As an osteopathic tutor at Med School Tutors, I have had a ton of experience with students preparing for the COMLEX. Through my own testing experience and the experiences of my students, certain examination topics have come up so many times that I tend to refer to them as “COMLEX canon”. This canon of core topics is broad, but unique to the COMLEX among the topics is OMM.

Students frequently ask me what OMM topics are most high yield for the boards. There are many, but chief among them are three: cranial motion, viscerosomatics, and rib motion. We’ve put together a “cheat sheet” of sorts to cover a quick review of these topics with free to access for anyone.

Briefly, an introduction to each of these high-yield OMM topics:

1. Cranial Motion: Knowing the basics of flexion and extension is the foundation for the rest of cranial, especially strain patterns.

2. Viscerosomatics: These reflexes are absolutely the highest yield topic for OMM on any COMLEX exam and certainly memorizing them will help you tremendously. Don’t get bogged down on exact spinal levels, there is variation between sources.

3. Rib Motion: Inhalation and exhalation mechanics are very important, and knowing which rib is key in a group if often tested.

We hope this cheat sheet will help you on your COMLEX journey and get you motivated to tackle the “COMLEX canon”. We at MST are always here, ready to help out. If you have any questions or feedback, let us know in the comments section below.

All illustrations on the MST OMM Cheat Sheet are courtesy of the very talented Dr. Mike Natter.  Follow him on Instagram @mike.natter!