• Description of Examinations
• The COMLEX-USA Examination Blueprint
• Level 1
• Level 2-CE
• Level 3
• Examination Scores

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMINATIONS

The COMLEX-USA series is designed to assess the osteopathic medical knowledge and clinical skills considered essential for osteopathic generalist physicians to practice medicine without supervision. COMLEX-USA is constructed in the context of medical problem-solving which involves clinical presentations and physician tasks. Candidates are expected to utilize the philosophy and principles of osteopathic medicine to solve medical problems. The Clinical Presentation ("Dimension I") of the COMLEX-USA examination blueprint identifies high-frequency and/or high-impact health issues that osteopathic generalist physicians encounter in practice. The Physician Task ("Dimension II") specifies the major steps osteopathic physicians generally undertake to solve medical problems. Major categories of the two dimensions can be found in Table 1. Detailed topics covered by each category are in the CBT Tutorial available on www.nbome.org.

The COMLEX-USA series is an examination sequence with three Levels. While all examination Levels have the same two-dimensional content structure, the depth and emphasis of each Level parallels the educational experiences of the candidate. This progressive nature of the COMLEX-USA examinations ensures the consistency and continuity of the measurement objectives of the osteopathic medical licensing examinations. A description of the blueprints follows:

Table 1 - The COMLEX-USA Examination Blueprint

Osteopathic principles and practices, by design, are integrated throughout all areas of the examination, as this best reflects the manner in which osteopathic principles and practices permeate osteopathic medicine.

Level 1

COMLEX-USA Level 1 is constructed according to the COMLEX-USA examination blueprint. Candidates are expected to demonstrate basic science knowledge relevant to medical problems as defined by the Level 1 blueprint. Level 1 emphasizes the scientific concepts and principles necessary for understanding the mechanisms of health, medical problems and disease processes.

Level 1, taken in one-day, is a problem- and symptom-based assessment integrating the basic medical sciences of anatomy, behavioral science, biochemistry, microbiology, osteopathic principles, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and other areas of medical knowledge as they are relevant to solving medical problems. The examination consists of two four-hour test sessions, each containing questions related to diverse clinical presentations and principles.

Level 2-CE

COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE is constructed according to the COMLEX-USA examination blueprint. Candidates are expected to demonstrate knowledge of clinical concepts and principles involved in all steps of medical problem-solving as defined by Dimension II. Level 2-CE emphasizes the medical concepts and principles necessary for making appropriate medical diagnoses through patient history and physical examination findings.

Level 2-CE, taken in one-day, is a problem-based and symptom-based assessment integrating the clinical disciplines of emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, osteopathic principles, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and other areas necessary to solve medical problems as defined by the Level 2-CE blueprint. A similar problem-symptom based approach is used in Level 2 and in Level 1. The examination consists of two four-hour test sessions, each containing questions related to diverse clinical presentations and principles.

Level 3

COMLEX-USA Level 3 is constructed according to the COMLEX-USA examination blueprint. Candidates are expected to demonstrate knowledge of clinical concepts and principles necessary for solving medical problems as independently practicing osteopathic generalist physicians. Level 3 emphasizes the medical concepts and principles required to make appropriate patient management decisions.

Level 3, taken in one-day, is a problem-based and symptom-based assessment integrating the clinical disciplines of emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, osteopathic principles, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and other areas necessary to solve medical problems as defined by the Level 3 blueprint. Level 3, like Level 2-CE and Level 1, is problem-based and symptom-based in presentation. The examination consists of two four-hour test sessions, each containing questions related to diverse clinical presentations and principles.

EXAMINATION SCORES

COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3 Examination Scoring

The number of items answered correctly (the raw score) is converted to a 3-digit standard score and a 2-digit standard score for the purposes of making pass-fail decisions and for reporting the results. The conversion for standard scores involves information about the performance of examinees that have taken these examinations previously.

The 3-digit standard scores of COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3 have a mean of 500. Standard deviations of the standard scores will be determined after the examinations are computerized. A 3-digit standard score of 400 or a 2-digit standard score of 75 on COMLEX-USA Level 1 or COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE is required to pass the examination. A 3-digit standard score of 350 or a 2-digit standard score of 75 on COMLEX-USA Level 3 is required to pass the examination.

Some items, which may be included in the examination solely for research purposes, are not included in the candidate’s score.

The percentage of examinees that pass or fail the examination is not predetermined. The passing score for all COMLEX-USA examinations is based solely on a candidate’s performance on the total examination, not on performance on individual content areas. The COMLEX-USA score reports include graphical performance profiles summarizing strengths and weaknesses for areas designated on the blueprint.

Score Reports

All COMLEX-USA Level 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE score reports will be mailed to both the candidate and the dean of the candidate’s school. COMLEX-USA Level 3 score reports will be mailed to both the candidate and the dean of the candidate’s school and may be released by the NBOME to the Director of Medical Education at the candidate’s internship hospital. No scores will be reported by telephone, e-mail or fax. Score reports will be mailed approximately 4-6 weeks from the date of the examination.

A duplicate score report may be sent to a candidate upon receipt of a written request within 30 days after the original release of the score. The candidate should allow 10 business days for delivery. Thereafter, a candidate must request an official certified transcript or a photocopy of the score report and pay a fee as determined by the NBOME.

Score Confirmation/Verification

Prior to mailing score reports, the NBOME conducts a thorough process of quality assurance to ensure that all candidate scores are accurate. However, a candidate who wishes for his or her scores to be rechecked may submit a written request for score confirmation/verification with the accompanying $50 fee.

For COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3 examinations, score verification involves confirmation of responses recorded by computer. Written requests for score verification for Level 1, Level 2-CE, or Level 3 should be submitted to the Chicago NBOME office within 30 days from the release of candidates scores.