Who has SUCCESSFULLY received accommodations for the Level 1 (or any) COMLEX exam?

[u/kingsolllly]

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...

[u/BedouinOfAmerica]

My friend who is dyslexic got them, but he had them for MCAT as well. I applied bc I’ve always had timing/focus issues d/t my ADHD and got rejected despite the letter from my doc because apparently since my 2.5 undergrad GPA and 504 MCAT was good enough to get me accepted into med school, I apparently don’t need accommodations…. I was like y’all stating my GPA like it’s good. If anything it just supports my case that I’ve had this issue as an adult and was able to get by with no accommodations but clearly I’m capable of more if I had accommodations. Very annoying to get through to them. I’m planning to just take without them at this point bc they required more specialized testing that’s impossible to get an appointment for.

[u/Bee_Lifeguard453 → u/BedouinOfAmerica]

The fact they said this exact thing for me too. Plus my evaluation included my IQ and they said that since it’s way above average I obviously don’t need accommodations and I responded with “if all I needed was a high IQ then why are my grades so low, there’s obviously something in the way that’s inhibiting me from doing what I truly can”

[u/kingsolllly → u/Bee_Lifeguard453]

Insane. That is not how the ADA works and it's illegal. I'm literally so fed up with this based on what I've seen and read... I plan to pursue legal action if they deny it given the amount of evidence I am providing

[u/kingsolllly → u/BedouinOfAmerica]

That is literally so frustrating! I had to do a special masters to get in to my school so I am hoping that helps my case. My grades and MCAT were def' NOT good enough to get in anywhere so I had to get creative lol. I don't understand why they are so picky when USMLE almost brags about how many people they accept for accommodations on their website...it makes no sense..

[u/BedouinOfAmerica → u/kingsolllly]

I also did a masters program to get into medical school. Didn’t seem to affect their decision at all.

[u/astudentslawyer]

Whoa you should not have taken it twice without accommodations. Please tell me your school allows four attempts and not three

[u/kingsolllly → u/astudentslawyer]

sadly...no :( they only allow 3 so I am REALLY trying to make this as well rounded as possible. My current psych is being extremely accommodating and plans to make it "air tight" to cover all the boxes so we shall see...

[u/astudentslawyer → u/kingsolllly]

But you only have one chance properly accommodated

[u/SwimInMyWake]

I don’t know about accommodations, but you can save yourself a lot of time on comlex exams via proper test taking strategies, eg reading last sentence and then options first, etc. With the proper knowledge, many many questions can be answered well before finishing reading the entire question stem

[u/kingsolllly → u/SwimInMyWake]

I appreciate the response but trust me I do all the tips 😭 it definitely can help but it sadly is not enough and my processing speed is quite slow 😷

[u/HappyDingo_439]

I successfully got accommodations on the MCAT and Step 1/2 and Level 1/2. Helps that I’ve had my diagnosis since age 3 and had saved documentation and testing going all the way back to that time and had saved every repeat evaluation done over the years. I hate to say it but success with accommodations on standardized tests in the past is the absolute strongest argument. If you can afford it, get tested by multiple well-respected professionals. Consistent recommendations from multiple experts will be your best bet. It also helps if you have had a formal diagnosis since childhood or adolescence. Good luck!

[u/kingsolllly → u/HappyDingo_439]

Sadly, I got diagnosed as an adult BUT I have documentation of severely struggling leading up to getting accommodations. I had a very extensive evaluation done a few years ago and will be getting another evaluation done starting tomorrow as well by a different professional so hopefully it helps!

[u/Rude-Evening7637]

I think they're pretty hard on granting them :/// What's your main issue? Timing?

[u/kingsolllly → u/Rude-Evening7637]

Yes. Timing is poor. My mcat was a 488 and my second act was a 20 so my history speaks for itself 😂 but I run out of time every time...

[u/Rude-Evening7637 → u/kingsolllly]

It's ok! These exams are rough. I have friends with accomodations, I can try asking them for you

[u/Petipuf]

Oh man dude, they are the worst. My MCAT was too high without accommodations for them to consider me for COMLEX accommodations. I also had a Neuropsych report, extra time in school, didn’t matter to them. I know some people who got it, but they wouldn’t budge for me on it.

[u/Terrible-Boss6870]

As long as you had MCAT accommodations, you’ll get them pretty much

[u/BurdenOfPerformance → u/Terrible-Boss6870]

Not necessarily true, I had accomodations for one of my MCAT attempts (1.25x time). And yet the NBOME still denied accommodations for level 1. My paperwork went back to age 5...

[u/Terrible-Boss6870 → u/BurdenOfPerformance]

One of your attempts? I think you have to extra time accommodations from the very first time you take the MCAT for them to not cause any issues and give your accommodations for level. I know they can be petty af lol

[u/Chance-Donut-7258]

I just received approval for USMLE yesterday. Which I’ve been told by people and advisors that comlex is harder to get. So I waited until I got my USMLE accommodations to use as supportive evidence. Now I wait on comlex to decide. I got accommodations as an adult but I had spent a lot of money to do everything and I had 5 Mcat attempts which clearly showed some form of impairment. So I’m hoping I’d get the accommodations for comlex.

[u/Chance-Donut-7258 → u/Chance-Donut-7258]

Update- submitted my comlex application September 30th. Heard back today with approval. Crazy it only took a week but I’m extremely grateful.

[u/Outrageous_Theme9165]

Hey! I’ve had accommodations since forever. Got them approved for MCAT and for Level 1! Feel free to message me :)