COMLEX

Education & Academia abbreviation · Standardized Test

COMLEX
Stands forComprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination
CategoriesEducation & Academia

COMLEX stands for Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination, a standardized test abbreviation.

Three-level licensing exam series for osteopathic physicians, officially COMLEX-USA, administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). Level 1 has been pass/fail since May 2022, Level 2-CE covers clinical knowledge and Level 3 is taken during residency.

Example: Most DO students take COMLEX Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 within weeks of each other.

Usage notes

COMLEX questions include osteopathic principles and manipulative treatment, which the USMLE does not test. The hands-on Level 2-PE exam was permanently suspended in 2021. Since residency programs merged into a single ACGME system in 2020, most programs accept COMLEX scores, though some DO students add USMLE scores to be safe.

More standardized test abbreviations

  • CAT – Common Admission Test
  • CBEST – California Basic Educational Skills Test
  • CBSE – Central Board of Secondary Education
  • CEFR – Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  • CLEP – College-Level Examination Program
  • CogAT – Cognitive Abilities Test
  • CPE – Certificate of Proficiency in English
  • CSET – California Subject Examinations for Teachers
  • CUET – Common University Entrance Test
  • DALF – Diplôme approfondi de langue française (Advanced Diploma in French…
  • DAT – Dental Admission Test
  • DBQ – Document-based question

See all 106 standardized test abbreviations →