Preparing for medical licensing exams can feel overwhelming, with the endless study hours and the constant pressure to excel. A large part of exam preparation includes taking practice assessments to evaluate your knowledge and readiness for the actual exam itself. Â
For those who are taking the COMLEX (the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination), COMSAEs (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Self-Assessment Exams) are often utilized as the main exam preparation tool.
That being said, there are some important things to know when it comes to COMSAEs, especially with how they relate to the COMLEX. Let’s take a more in-depth look at how to make the best use of a COMSAE exam, how to best study for one, and how it compares to the COMLEX. Â
What to Know About COMSAEs
COMSAE exams are self-assessment exams designed specifically for students in osteopathic medical school. They’re tailored to help you prepare for the COMLEX-USA examinations, which are the required licensure examinations for osteopathic physicians.Â
The COMSAEs are similar to the self-assessment exams that allopathic and international medical graduates take, known as the NBME self-examinations by the National Board of Medical Examiners, before taking the USMLE (the United States Medical Licensing Examination).Â
COMSAEs + COMLEX vs. NBMEs + USMLE
Unlike NBME self-assessments, which cover broader medical knowledge areas without specific emphasis on osteopathic principles, COMSAEs contain content aligned with osteopathic medicine principles. This content includes a strong emphasis on Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) and Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) in addition to questions concerning traditional medical knowledge.
There has been discussion around the notion that DO students should possibly take the USMLE Step 1 in addition to the COMLEX Level 1. Ideally, osteopathic students should incorporate both the COMSAE and NBME into their practice schedule.Â
But is this necessary? Maybe. Program directors are more familiar with USMLE scores, so osteopathic medical students could gain a competitive edge for residencies by taking both exams, especially since there is currently no widely accepted conversion formula between COMLEX and USMLE scores.Â
This move could help enhance your competitiveness within your desired specialty, especially with USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1 transitioning to pass/fail. Consequently, though, if you’re an osteopathic student, you may find it necessary to take USMLE Step 2 to secure a competitive advantage for residency positions if you take up the double-exam option. Consider this carefully.Â
COMSAE vs. COMLEX
We’ve discussed how COMSAEs and the COMLEX compare to the NBME practice exams and the USMLE. Now, it’s time to talk about how COMSAEs compare to the actual COMLEX exam itself.Â
The COMLEX is a three-level, national standard licensure exam, with there being a COMSAE examination for each one of the three phases.Â
There is a COMSAE Phase 1 testing experience to help students prepare for the COMLEX-USA Level 1 examination, a COMSAE Phase 2 assessment for the COMLEX-USA Level 2-Cognitive Evaluation (Level 2-CE) exam, and a COMSAE Phase 3 self-assessment exam for the COMLEX-USA Level 3 exam.Â
Each Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Self-Assessment Examination (COMSAE) is similar to the format and structure of the COMLEX exam levels. Like the COMLEX, each section on a COMSAE consists of multiple-choice, stand-alone questions that may include audio, visual, or video components.
Note that COMLEX Level 3 also includes Clinical Decision-Making (CDM) cases, which pose a clinical scenario followed by two to four accompanying questions. COMSAE Phase 3 does not include CDM cases although they do appear on the actual exam.Â
The biggest difference between the COMSAEs and the COMLEX, though, is found when it comes to the scoring process. While COMSAEs include a numerical score for results like the COMLEX exam, COMSAE scores are actually not accurate predictions or representations of what your COMLEX score will be.
More or less, your COMSAE simply gives an idea of if you’re in a position to pass or not; it’s not the most accurate predictor when it comes to your numerical score or in what results percentile you’ll end up in compared to other students. In fact, some medical school students scored 100-150 higher on the COMLEX than the COMSAE estimated.
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