COMLEX Guide

COMLEX Guide · Updated November 2026

COMLEX Resources for DO Students: Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3

Every free guide, tool and date you need for COMLEX in one place, put together by DO residents.

Want a COMLEX study plan from a DO who scored in the 90th percentile or higher?

400
is the passing score on Level 2-CE
Pass/Fail
is how Level 1 is now reported
10%+
of Level 2-CE covers osteopathic principles and OMT
2 to 6
weeks to get Level 1 and Level 2-CE scores

Source: NBOME (COMLEX-USA scoring, blueprint and score release pages), checked November 2026

Free

Free COMLEX tools and downloads

These are the resources DO students use most on our site, and all four are free.

Free PDF

OMM Review Guide

Review the high-yield osteopathic concepts for Level 1 and Level 2-CE in short daily blocks.

Get the guide
Free PDF

Level 2 Dedicated Study Plan

Follow a clear structure for dedicated that resident physicians built after taking these exams themselves.

Get the plan
Live dates

Score Release Dates

Check one table for every Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3 release date in the 2026-27 cycle.

See the dates
Explainer

Percentiles Explained

Learn how to read your Level 2-CE percentile and which number programs care about more.

Read the explainer

By level

COMLEX Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3 at a glance

COMLEX-USA is the three-level licensing exam series for osteopathic (DO) physicians, written and scored by the NBOME. Each level is scored and timed differently, so here are the key facts for each one along with the resources that fit it.

COMLEX Level 1

Pass/fail
  • Reported as pass or fail, with no three-digit score or percentile
  • Scores usually arrive 2 to 6 weeks after your testing window closes
  • OMM appears throughout the exam and rewards steady review

Resources for Level 1

COMLEX Level 2-CE

Scored
  • Reported as a three-digit score, and 400 is passing
  • Osteopathic principles and OMT make up at least 10% of the exam
  • Matched DO medians in 2026 ranged from 493 in Family Medicine to 631 in Dermatology

Resources for Level 2-CE

COMLEX Level 3

Scored
  • Reported as a three-digit score, like Level 2-CE
  • Scores take longer to arrive, usually 8 to 10 weeks
  • Taken during residency, which makes study time the main challenge

Resources for Level 3

Work with a DO resident

COMLEX tutoring from DOs who scored in the 90th percentile or higher

Everything above is free to use. If you would like a DO resident to build your study plan and work through it with you, these are the ways to do that.

99%
all-time client COMLEX pass rate
90th+
percentile COMLEX scores from every tutor
120
point average Level 2 increase from baseline

Picture sending this text on score release day.

These are real messages DO students sent their MatchPal tutors after their COMLEX scores came back, and every bundle below is built to help you reach your full potential and send one of your own.

Messages from MatchPal students celebrating their COMLEX results after working with a MatchPal COMLEX tutor

Choose your COMLEX tutoring bundle

5 Hour Bundle

For focused help with a few topics or a study plan that needs fixing.

$999
Your tutor
A DO resident who scored in the 90th percentile or higher
What we work on together
A study plan built around your gaps, a better question bank approach and content review where you need it
Messaging between sessions
Not included
Most popular

10 Hour Bundle

For working with the same tutor through most of your dedicated period.

$1,899
Your tutor
A DO resident who scored in the 90th percentile or higher
What we work on together
An in-depth plan across multiple subjects, question bank coaching and content review as you go
Messaging between sessions
Unlimited text and email with your tutor

20 to 30 Hour Bundles

For rebuilding your knowledge base across every weak area before test day.

$3,199+
Your tutor
A DO resident who scored in the 90th percentile or higher
What we work on together
A deep dive into every weak area, with a plan and accountability from start to test day
Messaging between sessions
Unlimited text and email with your tutor

Every tutoring bundle includes the OMM Bootcamp at no extra cost. If you are unsure which bundle fits, book a free strategy call and a DO resident will give you an honest recommendation.

Google reviews

More from students on Google

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Ryan Murphy profile picture
Ryan Murphy
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Dr. Veyg and the entire MatchPal team were instrumental in my success on COMLEX Level 2! A special shoutout to Dr. Dragovic for being an incredible tutor and such a strong source of both academic and emotional support throughout the process. Having someone who genuinely invests in your success makes all the difference, and I’m so grateful for the guidance and encouragement I received. I cannot recommend MatchPal enough to anyone preparing for their licensing exams!
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Lilibet Diaz profile picture
Lilibet Diaz
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Matchpal has been such an important part of my journey to become a physician. They have helped me in so many occasions where I literally felt so confused and hopeless. They helped me with my step 2, step 3 and even helped guide me through residency applications. This company goes above and beyond to help you reach your goals and I can’t recommend them enough. Everyone I worked with was absolutely amazing. The level of professionalism and knowledge that they have is very impressive. I highly recommend them because they will absolutely help you accomplish your dreams!! I will forever be grateful for all their help in my journey of becoming a physician!!
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Elizabeth B profile picture
Elizabeth B
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Great resource. My advisor's guidance added so much insight to the application process, beyond what my medical school's career advising office offered. Especially valuable is how the advice is specialty-specific and data-driven.
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harjas jassal profile picture
harjas jassal
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Cameron was amazing to work with for my residency applications! He helped me come up with the best application strategy for anesthesia and gave me a lot of good advice. I really appreciated how fast he would get back to me on revisions and questions I had despite being super busy. I highly recommend working with Cameron for all your Matchpal needs!
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Dave Shukhman profile picture
Dave Shukhman
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Matchpal was an absolute gift when applying for residency. Getting matched with my specialty specific advisor for PM&R helped me navigate the entire process. My advisor took me from my audition rotations, to my application, and finally to the interview process and made sure I excelled at every stage. As a resident himself, he knew what programs wanted to see from candidates during rotations and he made sure that I was able to apply the skills he taught me. The main purpose of medical school is getting into residency and I know how much easier Matchpal made that for me. I will continue to recommend Matchpal to every single class below me and to make sure that they use this resource as early as possible.
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Jovia Williams profile picture
Jovia Williams
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Such an amazing resource to assist medical students with their residency application. Josh has been amazing and I would truly recommend to any student who is applying to residency next year and for future application cycles. You’ll be in great hands!
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Mark Perez profile picture
Mark Perez
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I genuinely cannot say enough good things about MatchPal and the incredible experience I’ve had working with Tracie throughout my residency application process! Tracie has been an absolutely PHENOMENAL advisor, and I truly believe that working with her has made a tremendous difference in my chances of matching. From the very beginning, she helped me identify and address weaknesses in my application, strengthen how I presented myself, and highlight my experiences and strengths in ways I never would have thought to do on my own. Having gone through the medical school application process years ago, I remember how discouraging it felt to put so much effort into applications and receive so few responses. This time around, the experience has been completely different. We are only at the beginning of interview season, and I have already received 11 residency interview invitations! I genuinely attribute a significant part of that success to Tracie's guidance, expertise, and dedication to helping me put my best foot forward. For the first time, I genuinely feel like I have a real shot at matching into my number one residency program, and I don't think I would be in this position without her help. To Joseph, thank you for creating such an incredible service, and to Tracie, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done for me. I am beyond grateful! I already can't wait for the day I get to send Tracie the message telling her that I MATCHED and celebrate that moment with her, even if it's virtually! 🎉 If you're a medical student preparing for the residency Match, I cannot recommend MatchPal and Tracie for pediatrics advising highly enough. Investing in their guidance has been one of the best decisions I've made throughout this entire process!
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Scarlett Kass profile picture
Scarlett Kass
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Matchpal helped make the residency application process seamless. I was able to match my #1 choice !
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Lawrence Markel profile picture
Lawrence Markel
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One of the biggest things my med school was lacking was mentorship from actual physicians. We had a writing advisor and someone that gave general guidance but neither were physicians and most of the feedback I got was pretty generic and not specific to my specialty or application. So grateful to all of the residents that make this platform happen and actually spend the time to not only dig into our apps and provide specialty specific guidance for residency applications and also be able to offer it to students from such a wide range of specialties and backgrounds. Wish my school had a system like this in place
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OMM Bootcamp

The single most comprehensive OMM review resource for COMLEX

OMM is where many DO students leave points on the table, so we built one course that covers everything tested on Level 1 and Level 2 in short videos and practice questions you can finish alongside dedicated.

  • 40+ high-yield videos in a systems-based outline
  • 150+ COMLEX-style practice questions
  • 300+ Anki cards for daily review

It is included free with every COMLEX tutoring bundle.

What the course covers

  1. 1Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine
  2. 2Systems-Based Course Outline
  3. 3Anatomy Made Simple
  4. 4Diagnose and Treat with Confidence
  5. 5Master OMM Techniques
  6. 6Practice-Driven Learning with 150+ Questions

Want to start for free? Download the OMM Review Guide first.

FAQ

COMLEX questions DO students ask us most

What is COMLEX?

COMLEX-USA is the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States, the three-level exam series that osteopathic (DO) students and residents take to become licensed physicians. The NBOME writes and scores it, and it has three parts: Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3. You can see the key facts for each one in the level-by-level section on this page.

What is a passing score on COMLEX Level 2-CE?

The passing score on COMLEX Level 2-CE is 400, and the exam is reported as a three-digit standard score. Passing and being competitive are different things, though, so compare your score with the matched median for your specialty in our Level 2 scores by specialty breakdown.

Is COMLEX Level 1 pass/fail?

Yes, COMLEX Level 1 is reported as pass or fail, which means there is no three-digit score or percentile for programs to see. That change makes your Level 2-CE score the main COMLEX number on your residency application.

When do COMLEX scores come out?

Level 1 and Level 2-CE scores are generally released 2 to 6 weeks after your testing window closes, while Level 3 scores take 8 to 10 weeks. The NBOME releases scores by 5:00 p.m. Central on the release date, and you can find each one in our COMLEX score release dates table.

What is a good COMLEX Level 2 score?

A good score is one at or above the matched median for the specialty you want. In 2026 those medians ranged from 493 in Family Medicine to 631 in Dermatology for DO seniors, so the answer depends on your field more than on your percentile. Our percentiles explainer walks through how to read both numbers.

How much OMM is on COMLEX?

On the NBOME blueprint for Level 2-CE, osteopathic principles, practice and manipulative treatment make up at least 10% of the exam, and the musculoskeletal system accounts for another 13% of clinical presentations. Our free OMM Review Guide covers the concepts that are tested most often, and the OMM Bootcamp teaches them in full.

What is the difference between COMLEX and USMLE?

COMLEX-USA is the licensing exam series for osteopathic (DO) physicians and is run by the NBOME, while the USMLE is the series for allopathic (MD) physicians. Both test medical knowledge and clinical reasoning, but COMLEX also tests osteopathic principles and manipulative treatment, which is why DO students need OMM review on top of their other studying.

Should DO students take Step 2 CK as well as COMLEX Level 2?

Many DO students do, especially those applying to competitive specialties or academic programs, because some programs still screen with USMLE scores. If the programs on your list regularly match DO applicants with COMLEX alone, you may not need it, and a free strategy call can help you decide.

Stop guessing, start strategizing.

Talk through your COMLEX plan with a DO who scored in the 90th percentile or higher on a free strategy call, and leave knowing what to study and when to test.

  • 99% all-time client COMLEX pass rate
  • 90th+ percentile tutors
  • 120-point average Level 2 increase from baseline
Sources