COMLEX-USA

COMLEX-USA or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination is a series of three osteopathic medical licensing examinations administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) similar to the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). COMLEX-USA is the most common pathway by which osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) apply for licensure, and is accepted in all 50 states. The 3-digit standard scores of COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 3 have a mean of 500.

Level One

Step one is taken after the second year of medical school. It is administered in one day and consists of two, four-hour exam sessions separated by a 40-minute break. Each four-hour session also includes a ten-minute break. Candidates are expected to know the basic mechanisms of health and disease process. Specifically, level one covers basic medical sciences, including:

Level Two

Level two, taken during the fourth year of medical school, consists of two parts: Level 2-CE and Level 2-PE. Level 2-CE requires candidates to demonstrate knowledge of clinical concepts and medical decision-making. It is problem-based and symptoms-based, integrating the clinical disciplines of:

Level 2-PE was introduced in 2005. It is a one-day, seven-hour exam and utilizes standardized patients (actors trained to present clinical symptoms) to test clinical skills. Specifically, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in:

history taking and physical examination skills
integrated differential diagnosis and clinical problem solving
written communication and synthesis of clinical findings (SOAP note format)
osteopathic principles and/or osteopathic manipulative treatment

Level Three

The final exam, level three, is typically taken after starting residency and, like step two, covers the clinical disciplines of medicine, including:

External links

v t e Medical education in the United States
Stages	Pre-medical Medical school Clerkship Sub-internship Graduate medical education Internship Residency Fellowship Board certification Licensure Continuing medical education
Pathways	Medicine (MD) Osteopathic Medicine (DO) International medical graduate (MBBS)
Degrees	Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine MD–PhD Comparison
Exams	MCAT USMLE Step: 1 2CK 2CS 3 COMLEX Level: 1 2CE 2PE 3
Regulatory bodies	American Medical Association Association of American Medical Colleges American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine National Resident Matching Program Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Liaison Committee on Medical Education Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education American Osteopathic Association Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
Lists	Medical schools Specialty colleges
Reformers	Abraham Flexner Flexner Report William Osler William Stewart Halsted Andrew Taylor Still
Topics	Issues in higher education inside the U.S. Physician shortage inside the U.S.