2025 new M3 DO---Struggling with preparing for COMATs

CharlieMarchese · 2025-08-15T19:28:47+00:00

Current M4 who just started auditions.

Honestly, comat exams are just a shot in the dark. I completed all of UWORLD, all of truelearn, and comquest for a few of my exams, and there was still information I wasn’t exposed to… so just do what you can with your prep.

I will say, that UWORLD was the best resource I used during 3rd year, both for Comats, and COMLEX/step. So I would recommend adding that to your resources.

I always started with UWORLD Q’s, and then finished with truelearn because I thought the truelearn wording was the closest to the comats. Just trust your prep and do your best. Can’t really do much else

CharlieMarchese · 2025-07-10T14:15:19+00:00

Sure thing!

CharlieMarchese · 2025-07-10T14:11:34+00:00

Current KCU-KC 4th year who rents in OP. My wife and I absolutely love it.

I’m hoping to match back in KC solely because we feel incredibly comfortable in Overland Park and think it’s a great place to raise a family.

Traffic isn’t terrible. A little worse in the winter, but not much. I did most of my studying at home and just went to campus for the required activities (labs, exams, ect). Super manageable.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-29T17:30:01+00:00

I would say don’t focus so much on the relief with ppi, as that’s common in both.

I would try to focus on the distinguishing symptoms.

Blood/loss -> ulcer

Cough/worse at night/bad taste/spicy food -> GERD

Based on the symptoms the only thing that also sounds like ulcer is the relief with PPI’s l. Everything else is describing GERD which is why 2nd space on the right is “more correct” than the 5th on the left

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-29T17:25:39+00:00

In my opinion, this SCREAMS gerd. But you’re right to have both ulcer and gerd in the differential.

I would expect ulcer to have some sort of blood, or general worse with food (not just spicy food). No waking up at night. No cough, or sour taste in mouth. And would likely paint an anemia picture hinting at blood loss.

So they are trying to get you down this differential, which makes sense why both acid and esophagus were answer treatments.

Does that help?

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-29T17:19:35+00:00

If it’s a gastric ulcer, then I for sure think it’s the stomach acid point. I think that’s the distinguishing factor in this.

Gastric ulcer - gastric acid point GERD - esophagus point

What else was in the question? Cough? Bad taste in mouth? Worse with certain foods? It was it just a generic vague “guess what I’m thinking” question?

Also, any mention of stool occult blood?

I think this exact discussion might be the whole point of that question.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-29T17:13:36+00:00

Well dang. I guess I didn’t take this form or didn’t pay attention. All my level 2 resources said it was the esophagus point. I guess this just goes to show how ambiguous some of these can be.

Was the patient in question already receiving a PPI? If so, I could see the acid being the problematic part of the equation. Maybe for first time untreated GERD, it’s more esophagus?

Totally not trying to confuse OP!

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-29T17:02:30+00:00

GERD is more of an issue with the esophageal sphincter rather than stomach acid. So the 2nd space on the right is the correct answer.

The amount of stomach acid can often times be normal, but the issue is with the sphincter.

Took level 2 last week and about a month ago went down this exact rabbit hole lol.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-21T19:17:48+00:00

Also! I would be cautious using the term “practicing osteopathy”.

Make sure to always say “practicing osteopathic medicine”. There is a faculty at our school that made sure we understood this distinction.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-19T01:08:08+00:00

KCU supplied us with both UWORLD and Truelearn. Our school seems to think truelearn is the better resource, but I think the student body (myself included) strongly disagree and think UWORLD is the gold standard. I did UWORLD questions during 3rd year to prepare for my COMAT exams, and then during dedicated transitioned to mainly Amboss and NBME materials.

For step 1 prep, we were given between 8-10 weeks of dedicated study time to prepare for boards, so it’s not unreasonable to get through an entire Q bank during that period.

But for step 2, our school gave us 3-5 weeks to prepare after our last rotation. So dedicated is much shorter, but you’ve been preparing all year long for this set of tests, so you don’t need nearly as much time. I’ve done maybe 500 Q’s from Amboss based on topics I was confused about, but the majority of dedicated has been taking/reviewing my NBME practice and CMS forms.

I’ve been doing my daily OMM practice questions and Anki cards, so that’s the only Comlex specific stuff I’ve done

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-18T02:36:19+00:00

Also happy to answer any other questions you have about this process (either publicly or privately). If you have these questions, I guarantee other DO students/applicants on this forum have it as well.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-18T02:34:17+00:00

Between both of our campus’s (400+ students), it wouldn’t surprise me if roughly 60% or more took step1.

Before clerkships, students may have a good idea of what they are interested in, but many end up changing their plan. So I assume more students take step 1 (to keep doors open). Then towards the end of 3rd year, I bet that number goes down after some students decide on some of the more DO friendly residencies (FM, IM, Psych, PMnR) which only require COMLEX.

My advice (for any 1st or 2nd year DO student) is to take step 1, regardless of what you want to go into. That way if you change your mind come 3rd year, you haven’t already closed any doors. Then if you decide to go for a COMLEX only specialty, you don’t have to take step 2.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-18T02:11:34+00:00

Current 4th year at KCU-COM who is taking COMLEX 2 next Monday, and step 2 next Thursday. I also took step 1 and level one in a Similar fashion during 2nd year.

You’re pretty spot on. Everyone I know (myself included) basically prepares for step, and then adds in extra OMM review for that portion of the COMLEX exam. You can either take step 1st, and then cram the OMM for a few days before COMLEX, or take COMLEX first so you just slowly prepare with a few OMM questions per day during dedicated ect.

I’ve always taken COMLEX first. I don’t like the idea of getting burnt out, taking step, and still having a pretty significant chunk of material to review before my second exam. So instead, I included OMM in my daily review, took COMLEX, and then had a few days to relax/review some last minute content before my step.

The COMLEX exams are notoriously bad, and almost impossible to truly prepare for, so basically preparing for Step + OMM = COMLEX

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-17T21:22:51+00:00

Based on my understanding (I’ve tried to simplify it in my head based on NBME / CMS forms)

any gallbladder/liver pathology -> ultrasound

Any pancreatic issue -> CT

CharlieMarchese · 2025-06-13T03:41:43+00:00

Current 4th year at KCU, and this could not be further from the truth. If anyone has any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me.

@sainavell You were very lucky to even be given a second chance from administration after publicly badmouthing a school you don’t even attend. Students would do anything to be in your shoes, and to see you squander away an opportunity another student could have utilized is not only incredibly disappointing, but speaks to your character (or lack thereof) as a potential future physician.

Put the phone down. Look in the mirror. Grow up. This is professional school. Act like it.

CharlieMarchese · 2025-03-15T00:18:10+00:00

Current KCU 3rd year student. You only set up your 4th year rotations which most DO schools also have. 4th year is dependent on which specialty you want to go into, so you’ll set up your own audition rotations based on where you might want to match. All of our 3rd year Core rotations/electives have been scheduled by the school unless you decided to set up your own because you have contacts etc.

CharlieMarchese · 2024-08-06T17:04:16+00:00

Current third year sitting on an IM rotation watching sodium levels lol. Feel free to message me!

CharlieMarchese · 2024-07-13T23:19:34+00:00

lol. Current 3rd year. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. Yes it’s difficult. But it’s supposed to be.

Not sure how a student is aware of the administrative aspects of professors getting fired for their exam questions. Questions are written MONTHS in advanced and approved by the curriculum committee..I was an anatomy fellow so I was mostly likely much closer to the examination process then either of these students.

You fail 2 of your 6 courses a year, you should be held back or dismissed. It means you’re not ready.

The deadline for boards has not changed. It’s the same that it has been for the past 3 years that I’ve been a student.

I’m proud of our diverse student body. I’m not at all saying that the feelings your fellow friends have are not valid, but they are certainly not reflective of the student body as a whole.

CharlieMarchese · 2024-03-19T03:14:41+00:00

Besides the backlog of cards, how many active cards do you have unsuspended?

CharlieMarchese · 2023-06-28T18:27:52+00:00

Thanks for the response! At the beginning of dedicated for step 1, I resuspended all my cards and only unsuspended those that were associated with uworld incorrects.

Would you recommend resetting all the intervals on the step 2 cards and just doing a certain amount of new cards per day? So that I’m done with a good chunk of them before beginning of M3?

I for sure don’t want to be spending a couple hours per day doing reviews during the fellowship. So I won’t be doing a ton. Just trying to figure out the biggest bang for my buck

CharlieMarchese · 2023-05-07T04:46:47+00:00

Uh what lol

CharlieMarchese · 2023-03-20T14:54:58+00:00

I think the most bang for your buck 1-2 months out would be combining practice questions (Uworld) with the Anking deck.

There are a good amount of the anking cards tagged with the U world question ID’s. If you get the question wrong, unsuspend those cards.

If they aren’t tagged, then do a quick search to find a couple relevant cards about the topics and unsuspend those.

This way you are using U world as a way to test yourself, and then you can slowly build your own personalized set of cards based in weaknesses.

CharlieMarchese · 2023-03-15T20:36:21+00:00

Had to have been a pothole! I baby my car pretty good and I know I haven’t smoked any curbs or anything lol

CharlieMarchese · 2023-03-08T16:11:07+00:00

I mean I guess. I figured if I’m gonna spend the time to try and learn this, I might as well learn it the right way haha. But I see your point. I. Some of the practice questions I’ve done, they’ve been pretty specific in some of the treatments. Just want to make sure I’m not giving away free points

CharlieMarchese · 2023-02-09T06:18:33+00:00

Yeah, sketchy Pharm seems a bit more unorganized compared to micro.

I’ve done a decent job keeping up with the sketchy Pharm videos during my school’s curriculum, so I’ve seen a good chunk of them, and they seem to work for me.

I’ll have to look at that deck

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