LICENSING EXAM

PREPARATION
COMLEX Level 1 Resources

Types of Resources
Study Tools
Question Banks
Licensing Exam Preparation Courses
People who have already taken the exams

Study Tools
Firecracker
First Aid for the USMLE
Goljian Pathology
Lange Pharmacology Flash Card
Pathoma
Picmonic
Savarese
Step Up
Anki
CramFighter

Firecracker
Free trial!
3 step approach to mastering licensing exam-relevant

material
1.
2.
3.

Learning key facts on a given topic using condensed contents

Review quizzes on topics reviewed through Step 1
Utilizing key facts to apply knowledge to practice USMLE
questions

Features
Personal study plan
1,840 topics with 32,966 recall questions, 1,898 multiple choice
questions and 1,500+ USMLE style questions
Passing score guarantee
Cost $39 per month or $399 per year

Pathoma
Free trial for 1 month
Online pathology review with mailed book
Created by Dr. Sattar, an associate profession of

pathology at the University of Chicago and author of the

female reproductive and breast chapter in Robbins Basic
Pathology
35+ hours of online material
Cost $84.95 - $119.95 ranging from 3 21 month access

Picmonic / Sketchy Micro

Free trial
730+ Cards
Cost $24.99 per
month, $249.99 for 1
year or $499.99 for 4
years
A picture is worth a thousand words. Picmonic takes that

literally, by turning the information you need to know into

unforgettable images and stories that will make studying
easier than ever. Were scientifically backed, research
proven, and ridiculously effective.

SAVARESE

FIRST AID FOR USMLE

Question Banks
COMBANK
COMQUEST
USMLE Rx
UWorld

COMBANK
2400+ COMLEX-style question database
COMBANK uses active learning principles to optimize

your Level 1 preparation through testing and real-time

assessment
Offers USMLE-style questions
Cost $109 - $389 for access ranging from 1 month to 1
year
New COMAT practice question databases
Cost $49 per subject or $249 for all 7 subjects (each subject

access lasts 1 month)

COMQUEST
1,000+ COMLEX-style question database
Trains you to quickly and accurately recognize the critical

information you need to answer correctly and confidently,

whether in minimal scenarios or longer-stemmed questions
Familiarizes you with making detailed (and correct) diagnoses
using limited background information
Includes a set of matching and/or case-based question
scenarios at the end of each practice exam
May custom-draft your own practice exam to focus your studies
precisely, reinforcing your knowledge where you need it most
Partnered with SOMA
Cost ranges $75 - $350 depending on access length from 35
365 days

USMLE Rx
Free trial
Many students use during 1st and 2nd year of medical

school to link course work and First Aid for the USMLE
Step 1 in preparation for licensing exams
2,500+ high yield Step 1 questions integrated with First
Aid for the USMLE Step 1
May customize tests by difficulty level and do selfassessment exams at no extra charge
Predictive of actual USMLE performance
100% Pass Guarantee
Cost $99 $249 depending on access length from 1
month until you pass

UWorld
2,000+ high quality, unrepeated multiple choice questions
State-of-the-art, classic board-tyle questions created by

real life physicians

Detailed explanation and educational objective for each
question with excellent illustrations and charts that are
easy to read and interpret
Allows customization of practice tests
Price varies depending on additional purchase of selfassessment exams
Q-Bank costs ranges from $125 - $399 depending on
access length from 30 360 days

Preparation Courses
Boards Boot Camp
Doctors in Training (DIT)
Eagle
Falcon
Kaplan
Northwestern
Princeton Review

Boards Boot Camp

Highest rated COMLEX preparation program in the U.S.,

representing the first nationally recognized boards preparation

program designed and provided exclusively to osteopathic
medical students/residents
Offers independent study program with support of a study plan,
books and online services
Ultra program in an online lecture review with detailed study
plan, all supporting books and materials and online services
120+ online lectures in >85 high-yield lecture hours
Cost $1,800

Elite program is online and LIVE lecture review

Online services pre-course diagnostic exams, Level 1

practice questions, QuestionQuest (3,700+ questions

database), post-course diagnositc exams and color online
medical images and photos

Doctors in Training (DIT)

34 fun primer videos with a light-hearted educational

approach and review questions for each topic covered

Videos follow a study guide book and Step Up to Step 1,
shipped to the purchaser when accompanied by First Aid
for the USMLE Step 1
Cost $825
Access to questions and video answers released in
January and access to videos releases in March
NO Q-BANK
OMM Review Add on for $150
6 hours of video following Savarese

Eagle
The USMLEagle Step 1 prep course consists of a 4, 7, or

10 week program. Each course has small class sizes

allowing for more individualized attention to each student
Workshops offered at various dates throughout the year in
Orlando, FL
Offers personal tutoring and education on test taking skills
Costs $3,950 - $9,950 (housing included)

Falcon
Live Courses 7 and 10 weeks, 4-6 months (Ft

Lauderdale, Chicago or Dallas)

300 hours of live lectures

Online Courses 10 and 12 weeks

Costs ranges from $2,799 to $6,499 (hotel included)
Provides Uworld access for 3 months and Beckers Step 1

Q-Bank for 6 months with accompanying textbooks and 2

NBME practice exams
Access to a Becker Medical Advisor
Pass Guarantee

Kaplan
83 hours which can be completed in 39 hours with 1.5x

speed
2,000+ USMLE-style question database
Live preparation with an in person course or online
$799 until your test, $599 for 3 months with Step 1
question bank (30% discount for AMA members)

Northwestern
Online video review ooffers 130+ hours of review videos

and all relevant supplemental study materials

Can be purchased all inclusive or subject-by-subject
Can be purchased for durations of 1-6 months
Additional cost for q-bank access
Cost ranges from $250 - $910 depending on length of
time and addition of q-bank

Princeton Review
Now only offers 48 hours of premier live online 1-on-1

tutoring for USMLE Step 1 for $13,200

You work 1-on-1 with one of the best tutors in the country
3 full length practice exams
7 1 hour subject based exams
Online review recorded lessons
Skills and drills with extra practice questions
7 comprehensive review manuals shipped to you
3 months online 24/7 assistance

COMLEX Level 1 Research

13 schools participated with an average age of 27
Scores on COMLEX
Average 547
Min 385
Max 840
Gender
Female 52%
Male 48%

Time Off from Classes

When COMLEX Was Taken

Does Doing Well in School Help?

Students in the top 20% of their classes scored an

average of 610 with min of 465 and max of 840

Everyone else scores average of 522 with min of 405 and

max of 679

Time Spent Studying

Score vs Amount Of Time Per Week
850

800

750

700

650

600

Score

550

500

450

400
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

How Much Time Did You Prepare?

How much time before Level 2 did you begin studying?

Most Helpful Resources

Second Most Helpful Resources

Least Helpful Resources

How Does your School Prepare You?

Tips from High Scorers

Doing thousands and thousands of questions is a key to

success.
Classes do help you prepare so learn as much as you
can.
Glad I took them early to concentrate on 3rd year more.
Work hard the first 2 years. That is where most of your
knowledge will come from.
I wish I would have take a few more practice tests: NBME
and COMSAE.
I wish I would have relaxed more.
I could have done a larger variety of practice questions
other than COMBANK and COMQUEST.

USMLE
48% of students took the USMLE with an average of 224,

min of 111 and max of 290

USMLE To take or not to take?

No USMLE. Im still unsure if it was a good or bad

decision. In many ways I think the COMLEX was all the

stress I could handle at the time. I do know taking the
USMLE would have opened up opportunities, but I think
letters of rec., credentials and my personality can make
up for that come interview time.
No USMLE, and yes I am happy. I found that it is more
important if you want to specialize. Also, I wanted to do a
DO residency, so COMLEX was adequate and didnt want
to spend the extra money on USMLE.
No USMLE. At this point I wish that I had taken it
because unless youre positive you want family medicine
it shuts a lot of doors.

USMLE To take or not to take?

No USMLE. I was going to take the USMLE but I took 2

practice exams and didnt get the scores high enough that
would help me. If you dont score more than average
(220 or whatever score you need for the program youre
trying to get in to) then you shouldnt take it unless your
dream program doesnt take COMLEX. AKA, if youre not
close to goal on the practice exam dont take it!
No USMLE. I wish I had taken it. I want to go to a DO
residency and its not going to stop me from that wish, but
theres a lot of rotations in the Pacific Northwest and
beyond that will not even let you do a rotation there
without a USMLE score and I think that has made elective
rotation planning challenging.

USMLE To take or not to take?

Yes USMLE. I want to match with an allopathic program

and many require USMLE scores so I am happy I took

it. I am also taking USMLE part II this summer.
I took all of COMLEX and took Step 1 and 2 of the
USMLE. I did not complete the USMLE series as it would
also require me to take USMLE CS as well. I am in an
allopathic residency and fellowship, and I have been
involved in recruitment for both. There have been DO
applicants during residency and fellowship, and both
times the reviewers utilized the tool from the NBOME to
convert COMLEX scores to percentiles to compare to
those who took the USMLE.

USMLE To take or not to take?

I consciously decided not to take the USMLE for the following reasons:
I was REQUIRED to pass COMLEX.
I was being trained with an emphasis on COMLEX
If I scored well on the COMLEX, could at best emphasize my performance (or quite

possibly call it into question) if I took the USMLE.

I didn't have $1,000 to basically give away to create more stress for myself
I figured if a program wasn't smart enough to compare a COMLEX score to a
USMLE score, they probably weren't who I wanted to do residency with anyway.
Reasons I would have considered taking it:
If I passed the COMLEX, and truly (with guidance from my mentors) felt like I scored
far below my potential - it would be a theoretical option for calling a lower score into
question, provided you really do well on the USMLE.
If my heart were truly set on a site that absolutely required USMLE (and they were
unwavering on it).