Testing your knowledge by answering the pathophysiology questions in
this book serves as a competition in which you compete against yourself
for the satisfaction of doing well. It’s a great feeling when you know the
answers to difficult medical questions. It reflects well on your ability to
learn the material in medical school, and it’s a signal that you’re prepared
for the certifying examinations. This competition also can increase your
knowledge base, as any competition sharpens your skills. That is an important
part of testing ourselves. When we don’t know an answer, it’s an
opportunity to look it up in a “big book” of internal medicine and improve
our understanding of the topic. Each answer includes a reference to that
answer, as a starting point for reading more about the topic. Although
knowing the answer to any individual question provides some measure of
satisfaction, it does not, and should not, represent a stopping point. Importantly,
it should encourage you to read further so that you can easily answer
questions from any point of view on that topic.