Table based questions are such a pain! The amount of information laid out can be a little dizzying and quickly distract or overwhelm the reader. This also leads to more time spent on these questions, which is no good either. It’s important to have a systematic approach to knock these out quickly and efficiently. The following is just such a method:
- Read the Table Headings
Don’t worry about the directions of the arrows or the values on each line or whatever it is. Just take a glance at the table headings and get a quick sense of what the question is asking.
- Ignore the Table and Make a Diagnosis
Okay, now skip everything else. We’ve got an idea of what the question is asking, so we’re going to concentrate on the clinical vignette. What pathology is affecting the patient? You may not be able to make an exact diagnosis, but think about what underlying mechanisms may be in play.
- Pick One Column
You’ve got an idea of what is going on, so start with whatever column heading you are most comfortable with. On a question that is asking you to identify types of shock, start with SVR, CO or whatever makes sense to you. Just be darn sure that you’re confident with the effect on that parameter. Already, you can probably knock out half of the answers.
- Move on to the Next Column
You’re confident with the options that you’ve narrowed it down to – probably only have 2 or 3 to choose from. Now, how does that first parameter affect the next one? You can reason your way through the cause and effect of the process. Keep doing this until you’ve narrowed it down to one answer.
- Keep Questioning Yourself
Everytime you narrow it down, just do a quick check in with yourself. Does this still make sense? The answers that you’re narrowing in on, do they fit the clinical picture? It’s essential that you’ve started with a confident diagnosis. The danger is spending too much on this and second guessing. This isn’t a time to reanalyze the entire question, it’s more of a check in. If you don’t have time to do this after each column, be sure to do this once you’ve selected an answer. Does your final answer actually make sense?
Kind of a short article, but it is an important one. Once you adopt a routine approach to table based questions, you’ll actually look forward to them on exams. Stay cool, stay confident and knock these bad boys out!