OMM Tips for the COMLEX Exam
Written by Sawyer Bawek, DO
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) questions are well represented on COMLEX exams (Level 1>Level2). You may also see OMM represented in other question stems where utilization of OMM knowledge can help you narrow down your answer choices. Some students may try to cram OMM studying into the last couple of days before their exam, which may leave them feeling underprepared on test day. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your OMM questions on COMLEX exams, so you can have confidence on test day.
1) Little a Day Goes a Long Way: Like other aspects of medicine, more utilization of knowledge can break up the forgetting curve. I would recommend incorporating OMM into the study plan at least 3-to 4 weeks before test day.
2) Practice, Practice, Practice: You will notice on OMM questions they may give you information that you have to manipulate when making a diagnosis. Working through the information can take away valuable time on test day. The more practice questions you perform, the more efficient you will become at being able to utilize the important information needed from the question stem that will lead you to the correct answer choice.
Resources Recommended:
1) Question Bank: Questions should always be a priority when studying for standardized tests as they help you practice retrieval and also provide explanations for why answer choices are correct or incorrect. Question banks also frequently test on concepts and material that you are likely to see in some form on test day. I did about 10-15 OMM questions a day starting during my dedicated period and reviewed the questions. The review will take longer in the beginning as you may have forgotten concepts like Cranial, Sacral Diagnosis, etc… Depending on how you are doing on practice questions and tests, you can increase/decrease the amount of OMM questions you do as you approach test day. My school provided Truelearn for a question bank so that is what I used for OMM questions. I have also heard of students using COMQUEST and I believe UWorld now has OMM questions. I would focus on one question bank and utilize a second if you need more unique questions.
2) OMT Review by Robert G. Savarese: This book is great for review during your medical school career, especially your first two years. Before COMLEX test day, focus on the chapters or concepts you are less confident in. Especially look up material you may be getting wrong on multiple occasions when doing question banks.
3) Dirty Medicine OMM/COMLEX Review on YouTube: Dirty Medicine does a great job in his videos outlining some of the most important concepts you will need to know for test day. I tried to watch each video once during my dedicated and rewatched the videos I needed as a refresher 2-3 days before the exam.
4) Anki: I used Anki throughout medical school as studying material. Even if you have not used it, it is a great tool to utilize for memorization of Chapman points, autonomic levels, etc… I used turnup2OMT, but have heard the new deck (D.O. Demeter Deck) is really good. Pick one of these decks and review the information you are least comfortable with. These decks also incorporate the material in Savarese OMT Review Book, so they can be utilized as your content review.
Some of the most tested material on exams include Autonomics, Chapman Points, Sacral, Innominates, Cranial, Special Tests, and Counterstain points/treatment. Review the content from question banks you are unfamiliar with as the material may show up on test day. Remember to focus on areas you are least comfortable with and start studying OMM a little bit every day early in your board prep. I believe this plan will allow you to feel confident on test day when you see an OMM question and boost your overall COMLEX score. I believe in you and best of luck on test day!
