Single Best Answers for Medical Students: Basic Science

"This book was conceived in 2019 and it has been slowly burning ever since. It is the first of a two-part series which tests basic science across a variety of disciplines that are commonly examined throughout the medical curriculum. Each chapter consists of 50 questions with some sub-questions. There is a mixture of easier and more challenging questions interspersed within each chapter. The detailed answers provide you with a good foundation of the topic. I have created figures to summarise key concepts and hopefully this ... Read More

"This book was conceived in 2019 and it has been slowly burning ever since. It is the first of a two-part series which tests basic science across a variety of disciplines that are commonly examined throughout the medical curriculum. Each chapter consists of 50 questions with some sub-questions. There is a mixture of easier and more challenging questions interspersed within each chapter. The detailed answers provide you with a good foundation of the topic. I have created figures to summarise key concepts and hopefully this gives you the impetus to research the topic in more detail. I have been at the coalface of exams for several years and therefore understand first-hand the stresses that exams can cause the learner. What I have learnt over the years from writing this book, in addition to writing questions for national exams, and examining and teaching students, is that there are several variations of common themes in medical school exams. The key is to do as many questions as possible. I have written the solutions to each question with explanations to the correct answer, but also, and what I think is far more important, an explanation on why other options are incorrect answers. I have included topics which are often scantily taught or poorly understood by students such as histology and histopathology, pharmacology, medical ethics, and statistics. There is no doubt that some of the questions are more challenging than others, and perhaps quite esoteric, and this has not been done to simply distinguish the distinction level candidates, but to encourage you to dig deeper into your understanding of the topic. More importantly, the foundations laid down in this book, together with clinical scenarios in the second book, will hopefully help you develop the knowledge and skills required to treat patients. I am indebted to the many who have taught me over the years, those who I have worked with and absorbed knowledge from, those students who have given me vital feedback in my teaching, and, without a shadow of a doubt, every patient I have cared for. The best aspect of my job is being able to communicate complex medicine into bite-size chunks that patients can understand which hopefully improves their care. I hope this book fulfils its aim in being a useful revision tool and it provides a stepping stone in helping you reach your potential. If you"-- Read Less