COMLEX/USMLE Preparation and Test Taking Tips

It’s that time again, I know all of you 2nd year medical students are probably freaking out right now because your board exam is right around the corner (if you haven’t already taken it). I have put together a list of tips that helped me along the way. Now, I don’t claim to have the BEST suggestions, but given the fact that I had to take that stupid exam more than once, ya girl can tell you a thing or two. By the way, I only took the COMLEX exam and not the USMLE, but I’m sure there is some general overlap in the way you would prepare.

1. Probably the most important piece of advice: FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

People learn in different ways, so know that what works for your friend may or may not work for you. I fell into the trap of asking all of my classmates and upperclassman their study strategies and tried to make them my own. Some of their tips work and some didn’t. Just keep that in mind moving forward with this list.

2. Manage your time wisely.

Create a study schedule and stick to it as closely as possible. I’m an Excel person, so I made a spreadsheet. I allotted a specific number of hours for each subject, giving the most time to my weaker subject areas. Regarding your study schedule, do not set yourself up for failure. Allow yourself some time to do things that you enjoy. For example watch your favorite 30 minute TV show (no binging though) or work out. Trust me, if you don’t have some sort of balance you will go coo coo for coco puffs.

3. Don’t use too many resources.

I found, through trial and error, that when I was using too many resources I became overwhelmed and actually was studying less efficiently. After narrowing things down, this is what I used for Level 1:
First Aid for the USMLE
Doctors in Training (DIT)
COMBANK and COMQUEST question banks
OMT Review by Savarese (the green book)

I would advise going through First Aid multiple times. It’s pretty much the Bible for board prep. I took mine to my local office supply store and had them cut off the binding and put spiral rings in it. That make it easier to navigate. DIT was helpful, but I only used it for Level 1. Some of the videos are a tad bit corny, but hey, the info sticks. I really like the study guide workbook that comes with it. Now for my osteopathic people, there are multiple articles and reviews all over the interwebs that list the advantages and disadvantages of COMBANK and COMQUEST. I used them both for Level 1, but only COMBANK for Level 2. I like them both, but for different reasons. Here is a good in-depth review of both from Alex at Medical School Success. To the USMLE folks, I can’t give my two cents about Kaplan question banks but I did use UWorld for Level 2 (but only for a few weeks). In my opinion, the questions are good for reinforcing general clinical knowledge, but if you are using UWorld to prepare for COMLEX, they way in which the questions are asked is not a good reflection of how they are asked on the COMLEX. Regarding OMM on the COMLEX, if you go through the OMT Review book and do multiple runs of the OMM questions from your question bank of choice, you will be fine.

For Level 2 CE, you will be learning on rotations so study and review for whatever rotation you have that month. I used Step Up to Medicine and Master the Boards. I also did an OMT refresher with the Savarese book and used COMBANK again.

4. Do as many practice questions as possible.

Once you complete all of the questions in a particular question bank, do them again. Repetition is key here. When first starting off, I did questions to coincide with the topic I was studying. Later on, I did them in random mode. As test date approached I used the timed mode to get used to going against the clock. When reviewing the questions, I strongly recommend that you go over every single answer choice for each question, no matter if you answered it correctly or not. Trust me, it helps. Additionally, take a few practice assessments before the real exam. You can buy the COMSAEs from the NBOME website or purchase the assessments from COMBANK. It’s cheaper to use the latter.

Note: The following applies to preparing for the COMLEX Level 2 PE:

5. Practice your history taking, physical exam, and OMT skills with classmates/friends. 

I used the COMLEX Level 2-PE Review Guide and went through all of the clinical cases. I also wrote a practice SOAP note for each case and did it timed on the NBOME website here. I made a habit of typing the assessment and plan first, before typing anything else. That way, if I ran out of time typing, at least I would have that filled in. This came in handy when I took the real exam. For OMT, I focused on mastering a couple of techniques from each body region. Again, repetition is key so once you do the same techniques over and over while practicing with someone you will be fine.

Now, a few tips for test day.

6. On the night before the exam, relax and get a good night’s rest.

Yea, it’s common sense, but you do NOT want to be tired during an 8 hour exam. By relax, I mean don’t spend the final 3 hours before bed studying. Do something to ease your anxiety, like watch your favorite movie before bed.

7. Eat breakfast on test day, and bring lunch.

Be sure to eat a good breakfast, but don’t go to IHOP and get a stack of pancakes before heading to the test site. You don’t want that postprandial sleepiness (aka food coma) to kick in while you are only 2 hours into the exam. Bring something light for lunch for the same reasons as above. Additionally, don’t drink too much water because unscheduled bathroom breaks will take away from your test-taking time.

8. Don’t spend too much time on one question.

If you are unsure of an answer, choose something, mark it, keep moving to the next question and come back to it later. You still have a chance of getting points if you guess correctly. That’s way better off than leaving an answer blank then possibly running out of time to come back to it.

9. If you fail it’s not the end of the world.

Trust me, I know. If you find yourself in this situation, do a self evaluation to figure out what went wrong. See what subjects you performed poorly in, and get back in the saddle. Start to prepare to take the exam again, and be confident.

10. When you pass the exam celebrate and know that your hard work paid off.

beyonce spinning gif

 

-thedoctorjb

3 Comments

  • Maxime Bayol

    June 1, 2017 at 11:28 PM Reply

    Hi I’m an OMS-2 who is only planning on taking level one – did you ever doubt your decision to not take step one? I’m just wondering if I’m making a mistake just taking comlex? I’m planning on primary care, probably peds. Also I just wanted to say your study advice and blog is pretty great. Thanks for your time

    • thedoctorjb

      June 6, 2017 at 10:42 PM Reply

      Hi Maxine, thanks for checking out the blog and glad this post was helpful. No, I don’t doubt my decision to only take COMLEX. I knew I wanted to go into primary care, so I didn’t feel the need to take Step 1. There were plenty of options and opportunities when it came time to apply for residency. Additionally, given my hate/hate relationship with standardized tests, I did not want to torture myself any more than I had to.

      • Maxime Bayol

        July 12, 2017 at 11:00 PM Reply

        Thank you for your reply! I just feel like with all my peers just talking about there step experiences that I may have made a huge mistake. Perhaps if I went into ortho or em, taking only comlex would be a detriment. Thank you for assuaging my fears. I’m just going to trust that I made the right decision, because standardized testing is my achilles heel.

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