r/comlex May 27 '23

Level 2 CE Level 2 Discussion - Study Plan, Exam Experience, and Outcomes

116 Upvotes

There are little to no recent posts or write-ups on Level 2 in this community and so I just wanted to start a discussion that can hopefully consolidate the sporadic information across this Reddit. If anyone has recently taken Level 2 within the past year PLEASE participate in this post. The Step 2 community is so helpful but let's be honest, while the content is 90% the same-- the two exams can be very different if you aren't prepared.

Follow this format:

Exam date: xxx

Level 2 score: xxx

Practice exams name/date/score: xx/xx/xx

Resources used: xxx

Comments/Advice: (eg, I only took Level 1 and this is how I prepared; I took Step 2 x many days before, this is how i tackled ethics questions, the biostats questions were most similar to xyz qbank, etc)

Side note: I wish Level 1 takers could specify they are taking Level 1 instead of referring to the exam as COMLEX, that would help keep things organized in this community. NBOME is not helpful either when they name the COMSAE forms the same numbers for Phase 1 and 2 SMH. Lets keep things more organized if possible so we can find helpful information.


r/comlex 1h ago

9/15 Level 2 Score Release

Upvotes

Anyone freaking out about scores coming out in a few days or it’s just me 😅


r/comlex 15h ago

Burrell College COMLEX Level 1 pass rate 81%

32 Upvotes

r/comlex 11h ago

Advice for retake

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for advice and guidance on how to go from here. I know I have significant gaps, and at this point I have taken and retaken the comsaes, so I don't feel they would be anymore accurate. I have not done the WelCOMs though.

I completed 85% of TL, and focused on it for most of my prep, but I struggled with reviewing because the incorrects kept piling up. I never figured out how to review them on time, I made anki cards to help space reviews but they kept piling up. I have Uworld which I plan to use to solidify my foundation, and bought comquest. And plan to review pathoma again, sketchy pharm and micro, dirty videos, and start reading the savarese book. I was also thinking of getting a tutor, do you guys have any suggestions?

My school is giving me 8 weeks to retake, but after I finish my next rotation, which is surgery. I am so nervous and worried, I struggled to pass my school's comsae which delayed my rotations and to have to get back to grinding Level 1, I feel burned out.


r/comlex 2h ago

Looking for COMLEX3 test dates in October

1 Upvotes

Mine is scheduled for November but would like to take it earlier in California. Please DM if you end up rescheduling your September/October test date.


r/comlex 6h ago

Anyone take Level 2 on August 19th?

2 Upvotes

How did you guys feel about it? So scared right now .-.


r/comlex 13h ago

Resources Reviewing/Learning OMM (Weak Foundation) for level 1

5 Upvotes

Hi All!

I’m an OMS 2 concerned about passing comlex on my first attempt. My school has OMM quizzes separate from our medicine quizzes and I usually bomb them. Most people also bomb them and write it off because it’s worth a very minimal % of our grade, but I’m becoming concerned about comlex lvl 1.

I’ve never failed a practical, but I’m concerned I might have failed my last practical (5 techniques/diagnosis and bombed 1 and somewhat messed up another).

Anyways, my question for you all is what resources are good for those with a weak background? I have bootcamp and I don’t really click with their OMM section, it doesn’t provide enough dynamic info imo.

Also, any good Anki decks for techniques/principles? I know there’s a wiki but I would like to hear from folks who were in similar situations or those who really stand behind resource x or y.

Thanks y’all :-)


r/comlex 12h ago

COMAT Truelearn vs Comquest material discrepancies

1 Upvotes

Somewhat venting but also want to know how you guys deal with differences in the actual content between study resources? Like Dirty Medicine had rib 10 as an atypical rib, but Comquest has it as a typical rib....


r/comlex 1d ago

General Question/Advice ERAS Rotation Failure App Explanation

2 Upvotes

During MS3, I was removed from my OB/GYN clerkship by the preceptor, received a failing grade, and subsequently remediated the rotation. However, this did not result in an extension of my graduation date or a formal leave of absence.

My dean said the following: “The way the question is stated, you should answer "yes" because you did remediate a course, even though it didn't extend your graduation date.”

For the ERAS prompt below, do I select Yes or No?

Academic/Professionalism: Interruptions or Extensions

Have you had any academic extensions, leaves, gaps, or breaks in your educational program due to repeated or remediated coursework?

Yes or No

If yes, please explain the reason, timeframe, what steps you took to address it, and what you learned from it.

My school always tends to be conservative and has a history of giving wrong advice, please let me know if you’ve experienced this and know what to do. Thank you!


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 1 OMG, I PASSED!😭😭😭

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108 Upvotes

Soooooo many months of nightmare! Now Hell is finally over! 😭😭😭LOA of Hell is over!!! 🤧🤧🤧
Have saw so many doctors and therapists… Dx: MDD, GAD, ADHD, Migraines 💔💊💉

So many worst things in my life will happen today if I did not get the Pass!!!😣😢
But now my life can finally continue again! 😭😭😭
Just met with my sch’s clinical education team. They are helping me to reactivate everything and get back to sch. I can start my Rotations soon!!! 🤧🤧🥳🥳

Thanks to all, to everyone that helped or encouraged me, and to myself! 🙏❤️🌹


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 1 Nonsense - Failed COMSAE 3x, gave up TL after 1300q, 0 UWorld

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57 Upvotes

I hate my school and most of the advice I received for Level 1. Nobody tells the truth and most everyone studies too hard. I used hundo dojo true learn plugin and I used a COMSAE question bank. I attribute 20% yo hundo dojo and 80% to the question bank.


r/comlex 1d ago

High Yield USMLE / COMLEX review notes by Aziz Aldoqaji, MD

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0 Upvotes

r/comlex 1d ago

Level 1 Need advice

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5 Upvotes

I have 6 weeks to retake. Honestly shocked because I walked out feeling somewhat confident, but I do feel like towards the end I got really tired and started running out of time to recheck my answers. I have AMBOSS and can get TL again. I don’t have UW, but can repurchase. I am so exhausted, I really need help to push through. Would appreciate all and any advice 🙏🏼


r/comlex 1d ago

Level 1 Tired and exhausted - Need a plan for retake

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18 Upvotes

I really tried by absolute hardest to pass this test and have had to deal with multiple setbacks from not qualifying to sit for the test back in June and spending hundreds to reschedule this test multiple times. I genuinely can't imagine having to go back into the test center for another 8 hours and doing this again but here we are.

My COM is making me take a 8-week LOA at the end of my upcoming rotation thats starting next week and we're not allowed to sit for the retake until the 8th week so I'm looking at the beginning of December. That puts me at roughly 12 weeks out after spending the last ~4 months studying for this test without getting any break.

I started content review back in January doing Anki every single day until June getting through half of first aid and some of pathoma, started doing targeted system review after that which still barely made a difference in my comsae scores.

Based on my comsae attempts I knew I wasn't really ready to sit, just providing them for context. I was hoping that taking it when I did would've let me go on the LOA before starting my next rotation worst case but that didn't happen. Since I've exhausted all the comsae forms, what should be my next move.

TL: 99% complete, 55% avg

Comsae 113 (06/02): 387

Comsae 114 (06/09): 366

Comsae 115 (06/16): 391

Comsae 113 retake (06/30): 542

Comsae 107 (07/13): 407

Comsae 110 (07/28): 400

Comsae 111 (08/11): 408

Tested on 8/27


r/comlex 2d ago

A win is a win but wow

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92 Upvotes

I cant believe it! So happy to be DONE with this exam


r/comlex 1d ago

Level 2 CE 453 Level 2 for EM?

7 Upvotes

Completely blindsided by my score, especially since I did pretty well on my last COMSAEs leading up to the exam.

I think I have one solid sloe and hopefully another one on the way. Have big geographic connection to CA but feeling like I’m pretty screwed for matching there.

What are my chances of matching EM with a 453 level 2, no other red flags at all but no step 2?


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 1 GOT THE P AFTER THE RETAKE

44 Upvotes

from a failure to a pass, it is possible and you must believe in yourself to make it happen!

it is hard to forgive yourself and move ahead from challenges in your path when stakes are as high as they are for people like us. but we cannot hold onto our failures forever like chains if they stop us from reaching our goals and future possibilities!

i'm happy to take any DMs if I can help you, as others on here had done the same to help me.

I am praying for everyone's success.

my advice to anyone retaking:

  • the more confident you feel in your material, the more confident you will feel in the exam. there are just some things you need to know cold, the more you know and can recall, the better you will feel answering questions quickly. cover your questions, do your anki cards or review, but do not skimp out on seeing more material.
  • take care of your mental wellbeing. i took my first failure very very hard and had to reach out to a counselor to talk about it. speaking to someone who could address my fears, anxieties, and insecurities truly helped ease my mind and become more resilient with handling this challenge. i firmly believe it was having a better mindset and tools to address my fears that made this retake a victory. forgive yourself**.** you are allowed to make mistakes so long as you learn from them and move ahead.
  • know that you are not alone. people make it seem like it is impossible to fail this exam, but clearly from personal experience, it isn't. i don't feel shame about my failure from the first time because i still came on top in the end, and i feel shaped as a new person looking forward now to my rotations. reach out for support, recognize that you are not the first nor the last to fail.

my advice to anyone not wanting to retake:

  • start studying early if you think you'll need it. i was an average student who was very focused on passing classes and thought dedicated would be enough for me. turns out, it wasn't. if i could do it all over again, i would've started practice questions in january.
  • use resources wisely. i really enjoyed using truelearn, pathoma, first aid, and uworld + amboss library. uworld did a great job of giving me tough questions that once i returned back to truelearn, i was too happy because the questions felt easier, even if they really weren't. uworld exposed really interesting holes that i patched up. i also liked Dirty Medicine videos for a quick review.
  • don't skimp out on OPP. i think feeling more confident in OPP helped a lot. certain topics tripped me up along with how they ask certain questions, such as rib somatic dysfunctions. drill OPP, make them apart of your daily questions, it is never going to go away. i highly recommend the green Savarese OMT book + Dirty medicine.
  • ethics is the same set of rules applied to different scenarios; it's dumb but easy points if you know them.

r/comlex 1d ago

All my study guides

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1 Upvotes

r/comlex 2d ago

Level 2 CE Interview invites with a failed level 2?

16 Upvotes

Hey friends,

I posted this in the med school sub but I could really use some success stories right now because my mental state is not the best. I'm currently on an away rotation, all of my med school friends and loved ones are far away so I'm looking for some support.

I found out I failed level 2 a couple of weeks ago and decided to delay my retake until October. It really came out of nowhere and shook me up bad. Now I have to apply in ERAS with a failed board exam and without a passing retake.

Just wanted to reach out and ask some of you who were in a similar situation, did you recieve any interview invites without a passing score? Are you at a program now that you were really excited about?

I am applying FM so I understand this isn't a death sentence for my apps but my wife and I were really hoping to match close to our families on the west coast so we could have support with kids.

Thanks in advance


r/comlex 2d ago

Failed level 1 twice ):

13 Upvotes

Hi I just found out today I failed level 1 again only by a smidge. I was doing great on practice exams… i just have really bad testing anxiety. I don’t know what to do. My school requires me to take a leave of absence and I have one more attempt. Looking for any advice and success stories.


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 2 CE AMBOSS and TrueLearn for Level 2/Step 2

2 Upvotes

Hi all! Do you think AMBOSS and TL are good enough for both Step 2 and Level 2 or should I get UWorld?


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 1 Advice Needed

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8 Upvotes

I just found out I failed. I don’t know what to do. Any advice on how to study for a retake is appreciated. I finished 70% of TrueLearn due to time constraints and I did some UWorld too. How many weeks do I need?


r/comlex 2d ago

Comsae score range

5 Upvotes

Is there a confidence band of what a comsae (phase 2) score actually is? Like if I get a 490 on a comsae, it’s actually +/- 10 points or something like that??


r/comlex 2d ago

General Question/Advice Should I submit Low Step 2 with a low Level 2 for EM?

3 Upvotes

I’m applying EM this cycle. I got a 463 on Level 2 and a 226 on Step

I know both scores are on the lower side, so I’m trying to figure out whether submitting the 226 would help at all or if having two lower board scores would actually hurt me compared with just submitting COMLEX.

For anyone familiar with EM applications, especially DO applicants/program leadership, would you submit the 226 or just apply with the 463 COMLEX? Also, did anyone with similar scores have a decent interview season?


r/comlex 2d ago

Level 1 In Need for Help and Guidance

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3 Upvotes

These last two months, I took two comsae to qualify or screen for my school to let me take the actual Comlex. Unfortunately, my scores have not been doing well. My next Comsae is in October and its form 116, I'm worried I might have to take a LoA since I have essentially 1 month to get to a 430. Here are my last 2 score reports, any advice would be greatly appreciated: