We’re thrilled to introduce changes to our USMLE® Step 1 and Step 2 style and COMLEX-USA® Level 1 and Level 2 style questions with updates on formatting, video content alignment, and improvements to inclusive language standards.

Additionally, we are transitioning all users to our new quiz builder to enable the best assessment experience with these new questions. A switchable option between the old and new quiz builders is currently available. However, access to the old quiz builder will be completely removed by December 22, 2022. Here are a few changes you can expect!

Out with the old, in with the new

Over 3,800 new USMLE® Step 1 and Step style and COMLEX-USA® Level 1 and Level 2 style questions will be added to the Pathology Review, Anatomy Clinical Correlates, Pharmacology, and Foundational Sciences (including Microbiology, Physiology, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, etc.) series to replace over 2,000 outdated questions.

These new questions are of better quality and are aligned with our content's learning objectives to guarantee that you understand the explanations for every answered question. Additionally, they comply with our stringent diversity, equity, and inclusion(DEI) standards for patient-centered language, mimicking the style of questions you can anticipate on the actual exam to more effectively prepare you for the national boards. This change entails retiring up to 2,000 questions that don’t quite meet these quality standards. Best of all, these questions go through an iterative process of intensive editing to ensure that you get the best assessment experience possible.

Style and formatting

New questions will have the following sections:

• Main explanation

• Major takeaway

• Incorrect answer explanation for each distractor

All questions will also feature clinical vignettes designed like real medical notes to best prepare you for standardized testing, including:

• History of present illness (HPI)

• Past medical history

• Relevant family and social history

• Full set of accurate vital signs based on the clinical presentation

• Physical exam

• Pertinent laboratory and other diagnostic tests

Video Content Alignment

New questions are created in close alignment with our video content to significantly improve learning. Moreover, all new questions are appropriately scoped for the cognitive level and content coverage of the relevant board exam for which a video’s content was designed.

Inclusive Language

True to our values of empathy (“Start with the Heart”) and approachability (“Open your Arms”), we have ensured that new questions are aligned with our rigorous DEI standards, and we have retired any questions that did not comply with these standards. Here are a few intentional changes we have made:

• Removed unnecessary racial identifiers

• Revised or removed questions with language that uses a disease state as a patient identifier (e.g. “A 43-year-old diabetic…” or “A 57-year-old alcoholic…”)

• Avoided language that introduces bias and judgment for sensitive issues such as medication compliance and substance use.

Additionally, we’ve added crisis hotlines for questions that mention or imply suicide, self-harm, and sexual assault.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which questions are being retired?

• Most of the retired questions came from the Basic Pathology, Foundational Sciences, and Pharmacology series; these questions have been replaced with new and improved questions to meet quality standards.

When will they be retired?

• We’ve kept the old questions on the website for consistency and continuity during this school term. However, these questions will only be available until December 22, 2022.

Can I still access the old questions another way after December 2022?

• Once removed, they’ll be inaccessible to all learners and the Osmosis Team.

How will this change affect usage and performance reports (Analytics)?

• Our analytics only report on LIVE questions. Therefore, it will only report high-quality questions after December 2022.
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If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. We're here to assist you!