General Anatomy
Core concepts
General anatomy tests the language and framework of the body: anatomical position, planes, directional terms, body cavities, and the four basic tissues. Know that sagittal planes divide left and right, coronal planes divide anterior and posterior, and transverse planes divide superior and inferior. Directional terms are relational, not absolute: proximal and distal apply mainly to limbs, while superficial and deep describe distance from the body surface. Understand epithelial types by shape and layering, connective tissue classes, muscle types, and nervous tissue. Early embryology is fair game, especially ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm derivatives and the meaning of visceral versus parietal serosa.
Traps
Questions often reverse left and right: always describe the patient, not the observer. Do not call the thumb medial in anatomical position; the palms face forward, so the thumb is lateral. Proximal is not the same as superior. A structure can be deep without being inferior. Cavity questions may ask which serous membrane lines the wall versus covers the organ.
Worked example and rule of thumb
If a description says a lesion extends from the umbilicus to the pubic symphysis in the midline, it lies in the median or midsagittal plane. If it divides the body into equal left and right halves, it is midsagittal; if unequal, parasagittal. Rule of thumb: name a plane by the halves it creates, and name a direction from the patient's anatomical position.
Exam focus
Prioritize terminology, tissue identification, cavity contents, and germ-layer derivatives. These facts support later spinal, pathology, and diagnosis questions.