COMSAE Form 107 is a Phase 1 self-assessment examination designed to gauge your readiness for the COMLEX-USA Level 1 . It consists of 176 questions divided into four sections of 44 questions each, with a time limit. Performance & Scoring A score of 400 or higher
is generally associated with a high likelihood of passing the COMLEX-USA Level 1. MSU Osteopathic Medicine Lower Performance: Less than 400. Average Performance: 400–649. Higher Performance: Greater than 649. Exam Focus & Content
Form 107 is frequently used by medical schools as a baseline or "readiness" exam. Key areas often tested on this form include: COMSAE Scoring & Reporting - NBOME
COMSAE Form 107 is a critical self-assessment tool used by osteopathic medical students to gauge readiness for the COMLEX-USA Level 1 (Phase 1) and Level 2-CE (Phase 2) examinations.
While the NBOME periodically updates forms, Form 107 is frequently used by medical schools as a "benchmark" or mandatory "gating" exam that students must pass (often with a score of 450+) before they are cleared to sit for the actual COMLEX. 📊 Quick Overview
Format: 176 items (Phase 1) or 160 items (Phase 2), divided into four equal blocks.
Timing: Consistent with the real COMLEX-USA per-item timing (approx. 4 hours total).
Scoring: Results are provided as a three-digit standard score. Predictive Value: Scores correlate positively ( to ) with actual COMLEX performance. 💡 Content & High-Yield Topics
Students often report that Form 107 has a specific "flavor" compared to other forms like 110 or 112. Key topics frequently identified in recent 107 administrations include:
Neuro & MSK: Known for being relatively neuro-heavy, with questions on brain bleeds, cranial nerves, and muscle anatomy.
Reproductive: Specific focus on reproductive tumors, menopause, and associated hormones.
OMM: Standard viscerosomatic reflexes, Chapman points, and sacral/innominate rotations. comsae form 107
Professionalism & Law: Includes "vague" but high-yield questions on ethics, legal issues (e.g., suing/court scenarios), and biostatistics.
Infectious Disease: Reports of questions on Anthrax and standard pediatric infectious markers. 📈 Score Interpretation & Pass Probability
According to NBOME data, a COMSAE score provides a strong indicator of passing the real COMLEX: COMSAE Score Predicted Probability of Passing COMLEX 400 450 500+
Note: Form 107 is sometimes cited by students as being "easier" than newer forms like 112, but it can under-predict your actual score by 20–50 points depending on how far out you are from your test date.
The fluorescent light above station four flickered with a rhythmic, buzzing impatience, mirroring the pulse behind Dr. Elias Thorne’s eyes. He sat in a hard, plastic chair that seemed designed to impede circulation, staring at the packet in front of him.
Subject: COMSAE Form 107.
It wasn’t just a test; it was a rite of passage, a crucible of fire that stood between his third-year chaos and the glimmering horizon of residency. The room was silent, save for the scuffing of sneakers on linoleum and the collective, shallow breathing of fifty medical students all wondering if they had studied the right brachial plexus pathways.
Elias cracked his knuckles—a nervous habit his study partner, Sarah, hated—and opened the booklet.
Phase 1: The False Confidence The first ten questions were a siren song. They were straightforward: Mechanism of action of ACE inhibitors? Easy. The anatomical landmark for a lumbar puncture? Child’s play. Elias felt a surge of adrenaline. He had this. He had spent three weeks in the library, surviving on stale popcorn and caffeine, living by the mantra, "Trust your first instinct."
He bubbled in answers with a swagger, the pencil lead dark and decisive. Form 107 was rumored to be a "fair" form, a balanced exam. He began to think the rumors were true.
Phase 2: The Descent Then came Question 42. COMSAE Form 107 is a Phase 1 self-assessment
Elias stopped mid-bubble. The question stem was a paragraph of dense text describing a patient with fatigue, bruising, and a perplexing lab value. He read it once. He read it twice. He looked at the options. A) A rare genetic disorder he vaguely recalled from a slide deck at 2:00 AM three months ago. B) A vitamin deficiency. C) An autoimmune condition. D) "Wait, that's not even a real disease," he whispered to himself.
The confidence evaporated. The room suddenly felt smaller. The flickering light above him seemed to intensify. This was the "COMSAE Twist." Just when you felt safe, the exam tested your ability to distinguish between two answers that were both technically correct, but one was more correct based on an obscure piece of trivia buried in the First Aid book he had highlighted but never actually memorized.
He stared at the patient's age in the vignette. 55 years old. Did that matter? It always mattered. In osteopathic medicine, the structural exam was king, but here, on Form 107, the questions demanded a synthesis of pathology and holistic wellness.
He chose B. He wanted to choose A. He second-guessed himself. He erased B, leaving a smudge of graphite that looked like a bruise. He marked A.
Phase 3: The "Osteopathic" Labyrinth Section two was the minefield. This was where COMSAE Form 107 distinguished itself from its USMLE cousins. It wasn't enough to know the pathology; one had to know the somatic dysfunction.
A patient presents with right shoulder pain. Examination reveals a Chapman’s point on the right...
Elias closed his eyes, visualizing the Chapman's reflex points chart he had tacked to his bathroom mirror. He tried to recall the lymphatic drainage. He could see the chart in his mind's eye, but the ink was fading. He rubbed his temples. The "Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment" (OMT) questions were notorious for being either ridiculously easy or impossibly granular.
He felt the phantom weight of his stethoscope around his neck. He remembered the cadavers, the smell of formaldehyde, the solemnity of the anatomy lab. He wasn't just a student taking a test; he was a future physician trying to decide if a patient needed a muscle energy technique or a high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust.
He drew a diagram in the margin of the scratch paper. It looked like a potato with legs. He deciphered his own scribbles, reasoned through the biomechanics, and bubbled in the answer.
Phase 4: The Sprint The proctor called out, "One hour remaining."
A collective groan rippled through the room, quickly silenced by the stern look of the proctor. Elias looked at his answer sheet. He was on question 150 of 176. The easy questions were gone. Now it was a blur of pediatric milestones, psychiatric criteria, and obscure fungal infections. When to escalate
His stomach growled, a loud roar in the quiet room that made his cheeks burn. He ignored it. He was in the zone now, operating on pure instinct and adrenaline. He was no longer overthinking. He was parsing the language of the test writers, recognizing the patterns of distractors.
Femoral nerve injury? No, the sensation is preserved. It must be the obturator.
Staph aureus or Strep pyogenes? The clue is the golden crust.
He finished with seven minutes to spare. He went back to Question 42. He looked at the smudge. He looked at option A. He thought about the patient in the vignette, a hypothetical person relying on him for a diagnosis. He kept A.
The Aftermath "Time. Pencils down. Close your booklets."
The silence broke. The tension rushed out of the room like air from a balloon. Students stretched, groaned, and began the post-game analysis in
Yes, absolutely. Despite its flaws, COMSAE Form 107 remains the single best free-standing predictor of COMLEX Level 1 success currently available to DO students. Its value lies not in the score itself, but in the data it provides.
Example: "Patient with nausea and epigastric pain has tenderness at T5-T7. What is the diagnosis?"
Warning: Do not use the percentage correct alone. COMSAE scales questions based on difficulty. Two students with 60% correct might score 50 points apart.
If you are a medical student in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program, you have likely heard the acronym COMSAE whispered in tones ranging from mild annoyance to outright panic. Among the various forms released by the NBOME (National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners), COMSAE Form 107 occupies a unique and often controversial space.
Is it an accurate predictor of your COMLEX-USA Level 1 score? Is it harder than the real exam? How should you use it in your dedicated study period?
In this guide, we will dissect everything you need to know about COMSAE Form 107, including its format, question style, typical score correlations, common pitfalls, and exactly how to review it for maximum yield.