Anatomy and Physiology
Structure explains function
Anatomy questions on this exam are usually functional: they ask what a structure does or what happens when it fails. Know one signature job for each of the eleven systems - integumentary (barrier, temperature regulation), skeletal (support, blood cell production), muscular (movement, heat), nervous (rapid signaling), endocrine (slower hormonal control), cardiovascular (transport), lymphatic/immune (defense, fluid balance), respiratory (gas exchange), digestive (breakdown and absorption), urinary (filtration, fluid and electrolyte balance), reproductive.
Traps. The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood - the classic exception to "arteries carry oxygenated blood." Afferent fibers carry signals toward a structure; efferent carry them away. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic cavity. In anatomical position the palms face forward, so "anterior" and "posterior" stay fixed no matter how the patient is lying.
Temperature and vital-sign anatomy also appear: rectal is highest and axillary lowest, and a blood pressure cuff that is too small falsely raises the reading.
Rule of thumb. Answer circulation questions by walking the path - "right, lung, left, body." Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary veins → left atrium → left ventricle → aorta → body. Any question about where blood goes next, which vessel carries oxygen, or which chamber is thickest can be solved by stepping through that sequence rather than recalling it as a list.