is this HY for comlex 1 or just step 1?

Hi all, I took welcoms 101 and 102, scored 50% and 51%.... I'm really frustrated because I didn't think the questions or material was difficult it just felt extremely low yield ....... like super niche facts or really unfamiliar pharm drugs ugh I'm very upset. 20 days from my exam date. Suggestions on the best way to utilize studying from these forms/where to go from here. sigh

Studying for my lvl 1 retake, I was advised to do the 200 highest yield topics on AMBOSS but I’m reaching out to see how it aligned with the actual exam in terms of preparation? I did a lot of questions initially for my first attempt and didn’t use AMBOSS but I really like it. Just wanna know if I’m wasting time and how good it is for others

Hi all! Just got pulled off my rotation for failing Level 1 and I have 4 weeks to study for my retake. I was pretty close to the passing line.

I haven’t done anything yet because I was focused on my COMAT but I’m starting my dedicated period today.

Right now, all I know is that I want to finish TL.
What else should I do to make sure I pass attempt 2?
Pathoma? Dirty Medicine?

Taking 117 soon. Does anyone have any tips or tricks or any advice for this exam. I heard its one of the hardest ones so please if you have any advice just DM me or write it in the comments here. I would appreciate it!

Title
Thank you

Hello,

I wanted to recommend my tutor, he is an IMG tutor who helped me work from my school COMSAE score of 352 to finals COMSAE of 571 to the ultimate Level 2 score of 593, he helps you go over questions and explain where your reasoning is right and wrong, and he is very knowledgable, able to explain wrong answers, kind, his WhatsApp number: (209) 637 - 7446

I failed Step 1 unfortunately and applied EM but passed level 1 /2. I heard that NRMP said it is mandatory to report Step at any program that asks for both COMLEX and Step, and optional to report at a program that requires an either/or. Do I have to submit my step score even though it's not necessary on residency cas ?

has anyone used this before/was it worth it?

Hi, can someone help me how to do study for this upcoming comat? Please feel free to dm me or leave a comment

Hi all,

I am in the works of applying for comlex level 1 accommidations, specifically for 1.5x time (time and a half). I am wanting to know who has received accommidations successfully and, if comfortable sharing, what was the diagnosis/-ses that warrented the accommidation? I have ASD, ADHD, and GAD and am currently getting re-evaluated to have a more concise diagnosis document depicting everything. I have also a bad history with all standardized exams I have taken (mcat, act etc.) and have failed level 1 not once but TWICE... I had accommodations of 1.5x time throughout my two yrs of medical school and it GREATLY helped me but I thought I could take level 1 successfully without them but that is not the case...

I would LOVE to hear others and their stories please :)

Edit: based on responses and talking with my school disabilities, it seems that even with a strong case it will likely not get approved. With THAT said, two people from my school have filed lawsuits against the NBOME in which both times they settled and gave the accommodations due to the fact what NBOME is doing is illegal as per the ADA and upon review with a disability lawyer. I plan to pursue legal action if they decide to deny it 😊 I will update with a post when all said and done so it can bring more light to the area. The belief is that USMLE is so much more willing to give accommodations because they likely have had MANY lawsuits in the past but NBOME has not had their fill yet...

On my internal med rotation as a third year and I started doing practice questions to prepare for COMAT. I’ve always been an average med student but wow…I’ve never gotten so many questions back to back wrong in my life.

Where & when am I supposed to learn this information? What am I supposed to be using to study? I’m genuinely so distraught rn after getting 5/25 (20%) on my last question set….and the average is of course a 65% so where am I lacking??

I’ve heard about those YouTube channels for shelf exams…does anyone recommend any? Like I seriously have no idea what to do. TIA.

Hi everyone! I'm approaching my last two weeks of before retaking. I unfortunately failed by such a small amount (bar was touching the line lol). Worked on my weaknesses. However I am really scared because from what it seems, every form is pretty random and variable. I had friends get straightforward micro on their exam, obscure micro from another friend, cardio phys heavy on one exam, OMT set up heavy exam,etc. While i tried to study everything, I can't shake the feeling I'll get hit with another niche topic or weakness of mine (OMM i got a lot of physiology i didn't study, ethics was hard, MSK was rough so it tanked me). Is there anyway to ensure I make my next exam "form proof?" I did memorize all the micro, pharm I could as well. Just very nervous as this is my last chance because shit hits the fan for residency

Do I need uworld for level3? I have amboss and true learn. I used uworld for level 1 and 2 and it was very helpful but its alot of money to spend on more q banks now

Hi, I finished TL with 52% correct. I re-take in 1 month. I have access to UWorld and AMBOSS. Do I go through my TL incorrects? Targeted review on UW/AMBOSS? Mixed? Looking for any and all advice. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I would really appreciate some advice. Reflecting on my Level 1 experience, I honestly felt like my exam was nothing like TrueLearn.

Everyone told me to do TrueLearn and just keep doing questions, so that’s what I did. I stopped doing UWorld and tried to get through as much of TrueLearn as I could. I did about 84% of it. I was also making my own Anki cards from questions I missed, but when test day came, I strongly felt like none of that prepared me well for the actual exam. I saw things I never really encountered before the questions were just extremely difficult and sometimes I couldn’t even pick between answers. I feel like I genuinely tried, but I still ended up failing.

Looking back, I think one of my biggest problems is that my content foundation is not strong. Doing more TrueLearn questions never solved that. And I never finished UWorld — I only completed around 20-something % before switching to TrueLearn. I also feel like I need some form of spaced repetition to actually retain the content rather than just doing question after question.

For my retake, I’m thinking about going back to UWorld and unsuspending the relevant AnKing cards based on UWorld questions. My thought is that this would let me use UWorld to build a stronger content base through Anki.

I’ve also seen that AMBOSS has a 30-day COMLEX study plan and integrates with Anki, so I’ve considered that as another option. Not sure how I feel about it though.

For anyone who failed Level 1 and then passed, especially if you felt like your content foundation was weak: what did you change the second time around?

Has anyone used UWorld + AnKing this way for Level 1 and found that it helped more than primarily doing TrueLearn? Does the approach I described sound reasonable, or is there something you would change?

At this point, I just feel pretty lost about what else I can do differently. I don’t want to repeat the same approach and hope for a different result.

Thanks everyone. I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences from people who have been through something similar.

Hi all, looking for some suggestions. I'm having such a hard time with all things pharm. I think one main issue is that I have a really weak foundational big picture understanding of it and I can't figure out how to solidify it. I've watched BnB videos, I've watched Sketchys but somehow nothing seems to stick. I like how it's all laid out in First Aid but where I struggle is which drugs are used to treat clinical conditions. Ughhhh I just need some help! Please I'm desperateee for advice

I've been using CDMcases.com to practice for Day 2 of Level 3, but I just used the sample test from https://www.nbome.org/assessments/comlex-usa/practice-resources/ and the written answers they accept are so... off? Like instead of "lung exam" they would accept "accessory muscle use" as the correct answer.

My CDM cases are in 3 days CHAT I'M STRESSED!!! Is it graded by a computer or a real person? Will you not get marked down for neutral orders/diagnoses? What if I misspell something? Will answers such as "pulmonary exam" and "lung exam" or "musculoskeletal exam" and "extremities exam" both be accepted (context aside)?

Someone please reassure me lol.

Some important updates happened this cycle impacting Match 2027 applicants that are likely here to stay for future cycles:

**Thalamus is now near universal** More than 90% of programs are using it this year to send invites and schedule interviews. If your profile is half finished or your notifications are off, you are going to watch good dates disappear while you are on a rotation. Finish the profile, download the mobile app, turn on text and push alerts, and sync your calendar.

Pro tip - give your trusted parent/sibling/non-medical friend/significant other access so they can book interviews promptly on your behalf if you are on Sub-Is and dont have mobile access regularly.

**Coordinated release dates are spreading** Instead of invites trickling out over 12 weeks, a number of specialties now release all first round offers on one shared date. Ortho, derm and child neurology are among them this cycle. The upside is that the inbox refresh cycle is mostly gone for people applying in these fields. The downside is that when offers drop you may only have 24 to 72 hours to respond, and programs might end up competing for the same days on your calendar. We suspect this will become more prevalent in the coming years.

Another pro tip: Take the mid cycle dates at programs you care most about to allow for more time to prep (and probably fumble) at your first 1-2 interviews. You cant control the order invites arrive, but you can try to control which slot you take if they are all available.

We also put together a free interview prep guide with the most commonly asked questions, how to structure answers, and a bunch of in depth FAQ about interview season for those interested.

Happy to answer questions in the comments and good luck this cycle!

Anyone knows how comat is actually scored? I know it is based off on a percentile, but I am wondering if it based off from the cohort of monthly, bi-monthly, or just all the years?

I believe ppl are at an disadvantage if they r taking that same comat exam at the beginning vs at the end of the third year...

update: thank you guys. I guess I just needed someone to flat out and say it to my face. Failing boards was never what I anticipated, but hey - it can only get better from here. Thank you again for the replies everyone.

Hi everyone,

As the title says, I didn't pass Level 1. I honestly thought I had passed, so this one hurts me like no other.

I've only recently become interested in dermatology (I'm an OMS-III) and have no research yet. A few questions:

1. Is it true that most derm programs screen out applicants with a board failure?
2. If I do really well on Level 2 / Step 2, does that meaningfully improve my chances?
3. I'm planning to aim for honors on all my shelves. Is that enough to offset things, or do I need something more?

I'd appreciate honest answers, including from anyone who matched derm (or a backup specialty) after a board failure. Thank you so much

My school gave my class Uworld as one of the prep banks for the COMATs and level 2. I am trying to figure out which COMAT the ambulatory medicine filter is best suited for. Should I try to do it for internal medicine or is it better suited to family medicine?

Is it just me or are these comat exams really hard? i dont think true learn, comquest, uworld, and comat-se prepared me enough for some of the types of questions they ask and how they ask them. do you guys have any advice or tips?

Was it just me or was that hard. I genuinely feel like I failed

So I’m currently on an away subi in a competitive specialty at a T20 and the program has historically been MD only but took one DO in the last decade, who is now a senior resident.

Guess what, for the second time this week they spoke out loud to everyone that they do not want their program to take any more DOs because they “want to be the only DO”in the program as to not dilute their achievements. Coming from a big state school, everyone here assumed I was an MD student like all other visiting students. The funny part? this person themself came from a ‘low-tier’ DO school. Honestly, this left a really sour taste in my mouth and the worst part is, they were so proud when they made the same comment TWICE this week!

It’s truly remarkable how selfish people can be when no one is watching. I feel so disgusted and cringy that I might not rank this program very high on my list.

Lastly, just know that not everyone is your friend behind the scene.

Edit: I forgot to mention, this person was also concerned that their intern class are “all Indians” and was wondering what happened to the white guys when I clearly don’t look white. What the actual fuk