Anatomy
Anatomy questions test anatomical position, planes, directional terminology and the structural organisation of each body system. The exam expects precise language and the ability to describe a structure’s location in three dimensions.
Core rules and concepts
- Anatomical position: standing upright, face forward, arms at the sides, palms facing anteriorly, feet flat and parallel. All directional terms assume this position.
- Planes: sagittal divides left and right (midsagittal is the midline); coronal (frontal) divides anterior and posterior; transverse divides superior and inferior.
- Directional terms: proximal and distal apply to limbs; medial and lateral, superior and inferior, anterior and posterior, superficial and deep, ipsilateral and contralateral.
- Body cavities: cranial and vertebral cavities house the nervous system; the thoracic cavity contains the mediastinum, pleural cavities and pericardial cavity; the diaphragm separates it from the abdominopelvic cavity, which has abdominal and pelvic parts.
- Tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous tissue. Epithelium covers and lines; connective tissue supports and binds.
- Skeleton: 206 adult bones, divided into axial (80, skull, vertebral column, rib cage) and appendicular (126, limbs and girdles).
Worked example
The appendix lies in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, in the right iliac region, attached to the caecum. In anatomical position it is inferior to the liver, lateral to the midline and anterior to the psoas muscle. This explains why appendicitis pain starts near the umbilicus and localises to the right lower quadrant as inflammation reaches the parietal peritoneum.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing proximal/distal with superior/inferior.
- Confusing sagittal and coronal planes.
- Reversing left and right when interpreting images.
- Using “ventral” and “dorsal” incorrectly; ventral means anterior in humans.