Students from 13 schools responded to the surveys, for a total of 399 responses on the COMLEX-USA Level 1 survey and 306 responses on the COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE survey. The mean score of Level 1 respondents was 547 (range, 385-840). The mean score of Level 2-CE respondents was 578 (range, 400-850).
When surveyed regarding COMLEX-USA Level 1, the majority of students reported spending either 3 to 4 weeks or 4 to 8 weeks preparing solely for their licensing examinations. Students who were in the top 20% of their class were found to have a mean COMLEX-USA Level 1 score of 610, whereas all other students were found to have a mean score of 522, indicating that the top 20% of the class was more likely to achieve higher scores on the examination. The top 4 student preparation resources were First Aid for the USMLE, USMLEWorld, COMBANK, and Doctors in Training. Of our respondents, 48% also took the USMLE Step 1, and they had a mean score of 224 (out of a possible 300).
Regarding COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE, the majority of students stated that their COM helped prepare them by using COMATs on clinical rotations. In contrast to Level 1 respondents, Level 2-CE respondents were much more likely to consider their education, or clinical rotations, as their licensing examination preparation and stated that they spent more than 6 weeks preparing for Level 2-CE.
For both COMLEX-USA Levels 1 and 2-CE, many students stressed that the harder one worked in the first 2 years of medical school, the easier it was to prepare for licensing examinations. Others stressed the continued importance of practice tests and practice questions.