Every NBME exam has questions that reappear in one form or another.

These are the

ones that I have identified. What do you think? Am I right or way off the mark?
Did I miss anything?

​

1. neuromuscular junction
2. Tanner stage
3. heme synthesis
4. false positive/negative, reliability, precision, accuracy, cohort, cross-
sectional, stratification
5. risk ratio or odds ratio
6. schizophrenia or depression length of time or bipolar 1/2 or anxiety
7. brachial arch or pouch question/digeorge
8. smoking is number 1 cause for....
9. A-a gradient
10. optic nerve lesion or hemianopsia
11. solid or liquid dysphagia
12. hematoma epidural/subdural/subarachanoid
13. lipid lowering drug
14. diuretic side effect
15. acidosis/alkalosis
16. succinylcholine or dantrolene
17. kartagener or cystic fibrosis
18. autosomal dominant or X-linked or mitochondrial
19. shock
20. recurrent bacterial/fungus/viral patient
21. hyperresonant or tactile fremitus
22. PLACES or SHiNE bacteria
23. thermoregulation peripheral vasoconstriction in prolonged cold
24. HOCM S4 AS or Dilated S3 AR MR
25. small cell lung carcinoma or carcinoid or serotonin syndrome
26. bullous pemphigus or pemphigus vulgaris
27. basal cell or melanoma or squamous/acanthosis
28. MEN 1/2
29. hyperthyroid or hypothyroid
30. myoma or rhabdomyoma
31. pleiotropy or polygenic or hetroplasmy
32. atropine or stimigmine or muscurinic agonist or anti-muscurinic antagonist
33. multiple sclerosis
34. Type 1/2/3/4 hypersensitivity, transplant rejection
35. cranial nerve or corneal or pupillary reflex
36. PCOS or menopause
37. hyrdrostatic or colloid pressure
38. PTH vs Ca levels
39. Vitamin-E,B12,B3, Fataxia, Syphilis related neuropathy or parietal cell
antibody
40. nephritic or nephrotic or white casts or interstitial or kidney stones
41. SLE antibody or CREST antibody or scleroderma or Sjogren
42. RA or osteoarthritis or PAIR or dermatomyositis/polymyositis
43. toxin or antidote
44. lymph node drainage
45. hernia or hemorrhoid
46. developmental stage - roll, stand, walk, run, stairs
47. gluconeogenesis or HMP shunt
48. lysosome or mitochondria or proteasome or intron/exon
49. malaria or mycoplasma
50. sarcoidosis, Vitamin D, 25-something, 1,25-something, 24,25-something
51. CML or polycythemia vera or myelo
52. Meckel diverticulum or appendicitis or ovarian tumor or Hurschsprung
53. esophageal varices or Mallory Weiss or Boerhave
54. polyarteritis nodosa or temporal arteritis or Kawasaki or Reye
55. vesicular steatosis or nodular cirrhosis or Hep A, B, C, D, E, Hep B markers
56. Crohn or UC or Th1 or Th2
57. Blood smear - parvovirus B19 or Howell Jolly or Heinz or AML
58. Warfarin or heparin or von Willebrand or HUS or TTP
59. Blood group ABO classification or Thalassemia or Sickle cell
60. Multiple myeloma
61. muscle conduction Ca2+ or troponin or tropomyosin
62. albino or vitiligo or Leukocyte adhesion or Chronic granulomatous or
tetrazolium blue test
63. random brain anatomy picture or dorsal column/spinothalamic
tract/corticospinal
64. Sturge Weber or neurofibramatosis or Wilms or tuberous sclerosis
65. horners (constricted pupil) or uncal herniation (blown pupil)
66. random embryology from the heart or reproductive or a pudenal nerve
67. CO2 transport
68. asthma drug or cyclosporine or tacrolimus or other immunosuppressive
69. endocrine drug metformin, sulfonylurea
70. grade or TNM stage or brain to lung metastasis or colon to liver metastasis or
prostate to bone metastasis, pancreatic adenocarcinoma osteoBlastic (unlike other
cancers)
71. Km or Bioavailability or competitive/noncompetitive drug or maintenance dose
or loading dose or volume of distribution or Phase 1 to 4 or p450, Anesthetic
principles: blood solubility = induction & recovery; lipid solubility =
potency = 1/MAC (always one of these lol)
72. Addisons or DI or adrenal cortical/medullary
73. post-ventricular MI complications
74. 30s, 50s, aminoacyl transferase, resistance, beta lactamase, penicillin binding
protein
75. Celiac or whipple
76. sexual transmitted infection (gonnorhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HSV, Haemophilus,
vaginosis, Trichomonas)
77. anti-viral medication
78. cancer drug
79. GI drug
80. Type 2 pneumocytes
81. signaling pathway of hormones, p53, HOX gene, motif, tumor suppressor genes,
oncogenes
82. Endometriosis, Leiomyoma, Adenomyosis, Asherman
83. amino acid derivatives, catecholimine synthesis
84. neuroleptic malignant vs serotonin vs malignant hyperthermia See here:
[https://s11.postimg.org/e456yj5k3/2011-11-15\_113428.png]
(https://s11.postimg.org/e456yj5k3/2011-11-15_113428.png)
85. Collagen/Elastin/insulin synthesis. know in extreme detail

EDIT: Talo101990 shared some great ones.

While this is mildly helpful, there are quite a few more I could think of that
would be important and a few I don't think are. I've taken every practice NBME (12-
19), and can almost assuredly say you do not need to know the Tanner stages in any
detail. Sure, know closer to 1 means no 2ary sexual development, and closer to 5 is
fully developed 2ary sexual characteristics. But by no means do you need to know
details. Just know precocious puberty in boys is <10 y.o. w/ external genitalia
growth/pubic hair, and <9 y.o. in girls experiencing mensces. I also don't think
you need to know every detail of the developmental milestones. Mostly just 1st
steps by 1 year, 1st words around 1 year, 2-word sentences/200 words by age 2,
complete sentences by age 4

Regarding grade & stage, just know the characteristics of high vs low-grade; N =
node involvement & most important sign of mets; M = distant mets & sign of worst
prognosis. Doubt you need to know the actual numbers. 1. Hepatitis markers (NOT
only Hep B) 2. Signaling pathways of endocrine hormones (also Transcription Factors
- not every detail, but every time it shows up in FA, KNOW IT e.g. HOX gene, motif,
etc) 3. Congenital adrenal hyperplasias & disorders of sexual development 4.
Immunodeficiencies (but I have yet to see hyper-IgE or chronic mucocutaneous
candidiasis) 5. Hypersensitivities & transplant rejection (eg, host T lymphocytes
against donor antigens) 6. Smoking -> dmgs pseudostratified ciliated epithelial
cells FIRST 7. Type II pneumocyte question about: proliferate during lung dmg,
secrete surfactant, precursor to type I, etc 8. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma -> bone
osteoBLASTic/SCLEROSIS metastasis (unique b/c most bone mets are osteoLYTIC eg
lung, thyroid) 9. BPH treatment MOA (a-antags vs 5a-reductase inhs vs PDE-5 inhs)
10. Endometriosis, Leiomyoma, Adenomyosis, Asherman 11. Tumor suppressor genes vs
proto-oncogenes 12. Amino acid derivatives 13. Catecholamine synthesis pathway,
related disorders, cofactors 14. Nucleotide excision repair & xeroderma pigmentosa
(this topic is hotter than Hansel right now) 15. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome vs
Serotonin syndrome causes & treatments

1. Anesthetic principles: blood solubility = induction & recovery; lipid solubility

= potency = 1/MAC
2. Dorsal column dmg sxs can be seen in B12 def, Vit E def, Tabes dorsalis, Beri-
Beri (B1 def)
3. Tons of Qs on cardiovascular physiology & related pharmacology
4. Collagen/Elastin synthesis & related disorders. These can be painfully detailed
5. Hep B --> causes hepatocellular carcinoma b/c DNA viruses get incorporated into
your genome (eg, into a tumor suppressor gene), but Hep C more likely to cause
cirrhosis (which can cause HCC but less likely than Hep B)
6. Giardia (campers/hikers) & know its appearance vs E. histolytica (engulfed RBCs)
vs Cryptosporidium (acid fast, usually immunocompromised)
7. 1ary CNS lymphoma (EBV) vs Toxo brain abscess vs other non-HIV related brain
tumors

Some other helpful comment

I want to add few more things, don't forget about CYP450 inducers & inhibitors,
Lyme disease, Epithelial cell junctions (gap/zona occludens/e-cadherins etc.),
Poly/oligohydramnios (causes & Potters syndrome), Acute/chronic Pancreatitis casues
& sequelae, HIV disorders, Nucleotide excision/ base excision repairs, types of
deletions (missense, nonsense etc.) & Diarrhea. EDIT: Afferent/Efferent arteriole
of kidney and what affects them.