Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science
Decode, don't memorize
Much of this domain is vocabulary in disguise. Medical terms are built from a root (the organ or tissue), a prefix (location, time, quantity), and a suffix (condition, procedure, or specialty). Learn the machinery rather than long lists: gastr/o = stomach, cardi/o = heart, nephr/o = kidney, -itis = inflammation, -ectomy = surgical removal, -ostomy = creating an opening, -algia = pain, hyper- = excess, hypo- = deficient, brady- = slow, tachy- = fast, leuk/o = white, cyan/o = blue.
Traps. Questions love near-miss pairs: hypokalemia vs. hyperkalemia; dysphagia (swallowing) vs. dysphasia (speaking); abduction (away) vs. adduction (toward); proximal vs. distal. Another trap mixes up the suffix: gastralgia is stomach pain, not stomach removal. Basic microbiology also appears - know that standard precautions apply to every patient regardless of diagnosis, and that antibiotics do not treat viruses.
Basic math is fair game: 1 kg = 2.2 lb, 1 L = 1,000 mL, 1 g = 1,000 mg, 1 mg = 1,000 mcg. Round only at the end of a calculation.
Rule of thumb. Build unfamiliar words from the suffix backward. Suffix tells you what is happening; root tells you where; prefix modifies it. Example: pericarditis = peri- (around) + cardi (heart) + -itis (inflammation) → inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. If you don't recognize a term, decode it instead of guessing from the answer choices.