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I think the number of DO students who hate biochem closely approaches infinity. Every time a biochem question comes up on uworld I immediately think, "m*****f*****."
Kidding aside, am I the only one that hopes for more omm if it means less pharm?
So I’m having cold feet on taking comsae C b/c...
1. It’s not a good predictor of actual performance
2. You can’t look at wrong answers (or can you? I couldn’t for D but I’m not sure if the other ones are different)
3. If I don’t do as well as I hope, it’s gonna get into my head and I can’t move my test date even if I’m not thrilled iwth my score
4. I could use the time I was taking comsae C to actually study
Thoughts? Do you guys think it’s benefical to take another comsae or spend that time studying?
took comsae C last night. It was a really weird test IMO. Lots of gimmes and lots of weird questions. IDK if I recommend or not honestly. How long do you have till your test? If it helps my score on C was pretty much the same as on E and A
100% accurate. COMBANK is a terribly vague resource which is why we do not recommend it. We much prefer COMQUEST
My test is in 9 days. I’ve only taken d so far
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
Made a 208 on uwsa1 :/ still 3 weeks out. Feeling a little worried lol
100% accurate. COMBANK is a terribly vague resource which is why we do not recommend it. We much prefer COMQUEST
There is a scoring breakdown (i.e., your percentage achieved in each topic). There is no prediction of the score you will get on COMLEX... anybody who makes such a prediction is probably blowing smoke. We as a community lack that prognostic information because of the wide variance in scores (as opposed to USMLE where it's much more straightforward). I think this is probably why the COMSAEs are so poorly predictive, and that company literally writes the test and gathers all the data
Anyone guess what percentages/percentiles breakdown to predicted scores? Obviously this can't be estimated that well, but for UW, UWSA, combank/comquest, etc percentages from timed 1st pass blocks, what roughly translates to a 400, 500, 600, 700?
I wish something like this existed. Some of my COMSAEs were dead accurate with my comquest, but most some were not. I even asked comquest if they had correlation data and all they said was that their "passing line" on the user dashboard represents a 59% average on their Q-bank, and from what they have seen is that students who FINISH the q-bank with an average higher than 59% have shown real COMLEX scores at or above average 95.5% of the time.
damn that sucks to hear. comsae's and combank questions are pretty short and relatively buzzword heavy so i was hoping the comlex wouldve been similar. do you at least think that the comlex is more buzzword heavy than the usmle is?Got some major advice that I think will be helpful to a lot of people that I wish I knew ahead of time. YOU GOTTTTA FLY ON THIS SUCKER. I’ve taken 2 Comsaes and 2 COMBANK assements and each I finished with over an hour left of time. Usmle, I had a minimum of 10 minutes each block to check answers. The stems today were insanely long and you definitely had to read carefully because they would sneak in info that changed dx or what they might be asking. I’m talking stems 16 sentences in length. It’s set up like a Comsae where your total time is in the corner. I went a little bit over an hour on the first 2 blocks morning and afternoon session thinking, okay I’d rather spend some time on these hard ones and cut corners on the short stems I’ll get. There are no short stems. Combine that with video questions where you gotta take time to watch and switch out your headphones, and insanely long stroke questions where each bit of information changes where you think the lesion is, things get pretty damn hairy. I barely finished with basically just trying to skim buzzwords and go with an answer choice. Had like 15 mins for the last 25 questions. So after your hour for each block of questions, call it quits no matter what and move on to the next block.
Usmle, I recognized insanely similar questions between buzzwords/or just knowing the association from previous nbmes/uworld etc.damn that sucks to hear. comsae's and combank questions are pretty short and relatively buzzword heavy so i was hoping the comlex wouldve been similar. do you at least think that the comlex is more buzzword heavy than the usmle is?
Thank you for the good information man! Im taking this beast in a month but have been prepping since July slowly building up steam. I just want to blow this exam out of the water just like you. It sounds like this exam is going to be process of elimination is your friend sorta thing. Ive only taken Comase A 725 and taken NBMEs 240's and 250's. I know this test is 400 questions and a marathon. How much of a pain in the butt was the OMM portion? Anything that stood out to you as out of left field outside of the viscerosomatics, muscle energy, and counterstrain? Feel free to private message for specifics. Im a newbie here. Enjoy your time off!Usmle, I recognized insanely similar questions between buzzwords/or just knowing the association from previous nbmes/uworld etc.
Comlex I really didn’t think I could pinpoint any buzzwords. For the most part, you knew exactly what they were talking about, but then got to the answer choices and were like wait what? Skip back the stem to make sure you didn’t miss something-nope. And then it was, well its a b c d, e is pretty implausible, but I guess it works the best out of the choices.
Pretty poor exam imo. With multiple concepts hit an ungodly number of times with other major high yield topics left completely out. I guess I can say tho, my biggest surprise was the was of the OMM component
Thank you for the good information man! Im taking this beast in a month but have been prepping since July slowly building up steam. I just want to blow this exam out of the water just like you. It sounds like this exam is going to be process of elimination is your friend sorta thing. Ive only taken Comase A 725 and taken NBMEs 240's and 250's. I know this test is 400 questions and a marathon. How much of a pain in the butt was the OMM portion? Anything that stood out to you as out of left field outside of the viscerosomatics, muscle energy, and counterstrain? Feel free to private message for specifics. Im a newbie here. Enjoy your time off!
Thanks man i appreciate it! I just hate how vague this test will be and I cant use physiology to bail me out as much compared to say a Uworld question. LOL ethics is a pain in the ***...who knows what they want. Im sure you turned out alright despite feeling rushed. Just think about the people who didnt work hard in the front end...talk about a no win situation. Ive heard random stuff with regard to the guys in the class above me like blow out the exam with 803, 776, 756 and they had random micro topics with regard to like Raspberries outbreak, monks running in brackish water in Madagascar, and people eating wild Boar meat (hunter) haha who knows what the Comlex will throw. THANK GOD for no biostats i swear NBME's bust my balls on that everytime hahaVery similar scores to you with Comsae and nbmes as you. Mine was a long prep as well. Trust that prep. I feel like they really try to throw you off with certain distrctors more so than any other possible assessment and you are spot on in terms of ruling out more so than ruling in. Just don’t spend too much time because like I said, this exam was a time crunch. I would probably say I felt pretty certain/comdfortbale with about 75% of the omm. Maybe only 1 or 2 CS points that I struggle with. Visersosomatics felt like gimme points so that was chill. Of course there’s some questions where 2 omm answers seem plausible and only the test writers know the definitive answers. Wayyyy less sacrum/pelvis than I would have expected. All in all, I spent maybe 8ish hours total for the Omm stuff after taking usmle. I felt like it was plenty and it’s just stuff you gotta cram into your head. Of course I got tripped up on a few, but you never know what you’re gonna get.
Biggest surprise was the ethics questions which in no way did first aid or boards and beyond prepare me for and there was a decent amount. Not even sure how to look up answers. I feel like I spent too much time trying to decide because there was always two reasonable answers.
Biostats was another surprise. There was like none.
Best of luck. Best thing you can do is not burn yourself out and be fresh because I felt like zero of the exam was binge purge.
Like boom I know what you’re saying, there’s the answer I’ve seen a million times before.
My usmle has 7 on the first block lmao. It was a strong, omg you can’t be serious to wait, so much rides on this. Stfu and answer these lolThanks man i appreciate it! I just hate how vague this test will be and I cant use physiology to bail me out as much compared to say a Uworld question. LOL ethics is a pain in the ***...who knows what they want. Im sure you turned out alright despite feeling rushed. Just think about the people who didnt work hard in the front end...talk about a no win situation. Ive heard random stuff with regard to the guys in the class above me like blow out the exam with 803, 776, 756 and they had random micro topics with regard to like Raspberries outbreak, monks running in brackish water in Madagascar, and people eating wild Boar meat (hunter) haha who knows what the Comlex will throw. THANK GOD for no biostats i swear NBME's bust my balls on that everytime haha
Got some major advice that I think will be helpful to a lot of people that I wish I knew ahead of time. YOU GOTTTTA FLY ON THIS SUCKER. I’ve taken 2 Comsaes and 2 COMBANK assements and each I finished with over an hour left of time. Usmle, I had a minimum of 10 minutes each block to check answers. The stems today were insanely long and you definitely had to read carefully because they would sneak in info that changed dx or what they might be asking. I’m talking stems 16 sentences in length. It’s set up like a Comsae where your total time is in the corner. I went a little bit over an hour on the first 2 blocks morning and afternoon session thinking, okay I’d rather spend some time on these hard ones and cut corners on the short stems I’ll get. There are no short stems. Combine that with video questions where you gotta take time to watch and switch out your headphones, and insanely long stroke questions where each bit of information changes where you think the lesion is, things get pretty damn hairy. I barely finished with basically just trying to skim buzzwords and go with an answer choice. Had like 15 mins for the last 25 questions. So after your hour for each block of questions, call it quits no matter what and move on to the next block.
I think I'm gonna stop using it except for the omm. I'd say roughly 1/3 of it so far has asked about diseases not in FA/ sketchy/ obscure diseases class that my lovetotestonminutiae school barley touched on.
Also, I'm great at micro. Love it. My far my best subject and some of their micro questions I'm just like.... black widow venom?... lung form of tularemia? What the literal f***
I think I'm gonna stop using it except for the omm. I'd say roughly 1/3 of it so far has asked about diseases not in FA/ sketchy/ obscure diseases class that my lovetotestonminutiae school barley touched on.
Also, I'm great at micro. Love it. My far my best subject and some of their micro questions I'm just like.... black widow venom?... lung form of tularemia? What the literal f***
I’ve been hearing that’s what comlex has been hitting.
Yeah I’m just going to stick with Uworld and Anki and hope for the best. It’s based off a curve so as long as you’re doing well comparatively speaking you’ll do better than everyone else.I’ve also heard that comlex is going after weird, obscure stuff, so I’m going to keep doing micro and OMM in combank but leave the rest at this point
I’ve taken A, C and E. I haven’t really noticed a difference. My score has gone up on each but I haven’t really felt like any of them were that much harder or easier.Which comsae? Gonna Take C but not sure which other ones to do? Any input?
Cool thanks dude. How do the questions compare to comquest/ combank (if you've done any of those).
I prefer Kaplan over Rx myself but thanks for the input! I like comquest. Glad I got it. I actually think some of the questions are super similar to Uworld (thought the tough questions in uworld are diff from the tough questions in comquest). I wish comquest had more omm. If it did I would tell the world to use it over that diarrhea known as combank.
Lucky/unlucky for me I’m having to take my usmle 3 days earlier than planned so it gives me an extra 3 days I.e about a week to go over omm. My micro is probably my strongest subject; pharm and Neuro on the other hand not so much. Going to keep truckin through Anki and reviewing those til game day. Probably going to be pulling 5 am- 10 pm these next two weeks and hopefully (by a miracle) I’ll get the scores I want.The questions tend to sort-of mimic the COMQUEST stems for general medical questions. You really don't know what you're going to get on test day... it could be a softball that you will get 10 out of 10 times or a random question about how to treat a shark attack. Best you can do is just prepare for what is fair game... i.e. keep on the UWorld, make sure your OMM game is top-notch, and be prepared for an onslaught of microbiology, pharmacology, and neuro.
This is a feature that may be implemented soon
It doesn't for everyone. Buddy ahead of me got a 232 on uwsa1 last year a week out and got a 233 on step. A 228 is solid dude. When are you signed up for step?
Also, GL on comlex! You totally got this! .
Mind if I ask what % you had on comquest/ combank (if you even used comquest that is..)
Ya, that's my biggest gripe with combank. The questions are so vague/ incomprehensible sometimes that it basically becomes a game of "what was this person thinking when writing the question". I've grown to really like comquest in comparison but they don't really have omm questions :/.
Dang dude, a 63 is um... pretty good lol. Have you thought of taking your exam during rotations (I'm assuming that's why you said not in time to take the exam)?
I also considered taking at least 1 exam (step 1 or complex) during rotations hoping to ace it with extra study time, but then I read about rotations and it looks like we'll have enough on our plate to not be able to study productively for step 1 or complex. So screw it man. I'm fed up with this bs. Just want to get over it. However, I do understand that for some of us extra 2-3 weeks could have made a big difference. And this is probably number 1 thing residencies will look at. It's so ironic, that we study so many years (including pre-med) just to under-perform on most important exam due to lack of 2-3 weeks of dedicated study time. I mean this will basically determine where you'll match, that will in turn determine your specialty, your whole future career. SMH“A woman has right upper abdominal pain. She has had several sexual partners. What is it?”
“Um, Hepatitis?”
“No, PID that spread to the liver you idiot!”
I love combank.
I did consider taking mye exam during rotations. Unfortunately, I start off wtih 8 weeks of surgery with call every 4th night with 12-14 hour days and sometimes weekends. I didn’t think I could meaningfully study during that time.
I’m sort of annoyed by the whole thing becuase I really only need about 2 more weeks. I would want to go into the USMLE wiht more than one good test under my belt, you know?
Our dedicated was rather short and I couldn’t get it done in time we were given. It sucks but I don’t see any way around it at this point. If I take it after the first 12 weeks I can’t imgine the information I will have hemorrhged.
I also considered taking at least 1 exam (step 1 or complex) during rotations hoping to ace it with extra study time, but then I read about rotations and it looks like we'll have enough on our plate to not be able to study productively for step 1 or complex. So screw it man. I'm fed up with this bs. Just want to get over it. However, I do understand that for some of us extra 2-3 weeks could have made a big difference. And this is probably number 1 thing residencies will look at. It's so ironic, that we study so many years (including pre-med) just to under-perform on most important exam due to lack of 2-3 weeks of dedicated study time. I mean this will basically determine where you'll match, that will in turn determine your specialty, your whole future career. SMH
The thing is if you don’t do well on step your not technically required to report it. So really not taking it is worse
I also considered taking at least 1 exam (step 1 or complex) during rotations hoping to ace it with extra study time, but then I read about rotations and it looks like we'll have enough on our plate to not be able to study productively for step 1 or complex. So screw it man. I'm fed up with this bs. Just want to get over it. However, I do understand that for some of us extra 2-3 weeks could have made a big difference. And this is probably number 1 thing residencies will look at. It's so ironic, that we study so many years (including pre-med) just to under-perform on most important exam due to lack of 2-3 weeks of dedicated study time. I mean this will basically determine where you'll match, that will in turn determine your specialty, your whole future career. SMH
You don't have to upload usmle transcripts if you are a DO student applying acgme. Been this way for a long time.
But, your take on "supposed to" could be different. I know several people who took it and didn't report it. They matched and moved on.
Yes it will beWill that be true in the 2020 match?
I’ve taken COMSAE A,D, and E. Anyone else feel like once you get over 600+ that it’s difficult to keep improving on your actual knowledge and the improvements stem more from understanding their vagueness in the question? I’m averaging 600+ but I still feel like there’s questions on which I’m at a crossroads on how to answer. It’s like I know the material on either path, but I’m not sure which way the questions want you to go. Not sure how to overcome this, Any advice?
Yes. I feel this way exactly. I’ve taken COMSAE A, C and E. 704, 600, 707. My test is 5 days out and I’m feeling like it’s way less knowledge based and more just the mechanics of questions. I’m honestly trying to slow down until COMLEX- half the problem for me is overthinking simple questions. I’ve found that the CBSSAs throw in a lot more distractions in the question stem, but the COMLEX pretty much gives you exactly what you need to know. Focus on the info given in the question stem, it’s probably important.
Anyone have recommendations for the week leading up to the exam. I hit a funk the last few days and my block % dipped significantly. Trying not to get discouraged!
Yes. I feel this way exactly. I’ve taken COMSAE A, C and E. 704, 600, 707. My test is 5 days out and I’m feeling like it’s way less knowledge based and more just the mechanics of questions. I’m honestly trying to slow down until COMLEX- half the problem for me is overthinking simple questions. I’ve found that the CBSSAs throw in a lot more distractions in the question stem, but the COMLEX pretty much gives you exactly what you need to know. Focus on the info given in the question stem, it’s probably important.
Anyone have recommendations for the week leading up to the exam. I hit a funk the last few days and my block % dipped significantly. Trying not to get discouraged!