7 Tips to excel in Medicine: Divide and Rule

7 tips to excel medical theory exams | Answer to the Point | Common Format |Divide and Rule|Clinical Corelation | Highlight |Whats the question | Neat |

Answer writing techniques in medical and allied subjects.

Tip 1: Answer to the Point.

Tip 2: Answer any disease condition in common subheadings.

Tip 3:  Systematic listing of causes, complications, medication and  investigations.

Whenever you are asked to list any thing be it causes, complications, medication or investigation make sure that you divide the heading under which you are going to make a list. If you make a list rampantly, you may merely remember 10 causes by far. But you list under headings may be you can make a list 3-4 items under each heading, you may list more than 15 -20 causes and it will look more systematic.

Eg. Causes of hematuria can be listed in anyway. But if you list it in anatomical fashion starting from the systemic causes, renal artery causes, renal parenchymal causes, renal pelvic causes, ureteric, bladder, and urethral causes. You can have more than necessary causes to elaborate.

Similarly the causes of anaemia if classified based upon etiology can be subdivided into so much of branches that the total sum of all the causes list based upon this can reach more than 50. 
Maybe you could try naming 10 of the causes of anemia. Check how many can be remembered if you present dividing those.

The complications can as well be classified as immediate, early, intermediate and late. This is especially applicable in chronic disease, or disease with major systemic effect or the complication of any surgical procedures.

The investigation can also be classified as investigation to  identify risk factor, diagnose the disease, evaluate the progression or regression of disease and complication as well.

Example

Causes of Hydronephrosis

In the illustration above, the student was asked the causes of Hydrouretronephrosis. He smartly divided the causes of hydroureteronephrosis in a matrix of 3x3. The anatomical locations were placed along the columns as ureter, bladder outlet and urethra. Similarly, the rows had pathological etiologies either congenital or acquired with intrinsic defect or acquired with extrinsic defect.

So, this impressive method of listing of causes is far effect than just making a list. Because on dividing you can remember so many pathologies which you would not have remember by making a long list of causes.

Tip 4: Include point of clinical significance

Tip 5: Focus on the important points.

Tip 6: Understand what the question wants you to write.

Tip 7: Be neat and presentable

7 tips to excel medical theory exams | Answer to the Point | Common Format |Divide and Rule|Clinical Corelation | Highlight |Whats the question | Neat |