Use Your Cheat Sheet

I used to tell my students that anatomy and physiology was the only class where the students could bring a cheat sheet into the exam and the teacher could do nothing about it.  Let’s be clear, the cheat sheet, of course, is your body.  

Think about it, you have your muscles, your bones, your joints and even your organs all right there as reference points for you if you know how to use them.  If you use your body as a reference during your study sessions, then it makes it simple to use it during your examination as a “cheat sheet.”  Point to each of the muscles and bones and name them.  Trace the muscles from their origin to their insertion.  Touch boney landmarks and say their names out loud.  Place your hand (s) over the organs to understand their locations.  Move your limbs through their ranges of motion and say the motions to yourself out loud. (example: abduction/adduction, flexion/extension, etc.).  You can even reference your body as you discuss certain pathologies (example: pointing out the body areas affected by the condition/disease).  This tactile method of learning is not only great for memorizing the information, but it also helps you to remember information during the exam when you begin to get stressed out.

So, during the test, move your head, arms and legs through their ranges of motion; touch/trace various muscles, bones and organs; do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around cause passing the test is what it is all about (not whether or not you look weird).