Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology
Core concepts
Expect questions that link structure to function and function to dysfunction. Build a mental map of the major systems: skeletal and muscular (support, movement), cardiovascular (circulation, perfusion), respiratory (gas exchange), nervous (control and sensation), endocrine (regulation), digestive, urinary, and integumentary. For each, know the normal function and the classic signs when it fails. Pathophysiology questions usually ask you to connect a mechanism to a finding - for example, why fluid overload produces crackles, or why anemia causes fatigue and pallor.
Traps
Distractors swap organ systems or reverse cause and effect. A common trap is a plausible-sounding mechanism that names the wrong structure (e.g., attributing gas exchange to the bronchi rather than the alveoli). Another is confusing left- versus right-sided heart failure findings. Read for the direction of the relationship: does the stem ask what causes the sign, or what the sign indicates?
Rule of thumb
Structure-to-symptom chain: for any finding, trace it back - organ → function → what happens when that function is lost. If your chain breaks, the answer is probably wrong.
Worked example
A patient with left-sided heart failure develops shortness of breath and crackles. Chain: left ventricle fails → blood backs up into pulmonary circulation → fluid leaks into alveoli → impaired gas exchange → dyspnea and crackles. Right-sided failure, by contrast, tends to produce peripheral edema and jugular distension.