any thoughts for when the next release of scores for Step 3 are?

I took it on March 21, and I'm still waiting for my score. Starting to feel impatient.

 

[drstar842]

Scores are back for March 21st....no more OMT! Woot.

 

[cheruka]

How many of you are using First Aid for step 3? I have read MTB 3, which was an easy read. I keep hearing First AID+MTB3 is the best combo for step 3 comlex along with the qbanks. Not sure if I can get thr' all this though. I ahve a month to prepare.

 

[BlueNotePreMed]

Scores are back from 3/29... Done with COMLEX!!! Good luck everyone..

 

[lulubell325]

I have a logistics question for you guys - did you get an admission ticket before you took the exam? I'm taking it next week and I have yet to receive anything in the mail.

you print the confirmation page from your email, the one that was emailed to you after you paid.

 

[sylvanthus]

OMG that was painful. Seriously painful. Out of all the steps I have taken, I have not felt that bad walking out of an exam yet. I did well on COMLEX 1 and 2, and USMLE 1 and 2, and I would just be happy to pass this damn thing and put it behind me. That's how bad it went. Thank God the score doesn't matter. Heres to waiting 6+ weeks!

 

[cheruka]

Ok, trying again.
I went over round #1 of First Aid for step 3 and MTB 3. Is there any reasont o look at MTB 2? I probably won't ahve time and thinking my time is better sp

 

[cheruka]

I hate tender points. I used to think cranial was like the most nonsense, today I feel Tender Points actually deserve the credits. Not only that they make no sense, the treatments are different depending on which source you look at. Ok, done venting.

 

[DrSpine]

I hate tender points. I used to think cranial was like the most nonsense, today I feel Tender Points actually deserve the credits. Not only that they make no sense, the treatments are different depending on which source you look at. Ok, done venting.

Not really? Just because you did not do well on them, does not mean that they don't make any sense. Tenderpoints make a lot of sense in terms of pathology, and are frequently a source of pain for many Americans. The treatments in real life are indeed different depending on what you decide to do in practice, however, in terms of academics and the green OMT book, the treatments they will ask you are all in one chapter if I am not mistaken. This is what could be asked of you in terms of Comlex.

 

[cheruka]

I have not taken the test yet, and but I have done well on OMM in general. It is just that my school did teach them differently and it is frustrating for me to re-learn them. Not having consistency across the board did not help.

 

[lulubell325]

Took April 26 and scores back today may 21. So happy I don't have to deal with COMLEX ever again.

 

[sylvanthus]

Ugh, this wait sucks. Took it May 12, seriously wacked out test, just want to know if I passed, could not give a rats arse if I rocked it or got a 351.

 

[absolutdokta]

i just signed up

 

[absolutdokta]

Not really? Just because you did not do well on them, does not mean that they don't make any sense. Tenderpoints make a lot of sense in terms of pathology, and are frequently a source of pain for many Americans. The treatments in real life are indeed different depending on what you decide to do in practice, however, in terms of academics and the green OMT book, the treatments they will ask you are all in one chapter if I am not mistaken. This is what could be asked of you in terms of Comlex.

AT Still....is that you?

 

[Makati2008]

AT Still....is that you?

I just took it. Hardest test out of all the comlex. Weird weird weird exam smh.

 

[sylvanthus]

Passed, thank God. Do not care about the score whatsoever as I have an autoacceptance to fellowship, but ill post just so others can see how random this piece of crap test is. I was seriously worried about passing given the random assed questions on this turd of a licensing exam and got a 686. Good luck gents, done with the NBOME and done with the AOA.

 

[fatboyfats]

passed. for sure thought I failed. basically guessed on >50% of the test. OMM was really heavy (lots of ? on treatment positions including tenderpts). felt the worst compared to 2 previous steps. The best way to study is to do well your intern yr. Probably better to take it at the end than the beginning since this test is not about book knowledge, but rather clinical practice. Lots of ?s I remember straight from clinic. Again, it is poorly written with spelling errors and most vague out of all of them. However, I will say it is worth to take COMSAE if just for your own piece of mind. I got 556 on COMSAE and 581 on real thing, although I thought COMSAE was much easier.

 

[deleted245139]

I still frequent this site a lot and people's resource lists always helped me with my study plans so I'll contribute mine:
I used:
Comquest, one time through (no time to repeat) with avg 80%
Step up to Medicine (my old notes from step 2 were very helpful)
Master the Boards Step 3 (only for the Peds/OBGYN sections... they were great!)
No practice tests/comsae
Worked very hard in my intern year in EM (the specialty helps a ton... quick dx and triage/plan is my daily job)
Total study time: a few hours a night over a month (probably 1 week if condensed)

Test impressions: I was the most relaxed for this test, maybe because I just wanted to pass. Seemed very GYN heavy (I swear I had 10-15Q about menopause) and I also surprisingly had ALOT of Endocrine (5q or so just on thyroid diseases). I dont know if I will ever have a handle on gyn lol, but overall a lot of straight forward questions. The OMM was typical... lots of chapmans and sacral stuff. Not too much off the wall stuff really... the ones that I did think were poorly written, I wrote in the comments section about. haha, I figured since this was my last one, I'd let them know. Typical split of cards/gi/pulm, but felt a little pulm heavy. The micro/ID questions weren't too bad. I swear, this test is an "any-given-sunday" kind of thing. I don't think a ton of prep really would ever help... it's having a strong foundation of the core concepts and a little creative thinking to really get you to the authors intent. My motto in every COMLEX has been this: get it down to two options, choose the answer you know THEY WANT, not the answer you think it should be. So far worked on 3/3 tests.

Final score: 795
Stoked about it, and thrilled that I can now moonlight! Hope this helped, and good luck to those studying!

 

[primadonna22274]

Would like to know from those who have taken it: is it really necessary to purchase a qbank specific to this test? (Eg COMQUEST or COMBANK). I have limited CME funds and wonder if I could just reuse the OMM section from my level 2 resources (I was in an accelerated 3-yr program and have COMBANK for at least another 4 mos). I did very well on 2 and quite well on a mock ITE (last year's ABFM ITE) which my program used as a benchmark. Thoughts? I would like to test soon--before October most likely--just to get it over with. Thanks.

 

[Makati2008]

Would like to know from those who have taken it: is it really necessary to purchase a qbank specific to this test? (Eg COMQUEST or COMBANK). I have limited CME funds and wonder if I could just reuse the OMM section from my level 2 resources (I was in an accelerated 3-yr program and have COMBANK for at least another 4 mos). I did very well on 2 and quite well on a mock ITE (last year's ABFM ITE) which my program used as a benchmark. Thoughts? I would like to test soon--before October most likely--just to get it over with. Thanks.

Omm was the same as level 2 but with more treatment questions added

 

[primadonna22274]

Makati, since we come from similar backgrounds, did you do much prep? Tempted to take it (almost) cold just to get it over with. Of course once I schedule it I'll start studying lol

 

[Makati2008]

Makati, since we come from similar backgrounds, did you do much prep? Tempted to take it (almost) cold just to get it over with. Of course once I schedule it I'll start studying lol

Skimmed through MTB and did some general and Omm qbank questions to get back to comlex mode. Lol hopefully it's enough to just be free of the nbome.

 

[primadonna22274]

Love it thanks Makati! I start on OB/peds night float so hopefully will get some studying done--supposed to be a "cushy" rotation (yeah I'm still nervous). Thanks

 

[deleted542994]

Guys, I missed whole one block of 50 questions on my step 3. Wondering if I'd pass or not. Really stressed. I ran out of time.

 

[Makati2008]

Guys, I missed whole one block of 50 questions on my step 3. Wondering if I'd pass or not. Really stressed. I ran out of time.

I would void the exam if you can

 

[primadonna22274]

Ouch. Don't you have to void at the time of the exam though?

 

[Makati2008]

Ouch. Don't you have to void at the time of the exam though?

I can't remember?

 

[WonderBoy]

There is no way to avoid an exam, once you start your are hooked to the computer

 

[xtina0]

I only want to use one qbank…. Uworld or combank?

Combank III I got for free from my school
Uworld I would have to purchase and this was the only bank I've used for level I and II and learnt a ton

I killed level I and II which should I do?

 

[Makati2008]

I only want to use one qbank…. Uworld or combank?

Combank III I got for free from my school
Uworld I would have to purchase and this was the only bank I've used for level I and II and learnt a ton

I killed level I and II which should I do?

I don't have my score but I can say I wouldn't waste my money on uworld since combank is free for you. Look over previous folks advice about the exam.

 

[meerkat111]

Still working on using a single source for studying. First AID does not seem to cover 1/2 the material, sigh

 

[Makati2008]

Master the boards with comquest is gold-766

 

[opt79]

Congrats Makati! Awesome score.

As for me-
Comlex I: 631
Comlex II: 724
Comlex III: 740

I decided to take Step III this June before starting residency and was really happy I made that decision. I also used MTB 3, went with UWorld Qbank (only doing the OMM and Ethics section in Comquest), and was able to watch old Kaplan Step III videos. Since I no longer have to deal with any more steps, it feels like starting residency with a clean slate!

 

[Phlame217]

Took the test today

A lot of repeat basics from step 2. Typical omm viscersomatics with more 3rd level questions making you diagnose and then answer appropriate treatments. Ethics/biostats were nonexistent maybe appearing once each. Most to least IM>OB>OMM>Peds>Gyn>>>>>psych>>>>all else

I used MTB 3 & Savarese + Comquest (76% 1st pass uptimed/tutor) and felt over prepared.

Will update in September when scores roll out

 

[Want2Bdoc]

Phlame217...did you also take the COMSAE III? If so do you think it reflected your test fairly accurately?

 

[Phlame217]

No. Did not take it, sorry.

 

[NorEasterDoc]

Used Master the Boards & USMLEWorld. Skimmed through Savarese, but didn't do any OMM questions before the test.

COMSAE: 553

COMLEX 3: 863

USMLEWorld qbank was probably overkill, but it's what I used for Level 1 & 2 so I thought I'd just continue the trend. Cheers and good luck everyone.

 

[primadonna22274]

Finished. Not expecting as grand a score as I got on step 2 but you never know. My study time was even more limited than my desire to study lol. Will be glad to know I can finally be done with the NBOME!