COMLEX vs USMLE - a showdown where I lose either way.

1. REGISTRATION:
-COMLEX- sign up, pay, schedule and you're done. Pretty easy.
-USMLE- step 1)sign up and pay
step 2)get a photo, get your school to stamp something, mail it
step 3)wait
step 4)get e-mail confirmation and schedule it
winner: COMLEX,only one step = way easier

2. BREAKS:
-USMLE- A 10 minute break after every block? Plus lunch? I don't need all those. I'm taking my lunch break and that's it.
-COMLEX- I only get 2 breaks and lunch? But I neeeed breaks! You give me my breaks!
winner: USMLE, because I really only need breaks when they're not offered to me.

3. MULTIPLE QUESTIONS ON THE SAME CASE:
COMLEX has 'em, USMLE doesn't. So here are the pros and cons.
pros: 1) If you know something about a case, but that's not the first question they ask you, it could be the second. 2) If you know the answer to the first question about that case, it may help if the second question is a really simple question about your first answer. 3) Takes less time to read questions.
cons: 1) If you don't know the answer to the first question about a case, you might be screwed on the rest of them.
winner: COMLEX, clearly there are more pros than cons

4. MATCHING QUESTION:
COMLEX has 'em
winner: COMLEX, seriously who doesn't like matching questions?

5. NUMBER OF BLOCKS:
COMLEX- 8
USMLE- 7
winner: USMLE

6. PICTURES:
COMLEX- Is that what I think it is? It's a little fuzzy.
USMLE- Well clearly this is a nice picture. Not sure what the patient has, but it's a nice picture of it.
winner: USMLE, I like pretty pictures.

Okay, so it comes out as a tie. Regardless of which one's better I'd rather not take either of them again.........until next year when step 2 comes along.

Overheard on the first day of our last month of class

"We have ornithology next."
"Check that again, b/c this is just a hunch, but I don't think we are taking a class on birds."

"I'm so sleepy."
"Ya, this class on anesthesia is painful."

"You should follow that surgeon."
"Why? Is he good?"
"No, but you'll learn how to deal with complications."

Sound bites from the anesthesia video-

"Medicine is logic. If I can't think of it, then no one ever will."

"...he threw acid on prostitutes before ultimately killing himself."

"Med students of the past had parties with ether like today's students have beer parties or inhale marijuana."