The new COMSAE structure and its predictiveness
Don’t let the new COMSAE frustrate you. It’s meant to help!
According to the NBOME, the COMSAE is not meant to be used to predict your COMLEX score but most osteopathic medical students use it for just that. It really depends on how far apart you take the COMSAE from the COMLEX. If you score average on the COMSAE Phase 1 in January and your COMLEX Level 1 date is in July, you can be fairly confident that you’ll score well above average if you plan to study for the next six months. Scoring average on the COMSAE a couple of weeks before your COMLEX is scheduled is considered high-risk. In summary, it’s a good way to gauge your base of knowledge – but not so much to predict your actual score.
How is it structured?
The COMSAE Phase 1, 2, and 3 each consist of 200 questions broken down into four sections of 50. Like the COMLEX, each section starts off with stand-alone questions followed by case-sets that consist of one patient presentation and a series of questions that follow.
If you’re purchasing it on your own, it costs $60 through the NBOME website and you can choose to take the exam in timed mode or untimed mode. If your school is providing the test, they’ll most likely administer it in timed mode. In that case, you’ll get an average of 72 seconds per question which adds up to four hours for the 200-question practice exam.
How do I study for the COMSAE?
The COMSAE is meant to replicate the COMLEX in terms of structure and presentation. Therefore, the best way to prepare for it is using COMLEX resources. This includes COMLEX question banks, study books, and taking practice COMSAEs. If you’re using a question bank, make sure to take practice tests that consist of all Dimension I and Dimension II categories rather than focused tests. This is so that the practice test most accurately represents the COMSAE.
Online resources
The NBOME offers a practice test on their website but it has only 10 questions.
COMQUEST offers a practice COMSAE for Level 1 and Level 2-CE that consists of a full-length 400-question practice test, like the COMLEX. Results include a percentile and predicted COMLEX score based on nationwide COMQUEST statistics. The practice COMSAE is available to students at a nominal fee while subscribed to the respective COMLEX question bank.
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