Skip to main content

Table 1 Blueprint of the questions asked in both very short answer (VSA) and single best answer (SBA) formats

From: Validity of very short answer versus single best answer questions for undergraduate assessment

Question

Specialty & Topic

1

Cardiology: diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy by voltage criteria on ECG

2

Cardiology: diagnosis of pericarditis

3

Respiratory Medicine: treatment of pneumonia

4

Gastroenterology: investigation of iron deficiency anaemia

5

Gastroenterology: clinical presentation of portal hypertension

6

Gastroenterology: diagnosis of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiecstasia

7

Endocrinology: investigation of hyponatraemia

8

Endocrinology: clinical presentation of thyrotoxicosis

9

Endocrinology: investigation of diabetic ketoacidosis

10

Haematology: diagnosis of haemolytic uraemic syndrome

11

Haematology: diagnosis of multiple myeloma

12

Nephrology: investigation of nephrotic syndrome

13

General surgery: small bowel obstruction on abdominal radiograph

14

Urology: investigation of suspected renal calculi

15

Breast Surgery: diagnosis of a breast mass