PGIM MD Medicine study plan

Map the General Internal Medicine syllabus into a checklist of high-yield presentations (e.g., chest pain, dyspnea, fever, altered consciousness, edema, jaundice, weight loss).

For each presentation, write a one-page diagnostic framework that orders history, examination, and first-line investigations.

Create a spaced-repetition deck of 80 flashcards covering core internal medicine facts (e.g., diagnostic criteria, first-line management).

Complete 40 single-best-answer questions on general internal medicine and log every error with a one-line reason.

Rehearse structured case presentations for 10 undifferentiated internal medicine scenarios, timing each to 3 minutes.

Build comparison tables for common symptom clusters (e.g., acute dyspnea, chronic cough, syncope, delirium) listing discriminating features.

Answer 60 mixed general internal medicine questions under timed conditions (90 seconds per question).

Review and correct all missed items from weeks 1–2, writing a corrected reasoning chain for each.

Create a one-page summary for each major subspecialty (cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, nephrology, endocrinology, neurology, rheumatology, hematology, infectious diseases) listing must-know diagnoses and first-line tests.

For 30 high-yield subspecialty conditions, write the diagnostic criterion and the single most appropriate initial investigation.

Complete 50 subspecialty questions and tag each by subspecialty to identify the two weakest areas.

Produce a 10-item list of cross-subspecialty overlaps (e.g., diabetes and renal disease, vasculitis and lung) with management implications.

Drill the two weakest subspecialties from week 3 with 40 targeted questions each and rewrite incorrect reasoning.

Construct management algorithms for 10 acute subspecialty presentations (e.g., acute coronary syndrome, upper GI bleed, status epilepticus, thyroid storm, adrenal crisis).

Explain aloud the pathophysiology linking each algorithm step to its investigation or treatment.

Complete a 50-question mixed subspecialty test and compare accuracy with week 3.

Build a laboratory interpretation guide covering full blood count, renal and liver panels, arterial blood gases, and urinalysis with expected patterns for 20 common conditions.

Draw and annotate 15 diagrams of applied physiology (e.g., Starling forces, oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation, acid–base compensation, glomerular filtration, cardiac cycle).

For 25 diseases, write the core pathological mechanism and how it produces the key clinical sign or laboratory finding.

Answer 50 investigation-focused questions and log errors by category (interpretation, mechanism, test selection).

Interpret 30 arterial blood gas and acid–base cases without references, then check and record the reasoning error for each miss.

Create a test-selection decision tree for 10 common clinical dilemmas (e.g., suspected pulmonary embolism, suspected meningitis, suspected acute pancreatitis).

Explain the physiological basis of 20 common clinical signs and symptoms in writing.

Complete a 50-question investigations and applied physiology test and compare accuracy with week 5.

Write ABCDE assessment scripts for 10 emergency presentations, including explicit reassessment triggers.

Build a vasopressor, fluid, and airway management quick-reference card with doses, indications, and contraindications.

Drill 60 emergency and critical care questions under timed conditions (60 seconds per question).

Rehearse 10 critical care case vignettes aloud, stating the first three actions and the first three investigations in order.

Complete two full-length mixed mock examinations under exam conditions and record domain-level accuracy.

Review every incorrect answer from both mocks and rewrite the correct reasoning in one sentence each.

Re-drill the 40 highest-yield facts flagged across all eight weeks using spaced repetition.

Finalize a one-page pre-exam summary sheet covering red-flag presentations, critical doses, and test-selection rules.