first year viva – Praman — Medical Student Survival Guides

✅ Clinically Verified MBBS Resource • Written by Shrikant Bhosale (GMC Aurangabad) • NMC CBME Aligned

Anatomy vivas are won by consistency, not luck. Examiners draw from a surprisingly small pool of classic questions, and the students who prepare them cold walk out with high marks while others panic on a specimen they have seen a hundred times.

This is a region-wise bank of the questions that come up most often, with short model answers. Use it as a checklist, not a substitute for proper revision of your first-year subjects.

General anatomy and osteology

What is the anatomical position? Standing erect, eyes forward, arms by the side with palms facing forward, feet together.
Define the axillary and cubital lines. Give the standard planes and terms of movement used to describe position.
Identify this bone and side. State the bone, side, and three features that confirm laterality (e.g., the deltoid tuberosity and spiral groove for the humerus).
What is the blood supply of a long bone? Nutrient artery, periosteal, metaphyseal and epiphyseal arteries.

Upper limb

Draw and label the brachial plexus. Roots, trunks, divisions, cords, branches. Know the clinical correlates of Erb’s and Klumpke’s palsy.
What is the carpal tunnel and what runs through it? The flexor retinaculum forms the roof over the carpal arch; the median nerve and flexor tendons pass through.
Why does the ulnar nerve get injured at the elbow? It runs superficially in the cubital tunnel behind the medial epicondyle.
Axillary nerve injury — what happens? Deltoid paralysis, lost shoulder abduction and sensory loss over the regimental badge area.

Lower limb

What forms the femoral triangle and what does it contain? Boundaries, floor and roof; contents are the femoral nerve, artery, vein and lymphatics (NAVL, lateral to medial).
What is the course of the sciatic nerve? Through the greater sciatic foramen below piriformis, down the posterior thigh, dividing into tibial and common peroneal nerves.
Why is the common peroneal nerve commonly injured at the fibular neck? It is superficial and winds around the neck of the fibula.
What is the Trendelenburg test? Assesses gluteus medius; positive when the opposite pelvis drops on single-leg stance.

Thorax

Name the surface markings of the lungs and pleura. Know the levels of the oblique and horizontal fissures.
What is the blood supply of the heart, and what does occlusion of the LAD cause? Left anterior descending occlusion typically causes anterior wall infarction.
Trace the thoracic duct. From the cisterna chyli up through the posterior mediastinum to drain at the left venous angle.

Abdomen and pelvis

What are the contents of the porta hepatis? Portal vein, hepatic artery, bile ducts, lymphatics and nerves.
Trace the inferior vena cava. From its formation to the right atrium, and list its tributaries and relations.
What is McBurney’s point? One-third of the way from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus; tenderness here suggests appendicitis.
Layers of the scrotum and their clinical importance. From skin to tunica vaginalis, relevant in hydrocele and hernia.

Head, neck, and neuroanatomy

What are the contents of the carotid sheath? Common/internal carotid artery, internal jugular vein and vagus nerve.
Name the branches of the facial nerve. Temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular and cervical.
Trace the corticospinal tract. Motor cortex, internal capsule, midbrain, pons, medulla (decussation), spinal cord.
What happens in a lesion of the internal capsule? Contralateral dense hemiplegia.

Histology and embryology

Identify this slide. Learn to recognise the classic tissues: epithelium types, muscle, cartilage, bone, blood vessels, liver, kidney, lung.
Describe the blood supply and layers of the gut tube. Mucosa to serosa, with the classic four layers.
What are the derivatives of each pharyngeal arch? Have the summary table ready.

How anatomy vivas are actually marked

Laterality and precision — always state the side and orientation of a specimen.
Clinical correlation — the examiners reward any link to a clinical condition.
Honesty — saying “I am not sure, but I think…” and reasoning is better than a confident wrong answer.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common anatomy viva questions?

Brachial plexus, femoral triangle, carotid sheath, facial nerve branches, the corticospinal tract, carpal tunnel and the classic clinical correlations such as Erb’s palsy and common peroneal nerve injury.

How do I prepare for an anatomy viva in one night?

Focus on the high-yield region-wise questions above, plus the clinical correlates. Prioritise the brachial plexus, upper and lower limb nerve injuries, thorax surface markings and neuroanatomy tracts.

How do I answer if I don’t know the answer?

State what you do know, reason from anatomy, and be honest about the uncertainty. Examiners reward sound reasoning over a confident bluff.

Are anatomy vivas difficult in first year?

They are predictable rather than difficult. The same classic questions recur, so targeted preparation in the final weeks raises your score substantially.

Sharpen your examination skills alongside viva prep with the CNS examination steps guide, and keep the subject map handy from the first year MBBS subjects list.

Written by Shrikant Bhosale

Final Year MBBS Student at Government Medical College, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra. I write the study, ward and career guides I wish existed when I started MBBS — grounded in the real NMC curriculum, real university exams and real ward experience. More about me →

Educational use only. This guide is written for medical students and is not medical advice. Clinical protocols, drug doses and guidelines change — always verify against the latest standard textbooks and official NMC / institutional guidance before applying anything in practice. Read the full disclaimer.

📌 Executive Summary & High-Yield Takeaways

Anatomical position comes first: Hold bones in correct anatomical side and orientation before uttering a single sentence.
High-frequency structures: Brachial plexus, Femoral triangle, Inguinal canal, Cavernous sinus, Larynx, and Coronary circulation.
Clinical anatomy questions are compulsory: Examiners will always ask about nerve injury deformities (Wrist drop, Claw hand, Foot drop).
Embryological derivatives: Memorize pharyngeal arch derivatives and branchial cleft anomalies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Common questions asked by medical students regarding this topic:

Q: What are the most commonly asked bone viva questions in anatomy?

The humerus (radial groove, surgical neck fractures, nerve injuries), femur (neck angle, blood supply of femoral head), clavicle (peculiarities, ossification), and skull bones (norma basalis foramina, pterion).

Q: Which nerve injuries produce characteristic hand deformities?

Radial nerve injury produces wrist drop (loss of extensors). Ulnar nerve injury produces claw hand (lumbrical paralysis of 4th and 5th digits). Median nerve injury produces ape thumb deformity or hand of benediction.

Q: What is the clinical significance of the pterion in head anatomy?

The pterion is a junction of four bones (frontal, parietal, temporal, sphenoid) where the skull is thin. The anterior division of the middle meningeal artery lies directly beneath it; trauma here can cause an extradural hematoma (EDH).