The NBOME welcomed the New Year with an important milestone – as of January 1, the NBOME has administered more than 500,000 COMAT Clinical Subject exams to colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) across the country.
COMAT Clinical Subject exams, launched in 2011, were developed at the request of COMs for osteopathically distinctive clinical discipline exams that correspond to clinical learning experiences typically provided in COM clerkships, clinical rotations, and courses. Each COMAT Clinical subject integrates osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative medicine content into the discipline blueprint, and the exams are used by COMs to demonstrate compliance with Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation curricula standards.
“We hold these exams in very high regard and use them as a strong standard of performance,” said Rebel Jones, director of testing and evaluation at University of North Texas Health Science Center- Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We use them to determine whether our students have learned the knowledge they need to be considered competent in each of those subject areas.”
Learn more from Jones about how his COM uses COMAT Clinical exams.
COMAT Clinical Subject exams are the only exams for DO students that are written by the same group of osteopathic physicians, educators, and researchers who write, edit, and verify COMLEX-USA exam questions, providing an additional way for candidates to familiarize themselves with COMLEX questions before taking the exam.
“Reaching this milestone is a testament to the high-quality, valid, and reliable subject matter embedded in our COMAT Clinical exams,” said Jinghua Liu, PhD, MBA, MEd, vice president for collaborative assessment. “We are delighted that so many students and COMs have embraced these exams as a benchmark for tracking progress and readiness through the osteopathic lens. Unlike other similar exams, our assessments underscore the exceptional nature of osteopathic medicine.”
In November 2023, the NBOME launched COMAT-SE, a self-examination tool for direct student purchase that offers the opportunity to reinforce their medical knowledge and identify any areas on which they may need to focus.