In this community, we’re not doing things the same old way. We’re not working longer hours and skipping sleep to get our grades. We’re just a little smarter than everyone else, right? It doesn’t show right away, but as time goes by and your skill sets grow the returns become exponential.
Your friends who always did better than you will be turning around asking, “When did you get so smart?”
Looking at test questions in the right way is one example. You don’t go into a test nervous and with your heart racing. You go into an exam like it’s a game. Thinking about how much fun it’s gonna be to put your brain to the test. Like a knight in training, you can’t wait to get into a “real” fight; you can’t wait to show off your skills.
Let’s take a quick look at a very simple question and how I approach it.
Which of the following symptoms/signs is most consistent with the diagnosis of vasopressin deficiency?
There are two possibilities here.
1) I KNOW what vasopressin is.
2) I DON’T KNOW what vasopressin is.
Those two different scenarios will require two different approaches. For the sake of space and time today, I’m only going to demonstrate one those possibilities.
Let’s take on option #1, what do I do if I do know what vasopressin is.
Now, you may be thinking, “If I know what to their asking and what the answer is, what else do I need to know?” And if that is what you’re thinking, you’d be right think it.
It’d seem like this one is wrapped up with a nice neat bow, but there is still more here under the ice. This question isn’t going to be asked in a vacuum. There will be hundreds of questions around it. There will be a timer ticking away. You will in all likelihood be exhausted.
In that context, your approach can save you precious seconds and boost your chances of nailing this one even if you’re just about in tears because your confidence is shot and you’re spiraling down.
So, here’s what I would recommend if you do know what vasopressin is and what it does:
DO NOT read the answer choices. Stop and think. Vasopressin is also known as Antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Antidiuretic hormone for the Pete’s sake. Thank the gods for a name that tells me something useful. This hormone keeps you from micturating, correct? Correct. If we don’t have this hormone, what happens? We pee. We pee a lot. Now you’ve got the picture in your head. In this case, we aren’t hunting through the answer choices hoping to find a clue – we are confidently strutting in to find the choice that fits what we know.
(PAES members pay attention here. You’ll recognize a technique we talked about in the March 2021 Issue.).
What is a symptom of someone who is peeing a lot?
Now go ahead and look at the answer choices. (As you read the answer choices there is one very obvious answer)
a. Abdominal pain
b. Diarrhea
c. Intense thirst
d. Oliguria
e. Elevated urinary specific gravity
Did you find it, or did you let fear and doubt creep in? If you’re peeing uncontrollably, you will also be dehydrated and very thirsty.
In Physician Assistant Exam Scholars, we go deeper on ideas like this one. Ideas that will guarantee you get the stuff you know right. That’s the lowest hanging fruit. You have to get the ones you know right. You can’t afford to miss those or, just as bad, use up valuable time extra on them.
You’re gonna love it. Join me here:
Physician Assistant Exam Scholars
Brian Wallace