COMLEX Official 2014 Comlex 2 CE Experiences and Scores Thread!

[ccc2009]

Couldn't find a thread for Comlex, so decided to create one. The one for level 1 was really helpful, PLEASE share your experiences taking this exam and study methods. Thanks and good luck everyone!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Wolverines83]

FYI they said BEFORE September 2nd. The first is a holiday....

 

[sazz9]

Any news on the release of the next testing cycle... it should be this week, but that was before this whole mess...

 

[seap3]

Any news on the release of the next testing cycle... it should be this week, but that was before this whole mess...

It also says by Sept 2nd on the NBOME website.

 

[AMEHigh]

4. A raw score of 500, 350, 400, 450 on one test and a raw score of 550, 620,295, 379 on another test doesn't have much meaning until we know where each score is in relation to the mean of your specific test, NOT previous years, therefore using a standard deviation of 89 is irrelevant.

I pretty much agree with you in that people should try to relax. But in comment to #4, lets be real, everyone just considers the raw score. Most importantly, program directors just look at the raw score. They don't do any fancy calculations to figure out standard deviations and all that jazz. For example, under 500 = no consideration for an interview. So I do think it's important that people have expressed their concerns and hopefully the nbome will do what is fair and standardized across tests for this entire application cycle.

 

[WestHaven626]

I know of plenty of residents that didn't get 500, and got their residency of their choice. 500= the mean score. That's about it. There is again no proof that those with less than 500 never get interviews. Sorry. And your raw score does count, but the raw score is not published until the SD and other variables are factored in. I mean, what else do program directors look at? They see your three digit number and your percentile. Which has been determined based on your test and the z scores and standard analysis. your three digit number is not actually the "raw score" which is also not the only thing that matters. I just wanted to calm some nerves. Everyone's scores will go up and if you pass you will get an interview if you want it bad enough. If you don't pass, then you will kill it the next time around and get your spot in the end.

 

[koan]

Right. If you "want it bad enough" your 403 will yield sufficient interviews to match. You must be living in the same imaginary world as the NBOME.

 

[Gurki]

Right. If you "want it bad enough" your 403 will yield sufficient interviews to match. You must be living in the same imaginary world as the NBOME.

No reason to be rude and if you do enough audition rotations your scores might not matter as much. Some people just suck at taking standardized tests.

 

[JRO38]

.

 

[noshie]

I kind of agree with both sides going on here. If you took both USMLE and COMLEX, I feel like ACGME programs won't care about the decrease in COMLEX, and maybe even with AOA programs the decrease won't matter if they see that your USMLE has increased. However, currently I am doing an ACGME rotation in Michigan (for EM), and I have met a few current and former MSU students. Apparently a big chunk of them only take COMLEX and regularly apply to only the ACGME EM programs and get accepted without much problem. One of the current residents told me he even had more ACGME EM interviews than AOA with using only what he had for COMLEX. I can't even imagine how scared I would be right now if I got a COMLEX 2 score that was even 30 points lower than my COMLEX 1. So yes, for some it isn't a big deal, and it may make no difference in them matching into their AOA or ACGME of choice (especially if they took USMLE as well, which I feel like most of us do).... but for those that in the past could've gotten into ACGME solely with their solid COMLEX scores, they are absolutely getting screwed by the COMLEX. With no warning to prepare or anything! I mean, they can't go back and take USMLE 1 and 2 now! That is something that I feel is inexcusable. I am all for not putting blame on anyone and not getting angry about most of the hoops we have to jump through as DOs, but this is a big deal and can definitely hinder someones ability to get interviews or match. I am glad the COMLEX people see this and are working on it, for that I respect them more.

 

[clone19]

I don't know about anyone else but I don't even see an option to send my usmle scores to AOA programs.

 

[noshie]

Eek, totally forgot about that! I guess you could have them sent directly as an extra thing for your file...?

 

[tom10]

I don't know about anyone else but I don't even see an option to send my usmle scores to AOA programs.

Um why would you be able to? Everyone knows COMLEX is an EXCELLENT assessment of your medical knowledge so the USMLE is certainly not needed .

Seriously though, I never even stopped to think that they may actually accept USMLE. I just assumed they didn't. I would just include it in your CV. Couldn't hurt, could it?

 

[Dharma]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but the search function is acting up over here (or I'm just doing something wrong here): for those of you who also took USMLE, how far apart are you spacing the two? Pretty much like Step 1/Level 1's 5-7 day plan?

 

[smilingcalidoc]

Any news on the release of the next testing cycle... it should be this week, but that was before this whole mess...

It also says by Sept 2nd on the NBOME website.

I am no gandolf, but I was told the second batch of scores (starting from July 28th) that was supposed to be released this week and then was postponed to next Tuesday will most likely not have scores released by Sept 2. My understanding is that the second batch is also being reassessed for fairness. I guess those who took the first batch are lucky in that they can see what a difference the psychometric analysis made.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but the search function is acting up over here (or I'm just doing something wrong here): for those of you who also took USMLE, how far apart are you spacing the two? Pretty much like Step 1/Level 1's 5-7 day plan?

I took COMLEX a full month before USMLE. Because USMLE was more important to me since I'm only applying Allo Rads. In other words, it all depends on what you need. The only thing I did, whatsoever, to prepare for COMLEX specifically, was 200 questions from a qbank, twice, the day before the exam. I did above average, although....they're regrading it so I have no idea how that's going to work out. I found both COMLEX and USMLE to be pretty general, and didn't feel like more targeted preparation of COMLEX would have helped me much.

 

[Dharma]

I took COMLEX a full month before USMLE. Because USMLE was more important to me since I'm only applying Allo Rads. In other words, it all depends on what you need. The only thing I did, whatsoever, to prepare for COMLEX specifically, was 200 questions from a qbank, twice, the day before the exam. I did above average, although....they're regrading it so I have no idea how that's going to work out. I found both COMLEX and USMLE to be pretty general, and didn't feel like more targeted preparation of COMLEX would have helped me much.

Thanks BrooklynBulls! USMLE definitely my focus as well. It's a bit early in the game but I'm trying to have a game plan going into all of this (something I wish I had done a bit better for Step 1). I was thinking of knocking em out a few days of apart from one another if the schedule allows it.

 

[Stedari]

I just can't help but feel COMLEX is a joke. I had four questions of nearly identical stems that were all carpal tunnel syndrome as the answer and I had 16 cranial questions (albeit only one sacrum). I wish all DOs only took the USMLE. Part of the stigma that we aren't on an equal playing field (with allos) is because we don't all have to take the same test.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Thanks BrooklynBulls! USMLE definitely my focus as well. It's a bit early in the game but I'm trying to have a game plan going into all of this (something I wish I had done a bit better for Step 1). I was thinking of knocking em out a few days of apart from one another if the schedule allows it.

What're you applying for? And what're your Level/Step 1 scores? Because the strategy of whether to even take Step/level this early is really dependent on the field you're going into, your previous scores, and whether you're applying Allo/Osteo or both.

For me, I have decent level/step 1 scores, but know that I'm fighting an uphill battle trying to match Allo Rads in the northeast. So I studied for about 3 months for Step 2, and did pretty well. But if my step 1 score was ballistic, I'd have waiting on step 2 because it's likely to only hurt me if I do worse, since the likelihood of doing BETTER is both less important since my step 1 was a killer, and less likely since...well my step 1 was a killer.

So again, consider your options and know what PD's look at. For Rads, a lot don't look at Step 2, but those that do, I wanted to be sure I impressed. I took a risk and I'm happy with the result so far.

 

[clone19]

Eek, totally forgot about that! I guess you could have them sent directly as an extra thing for your file...?

My understanding from reading this site and talking to people ahead of me is that AOA programs don't like seeing us take the USMLE because they think it means we're going to skip the DO match. I haven't specifically been asked about it yet, but I've heard of program directors grilling interviewees on why they took the USMLE.

My point is I'm not sure I would want to send my USMLE scores to AOA places even if I could, though. Any other opinions on this?

 

[Gandalf the Pearly Gray]

Oh my Shirelings, rest and be at ease. It looks as though the deep magic will permit us an uplifting discovery not long after the morrow's dew.

 

[Atom bum]

Oh my Shirelings, rest and be at ease. It looks as though the deep magic will permit us an uplifting discovery not long after the morrow's dew.

You friggen tease.

 

[eagle03]

Oh my Shirelings, rest and be at ease. It looks as though the deep magic will permit us an uplifting discovery not long after the morrow's dew.

 

[tom10]

My understanding from reading this site and talking to people ahead of me is that AOA programs don't like seeing us take the USMLE because they think it means we're going to skip the DO match. I haven't specifically been asked about it yet, but I've heard of program directors grilling interviewees on why they took the USMLE.

My point is I'm not sure I would want to send my USMLE scores to AOA places even if I could, though. Any other opinions on this?

I would still include it in your CV. If you are sending your application to their program I think it would be silly for them to assume you are skipping the DO match. Why would you even send your application to them if you planned on skipping the DO match?

 

[hfdoc]

So I failed Comlex 2 CE and they are reviewing the grading. I am currently studying and scheduled to take the retake 9/17, hoping for a regrade that might put me in passing but I doubt it : ( My question is should I submit my application without the scores or should I try submitting it now when the comlex scores arent being released, maybe sending only comlex 1? I called nbome and eras and they said they dont know what would happen if I did, so dont know if I should risk sending a failed score without a retake. Any info would be helpful thanks

 

[Gandalf the Pearly Gray]

Shirelings, the battle with the dark wizards has not been lost, only delayed. My counsel is to be merry this weekend, for very shortly thereafter a victory will ensue.

 

[carlock12]

well, I took the exam today and it was terrible. Not surprised.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Shirelings, the battle with the dark wizards has not been lost, only delayed. My counsel is to be merry this weekend, for very shortly thereafter a victory will ensue.

You have let us down Gandal the Pearly Gray, much like our initial COMLEX scores, it is time for you to fall and be reborn anew!

 

[meliora27]

I think the unintended beneficiary of this debacle is the NBME. I think (rightfully so) that many DO students have lost confidence in the NBOME to administer a decent exam and as such, more DO's will end up taking the USMLE moving forward.

Besides, whether you attend medical school in Iowa or Indiana or Iceland or India and want to practice in the US, the USMLE is the gold standard. I think all physicians practicing in the US should take the same exam, the USMLE.

 

[clone19]

 

[BrooklynBulls]

I think the unintended beneficiary of this debacle is the NBME. I think (rightfully so) that many DO students have lost confidence in the NBOME to administer a decent exam and as such, more DO's will end up taking the USMLE moving forward.

Besides, whether you attend medical school in Iowa or Indiana or Iceland or India and want to practice in the US, the USMLE is the gold standard. I think all physicians practicing in the US should take the same exam, the USMLE.

It did not take this event for me to lose faith in the validity of the Osteopathic boards. Merely taking Level 1 and seeing the distinct difference between it and Step 1 did that for me.

 

[JDaly82]

NBOME's latest update via Gandalf....

 

[BrooklynBulls]

Does it not worry anybody else that not only are they doing this review, but that they're not even fulfilling the promise to release an update before September 2nd, as they promised?

 

[hfdoc]

yea, you think there is any chance they bring a failed score up to passing?

 

[BrooklynBulls]

yea, you think there is any chance they bring a failed score up to passing?

Who the hell knows what they'll do? But the fact that my grade disappeared, and they haven't updated me on the exam I spent months studying for, hundreds paying for, and nights worrying about, is an alarm bell. This is a professional-level accreditation body, and this behavior is utterly UN-professional.

 

[hfdoc]

Who the hell knows what they'll do? But the fact that my grade disappeared, and they haven't updated me on the exam I spent months studying for, hundreds paying for, and nights worrying about, is an alarm bell. This is a professional-level accreditation body, and this behavior is utterly UN-professional.

you got that right, school official said he's never heard of anything like this before

 

[JRO38]

.

 

[WestHaven626]

this is getting more suspenseful than the world cup final.

 

[BrooklynBulls]

If they make this situation worse (by lowering scores more or failing a new set of people), they will effectively end their own careers within a few years.

Ah, but there's the rub. With this recent show of incompetence, changing the scores at all is a self-admittance of further incompetence. If the NBOME is truly in spin-control mode, they'll keep the scores where they are and say "as we suspected, despite numerous complaints, our numbers are internally valid and a full review revealed no errors." I think that's just as plausible as giving out a bunch of free points to hope they shut people up. A bunch of free points might shut up the current complaints, but they'll raise complaints from those that did not get in on the bonanza.

Frankly, I am not too concerned with either option. My score is good enough for me as it is. As long as they don't lower it, anyway. I'm much more concerned with the lack of initial confidence in their own data that caused them to DO this "psychometric review" (I truly don't know what the word 'psychometric' has to do with this situation, I'd be happy if somebody explained it to me), and then their failure to meet the deadline THEY offered. In the midst of what is ALREADY application season for AOA applicants.

If I had written a prediction thread about this occurring, I would be banned for being a troll.

 

[koan]

Saying "a further update will be released before 9/2/14" and then releasing it on 9/2/14 (which seems likely) is exactly the kind of carelessness I have come to expect from this discredited organization. How many COMLEX questions have we seen with egregious grammatical errors, or altogether lacking a question at the end of the stem? They don't need to worry about credibility or accountability; they have us by the balls with or without it and they know that.

We need to organize on a national level and make eliminating the COMLEX our primary goal as osteopathic students and residents.

 

[JRO38]

.

 

[AMEHigh]

They can't do that though. The difference in SD from this cycle to pre-June of this year to last year for our COMLEX 1 blatantly shows that scores are different this time around. A standardized exam (and the score associated with it) is only credible if it has consistency built into it. They simply cannot refute fact. If they do, I have no words for that. I am 99% sure scores will change, but I'm not certain how they will.

If you think scores will change, then I'm pretty sure it has to be an increase even if it's only by an average of 1 point because if scores go down even further then there might seriously be looting and a revolt against the NBOME.

I hope everyone gets positive news tomorrow!

 

[AMEHigh]

We need to organize on a national level and make eliminating the COMLEX our primary goal as osteopathic students and residents.

I wonder how long until some sort of serious proposal to doing this will happen? I know some program directors have mentioned that they know the USMLE is a much better test. Plus, with the merger it obviously makes sense.

I think the ideal situation would be to keep the PE and then add on 1 patient simulation of pure diagnosing and treating OMM and 1 block written portion of OMM. I'm sure that would show "OMM competency." I doubt the PE is going anywhere anytime soon and it'd make the most sense to add it on to that somehow.

 

[clone19]

Wonder if changing scores for all the pre-June people (say from January 2014 until now) is an option? That would mean we all keep our crappy scores and people that had "better" scores end up on the same scale as us.

Just voicing a random thought. Wouldn't put it past the NBOME to do something crazy like that.

 

[avatar2525]

I'd be ok with that to be honest, but i can def see this causing 100000x the uproar, a lot of people dont understand standard deviation (even though we should for biostats) they only look at the numerical score and flip

 

[WestHaven626]

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW everyone. Here's to big score boosts and smiles.

 

[meliora27]

[QUOTE We need to organize on a national level and make eliminating the COMLEX our primary goal as osteopathic students and residents.[/QUOTE]

I completely agree and I think many other students, faculty, and PD's would agree as well. The question is, how do we organize and actual create some real dialogue? Perhaps each COM have some survey of it's students and maybe alumni and then ask that the results be presented before the COSGP?

 

[Gurki]

Alright, it's Sept. 2nd....

Any time now.....

 

[Iggyiggy]

Has anyone spoken to NBOME? are they definitely coming out today?

 

[JRO38]

.

 

[hfdoc]

I called, they said it looks like we are on schedule to release it like we said by 9/2/14 today... thats all the info they could give