At its annual meeting December 13-14, 2024, the NBOME Board of Directors approved the following enhancements to each Level of the COMLEX-USA examination series and further research in national clinical skills testing.
These enhancements follow several years of research and committee work by the NBOME National Faculty and staff to ensure that the COMLEX-USA examination program continues to meet its mission of protecting the public, while also looking for opportunities to further attend to wellness of candidates and other stakeholders. For more information on COMLEX-USA, visit nbome.org/assessments/comlex-usa.
COMLEX-USA Level 1 and Level 2-CE
The number of test items/questions for the Level 1 and the Level 2-CE examinations will be modified from the current 352 to 320, aligned with the COMLEX-USA Blueprint. Test candidates will continue to have eight hours to complete the examination. The target date for these changes is anticipated to align with test cycles beginning in Spring 2026 (May for Level 1 and June for Level 2-CE).
COMLEX-USA Level 3
The current two-day administration format will be modified to a one-day examination. Level 3 continues to utilize the COMLEX-USA Blueprint and will maintain a similar proportion of multiple-choice questions and clinical decision-making cases. The target date for this change is January 2027.
“The NBOME Board of Directors remains committed to continuous quality improvement and furthering agility and innovation in NBOME assessment products in response to the ever-changing healthcare and medical education environments,” said NBOME Board Chair Lori A. Kemper, DO, MS. “The NBOME continues to explore advances and technologies that can enhance our assessment programs in support of our mission of protecting the public.”
“The NBOME continues to prioritize the well-being of our many stakeholders—including students and residents, residency and fellowship program faculty, faculty at colleges of osteopathic medicine, state licensing boards, and patients—who all rely on the NBOME to provide assessments that are valid, reliable, defensible, and fair,” said NBOME President and CEO John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd. “These enhancements to COMLEX-USA serve to underscore that priority.”
National Clinical Skills Assessment
The Core Competency Capstone for DOs (C3DO) pilots at campuses of schools and colleges of osteopathic medicine (COMs) will continue through 2025, with Phase 3 of research and development. A subsequent announcement on outcomes and next steps will be made in July 2025 as previously scheduled. Students in graduating classes through 2027 currently have their competency in fundamental osteopathic clinical skills verified by the dean of their COM through an attestation program. This verification serves to help qualify a DO graduate’s eligibility to take COMLEX-USA Level 3. Further information on the C3DO initiative can be found at nbome.org/C3DO.