About COMLEX-USA
All osteopathic medical students are required to take COMLEX Levels 1 and 2. COMLEX Level 3 is taken during post-graduate medical training. The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) website provides the following description of the COMLEX exams:
"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." For additional information on the NBOME and COMLEX exams, please refer to the website.
Students take the COMLEX level 1 following completion of their second year and level 2 after completion of their third year. Level 3 must be taken after graduation and during residency.
First-time pass rates for COMLEX-USA Level 1
| Testing cycle | First-time pass rate | National pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| May 2015-April 2016 | 95.3% | 92.3% |
| May 2016-April 2017 | 94.4% | 92.7% |
| May 2017-April 2018 | 98.8% | 96% |
| May 2018-April 2019 | 98.8% | 93% |
| May 2019-April 2020 | 97.8% | 94.3% |
| May 2020-April 2021 | 98.1% | 93.7% |
First-time pass rates for COMLEX Level 2 Cognitive Evaluation (CE)
| Testing cycle | First-time pass rate | National pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| June 2015-May 2016 | 93.3% | 92.2% |
| June 2016-May 2017 | 96% | 93.2% |
| June 2017-May 2018 | 94.7% | is 92.8% |
| June 2018-May 2019 | 98.9% | 95.6% |
| June 2019-May 2020 | 99.4% | 96.8% |
| June 2020-May 2021 | 98.3% | 96.5% |
First-time pass rates for COMLEX-USA Level 2 Performance Evaluation (PE)
| Testing Cycle | First-time pass rate | National pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| March 2015-February 2016 | 94.6% | 93 % |
| March 2016-February 2017 | 94.7% | 92.9% |
| March 2017-February 2018 | 92.4% | 93.2% |
| March 2018-February 2019 | 92.8% | was 93.2% |
| March 2019-March 2020 | 90.4% | 92% |
First-time pass rate for COMLEX-USA Level 3
| Testing cycle | First-time pass rate | Number of students |
|---|---|---|
| March 2015-February 2016 | 94.5% | 128 |
| March 2016-February 2017 | 99.1% | 115 |
| March 2017-February 2018 | 97.3% | 219 |
| September 2018-December 2019 | 99.1% | 229 |
| January 2020-December 2020 | 98.7% | 156 |