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Questions:
- What
is the NBOME?
- What
is the COMLEX?
- What
is the USMLE?
- When
do medical students and interns take the COMLEX?
- Why
do I need to take the COMLEX?
- Why
do residency programs use board scores as selection criteria?
- Can
I take the USMLE?
- Do
I need to take the USMLE too?
- Why
do some D.O. students take the USMLE?
- Do
some residency programs not accept the COMLEX?
- Is
the COMLEX easier than the USMLE?
- Has
the COMLEX undergone independent verification?
- Who
writes the COMLEX? How is it created?
What
is the NBOME?
The NBOME is
the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. It's a nonprofit
corporation dedicated to serving the public and state licensing
agencies by administering examinations testing the medical knowledge
of osteopathic medical students and interns. The NBOME was established
in July 1934. Its website is at http://www.nbome.org.
What
is the COMLEX?
In order to
more accurately measure the knowledge required by today's physicians,
the NBOME initiated the three-level Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical
Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) to replace the former three-part
NBOME examination series. The COMLEX is a three part exam. Each
exam is administered over a two day period, and employs an osteopathic
primary care approach to patient care fully integrated throughout
the examination.
What
is the USMLE?
The USMLE is
the United States Medical Licensing Exam -- it is taken by allopathic
medical students and interns. It is administered by a Committee
Consisting of representatives of the Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMGSM), the Federation of State Medical
Boards (FSMB), the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), and
the public. The Composite Committee establishes policies and procedures
for the USMLE program. The USMLE website is at http://www.usmle.org.
When
do medical students and interns take the COMLEX?
The first COMLEX
is usually taken at the completion of the second-year of medical
school. The next COMLEX is taken during the fourth year of medical
school. The final exam is taken during the internship (first residency
year).
Why
do I need to take the COMLEX?
All states
require you to have passed a licensing exam before they will issue
you a license to practice. Most osteopathic medical schools require
COMLEX as part of the process towards graduation. It is also used
by residency programs to make selections of who they will interview
and accept for their program. Usually this decision is made only
with the scores from the first COMLEX.
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Why
do residency programs use the COMLEX score as a selection criteria?
Is that fair?
Fair or not,
grades and COMLEX scores are key factors in granting interviews.
The most important COMLEX score is the first one. When you're applying
for residency or internship, you will not have the results of your
second COMLEX test.
Can
I take the USMLE?
Yes, you can.
But why spend the extra money? You have to take either COMLEX or
USMLE to get licensed, but since osteopathic medical schools require
COMLEX there is no need to take both.
Do
I need to take the USMLE too?
Well, no, unless
you practice is Louisiana, the only state that currently doesn't
accept COMLEX.
Why
do some D.O. students take the USMLE?
Some students
feel that they need to take the USMLE in order to get accepted into
an ACGME* (allopathic) residency. There is a perception that ACGME
residency programs discriminate against students that take only
the COMLEX. Of course this is a misguided idea; if a residency program
discriminates based on which test you take, don't you think they
might also discriminate against which degree you have, or which
medical school you attended?
*The ACGME
is the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. It
is responsible for the accreditation of post-MD medical training
programs within the United States. Their website is at http://www.acgme.org.
Do
some residency programs not accept the COMLEX?
A few ACGME
(allopathic) residency programs don't want to use the COMLEX because
its scoring system is different than that of the USMLE. However,
when looking at raw scores and national averages, it is easy to
compare scores because the exams are very similar in their testing
of knowledge.
Is
the COMLEX easier than the USMLE?
Sorry! They're
both tough exams. You will likely get similar percentages on both.
Has
the COMLEX undergone independent verification?
No test is
"branded" Valid or Not Valid, there is just accumulated evidence
towards validity. The COMLEX has been gaining evidence all year
in 1999. In fact, the NBOME has several studies concluded and several
more underway. Additionally, several osteopathic medical schools
are also conducting their own validity studies.
The University
of Chicago MESA psychometric lab published a 17 page study July
8, 1999. One of their many conclusions about the COMLEX USA is that
they find it to be "equal to any and better than most" of the examinations
they have studied.
Who
writes the COMLEX? How is it created?
The COMLEX
is written by hundreds of volunteer basic science faculty, academic
physician faculty, and practicing D.O.s. They spend hours each year
writing questions for the exam process. Literally thousands of questions
are reviewed by another team of volunteer scientists, clinical faculty,
and practicing physicians to ensure they are testing key information
and that the questions are appropriate for the exam level for which
they are being used.
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