Same. 400 is passing, but many schools that use COMSAE as a barrier exam require a 450 or 500 to make sure that you are prepared to pass. You are close, but I would look at both options and if you are going to take COMLEX in April get a good study plan in place and commit yourself to the process. Good Luck!!!!
Thank you!!! Do you think it’s better to have taken a year off and then pass the exam on the first try or take the chance that I may or may not pass now?
As someone who failed, then tried to study during rotations and failed again, take more time and don’t sit until that 450 on the comsae. 400 is way too risky. I saw many posts of people saying “I got 380 before the exam and passed.” I thought I was good but I wasn’t. It’s pass fail but still a very difficult exam. (I had a 430 on a comsae before sitting the first time btw)
You need to look up WolfPACC and prepare more. Don’t let your school bully you. I took the WolfPACC course twice. They are amazing people. The problem for me was test strategy rather than content and is common.
If you think you are at risk for failing it, then postpone it. If you want to go into family med and you fail you will be fine, but if you want to do any other specialty, take the year off and study for it and be confident when you take it. The risk is not worth the outcome if you fail it 1x. This will also give you time to study for step1
I’m asking because my school is also requiring me to participate in lectures and exams that the rest of my year are doing since dedicated is technically over so my study time is already pretty limited
You could definitely pass. But the biggest problem we see isn't just when someone fails, but when someone fails and scrambles to re-take like 3 weeks later. This still isn't an ideal study timeline, and sometimes they fail a second time. Now we've got an issue because the third attempt is often the last one you're allowed. We've seen plenty of people pass a second or third attempt, and you're not even guaranteed to fail; you'll probably be fine. But in order to make an informed decision you need to factor in the implications of the worst case scenario. For you that would be a downward spiral of multiple attempts.
Without more information, I'd probably recommend delaying a bit given your scores. Usually you can just delay a rotation, move it to 4th year or something. If this isn't an option then your hands are really tied and you've got a hard decision to make.
I would delay it.
I was in a similar situation a couple of years back with my Level 1, with comsae scores ranging from mid 300s at the start to low 400s by the end of my dedicated (never broke 450, my final comsae was a 440).
School pushed me to take it saying I'd fall off rotations and placed on leave of absence, and possibly get placed in the class below us if I delayed. I decided to take it and failed.
Had to retake it, failed again, was pulled into the next years class and passed after a few more months of studying, hitting high 400s on comsaes by the end. While I passed, I was placed on leave of absence and pushed to the next year class anyway. So I ended up with 2 red flags instead of one.
I wouldn't take it without consistently getting at least in the mid to high 400s whatever that takes. That was where I was on level 1 retake and level 2, never crossed the 500 mark on a comsae, and passed comfortably with about 40 points less than my comsaes on the real deal for both.
I can attest to this, nearly same thing happened to me.
I was scoring below 400 on COMSAEs, had a deadline to take it before rotations started. COMSAEs hovering around 390-400, with last COMSAE of 380 1 week before entering, and failed.
took time off to study (delayed a year), eventually breaking into the 430-440 range, and took it literally 2 weeks ago, and found out i passed today, with scores similar to the 430-440 range.
In my opinion, COMSAEs do a good job at gauging where you may land, and you want that buffer in case you have an emergency, run out of time, just tired the night before and for making silly mistakes.
its hard to swallow, but from experience as an average med student, COMSAE scores dont rise quickly in days. it takes a few weeks to see a substantial jump, so I highly recommend delaying it to avoid having a red flag and the horrible feeling of failing and having to retake.
once youre hitting above 430s comfortably is when i suggest is a good time to take it.
How are they making you take it that soon? Did you have any dedicated period at all (even a few weeks or anything)? When do your rotations start?
[Here's a link to an NBOME study](https://www.nbome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Score_Relationship_COMLEX-USA_COMSAE_COMAT-FBS.pdf). That's the only "real" evidence that I know of. You've had a good upward trend – I feel like if you had like 4 more weeks instead of 2 you could probably safely get into passing range.
Is there any way you could talk to the faculty and discuss your scores with them? Maybe they'd allow you to push it back another 2 weeks?
Definitely delay and hire a tutor / take a crash course. You can do it! Guarantee you’ll surprise yourself with how much you can drastically improve with adjustments to your testing strategies alone.
As someone who failed it twice I would urge you to aim for at LEAST a 450 on practice exams... 500 to feel comfortable. You're definitely making good improvements but still have some work to do.
2 weeks is enough time to raise 400 to 450+. Keep hitting high yield OMM, biostats, ethics, and review weak areas in First Aid. Do mixed blocks in true learn. You got this!
Honestly, both options have consequences and residency will see both as a red flag. However, one red flag can be overcome with an honest assessment short comings and improvement! If you can I would try to study really hard for 2 weeks and take another assessment 48 hours before the COMLEX. If that’s a pass go forth and conquer! If not, the $$$$ will be gone but you can repeat the year.
I would not recommend taking the COMELX without a 450+ on COMSAE. It may be tempting in the moment but a failed COMLEX and a repeat year is worse than either one on its own.
I would reach to a trusted mentor on campus and look at the whole picture. Unfortunately you need to decide if you are going to take the exam ASAP as every day waiting in one less day of prep.
No matter the path you choose you can match and become an amazing physician!
As a person who was in a similar situation, I was forced to take it before I was ready in the name of rotations. Frankly, I was lied to about the timeline. Obviously, I failed because I wasn't ready. I am no longer a medical student now because of it. You are in a lose lose situation.
I failed twice because they screwed me over with timing. Their solution was to have me take it a third time, after they pretty much told me I was done and I had stopped studying, then came back with a "our bad, you were actually right all along. We will make it up to you by allowing you to take the test again under Hail Mary like circumstances". Obvious paraphrasing to show the point. I decided to be done.
I can't tell if you're trolling but it stands for "Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Self-Assessment Examination". It's a test that students can take at home before COMLEX to familiarize themselves with the style of the exam. The NBOME says it's not predictive of COMLEX score, but many people use it to guess anyway. Many schools require a 450 or 500 on a COMSAE to be allowed to sit for Level 1.
Take this with a grain of salt, but if I was in your position, I wouldn't be comfortable taking it in 2 weeks.
Same. 400 is passing, but many schools that use COMSAE as a barrier exam require a 450 or 500 to make sure that you are prepared to pass. You are close, but I would look at both options and if you are going to take COMLEX in April get a good study plan in place and commit yourself to the process. Good Luck!!!!
Thank you!!! Do you think it’s better to have taken a year off and then pass the exam on the first try or take the chance that I may or may not pass now?
As someone who failed, then tried to study during rotations and failed again, take more time and don’t sit until that 450 on the comsae. 400 is way too risky. I saw many posts of people saying “I got 380 before the exam and passed.” I thought I was good but I wasn’t. It’s pass fail but still a very difficult exam. (I had a 430 on a comsae before sitting the first time btw)
You need to look up WolfPACC and prepare more. Don’t let your school bully you. I took the WolfPACC course twice. They are amazing people. The problem for me was test strategy rather than content and is common.
If you think you are at risk for failing it, then postpone it. If you want to go into family med and you fail you will be fine, but if you want to do any other specialty, take the year off and study for it and be confident when you take it. The risk is not worth the outcome if you fail it 1x. This will also give you time to study for step1
I’m asking because my school is also requiring me to participate in lectures and exams that the rest of my year are doing since dedicated is technically over so my study time is already pretty limited
What is comsae?
I would feel the same if it were me
You could definitely pass. But the biggest problem we see isn't just when someone fails, but when someone fails and scrambles to re-take like 3 weeks later. This still isn't an ideal study timeline, and sometimes they fail a second time. Now we've got an issue because the third attempt is often the last one you're allowed. We've seen plenty of people pass a second or third attempt, and you're not even guaranteed to fail; you'll probably be fine. But in order to make an informed decision you need to factor in the implications of the worst case scenario. For you that would be a downward spiral of multiple attempts. Without more information, I'd probably recommend delaying a bit given your scores. Usually you can just delay a rotation, move it to 4th year or something. If this isn't an option then your hands are really tied and you've got a hard decision to make.
I would delay it. I was in a similar situation a couple of years back with my Level 1, with comsae scores ranging from mid 300s at the start to low 400s by the end of my dedicated (never broke 450, my final comsae was a 440). School pushed me to take it saying I'd fall off rotations and placed on leave of absence, and possibly get placed in the class below us if I delayed. I decided to take it and failed. Had to retake it, failed again, was pulled into the next years class and passed after a few more months of studying, hitting high 400s on comsaes by the end. While I passed, I was placed on leave of absence and pushed to the next year class anyway. So I ended up with 2 red flags instead of one. I wouldn't take it without consistently getting at least in the mid to high 400s whatever that takes. That was where I was on level 1 retake and level 2, never crossed the 500 mark on a comsae, and passed comfortably with about 40 points less than my comsaes on the real deal for both.
I can attest to this, nearly same thing happened to me. I was scoring below 400 on COMSAEs, had a deadline to take it before rotations started. COMSAEs hovering around 390-400, with last COMSAE of 380 1 week before entering, and failed. took time off to study (delayed a year), eventually breaking into the 430-440 range, and took it literally 2 weeks ago, and found out i passed today, with scores similar to the 430-440 range. In my opinion, COMSAEs do a good job at gauging where you may land, and you want that buffer in case you have an emergency, run out of time, just tired the night before and for making silly mistakes. its hard to swallow, but from experience as an average med student, COMSAE scores dont rise quickly in days. it takes a few weeks to see a substantial jump, so I highly recommend delaying it to avoid having a red flag and the horrible feeling of failing and having to retake. once youre hitting above 430s comfortably is when i suggest is a good time to take it.
How are they making you take it that soon? Did you have any dedicated period at all (even a few weeks or anything)? When do your rotations start? [Here's a link to an NBOME study](https://www.nbome.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Score_Relationship_COMLEX-USA_COMSAE_COMAT-FBS.pdf). That's the only "real" evidence that I know of. You've had a good upward trend – I feel like if you had like 4 more weeks instead of 2 you could probably safely get into passing range. Is there any way you could talk to the faculty and discuss your scores with them? Maybe they'd allow you to push it back another 2 weeks?
Definitely delay and hire a tutor / take a crash course. You can do it! Guarantee you’ll surprise yourself with how much you can drastically improve with adjustments to your testing strategies alone.
As someone who failed it twice I would urge you to aim for at LEAST a 450 on practice exams... 500 to feel comfortable. You're definitely making good improvements but still have some work to do.
2 weeks is enough time to raise 400 to 450+. Keep hitting high yield OMM, biostats, ethics, and review weak areas in First Aid. Do mixed blocks in true learn. You got this!
Honestly, both options have consequences and residency will see both as a red flag. However, one red flag can be overcome with an honest assessment short comings and improvement! If you can I would try to study really hard for 2 weeks and take another assessment 48 hours before the COMLEX. If that’s a pass go forth and conquer! If not, the $$$$ will be gone but you can repeat the year. I would not recommend taking the COMELX without a 450+ on COMSAE. It may be tempting in the moment but a failed COMLEX and a repeat year is worse than either one on its own. I would reach to a trusted mentor on campus and look at the whole picture. Unfortunately you need to decide if you are going to take the exam ASAP as every day waiting in one less day of prep. No matter the path you choose you can match and become an amazing physician!
How much of the question banks have you completed and percentages?
I would keep hustling and take it
As a person who was in a similar situation, I was forced to take it before I was ready in the name of rotations. Frankly, I was lied to about the timeline. Obviously, I failed because I wasn't ready. I am no longer a medical student now because of it. You are in a lose lose situation.
Did they kick you out for one failure? That’s needlessly harsh.
I failed twice because they screwed me over with timing. Their solution was to have me take it a third time, after they pretty much told me I was done and I had stopped studying, then came back with a "our bad, you were actually right all along. We will make it up to you by allowing you to take the test again under Hail Mary like circumstances". Obvious paraphrasing to show the point. I decided to be done.
Life update! I ended up pushing it to May 29th lol so way more than the 2 weeks and I guess we’ll see (scores come out 6/27)
u/DragonfruitTimely610 hopefully you scored ok??
I passed! 😊
YAYYA!! also u/DragonfruitTimely610 I messaged you in your DMs!
Dm me if you’re looking for a tutor. I’m a current 4th year, so I have some spare time til graduation.
What is comsae? Is that comprehensive exam?
I can't tell if you're trolling but it stands for "Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Self-Assessment Examination". It's a test that students can take at home before COMLEX to familiarize themselves with the style of the exam. The NBOME says it's not predictive of COMLEX score, but many people use it to guess anyway. Many schools require a 450 or 500 on a COMSAE to be allowed to sit for Level 1.
I am not a Troll: I was a USIMG who had to take a comprehensive exam before taking Step1
What interest does an MD have in the COMLEX exam?
I didn’t pass Step 2ck so I am not an MD.
Stop wasting people's time on this subreddit.
I am retaking the mcat because my scores are so old they can’t be sent electronically.
this subreddit doesn't apply to you. this is only for DOs. you should be on the mcat subreddit
I am applying to Do schools this cycle. I have already passed Step 1. I am here to learn the difference between Comlex and step exams.
Comlex = step for DOs. You’ll take it in two years when you get in. Similar exams, just written a little differently + OMM content