Medical School MD + DO Mastery

A 4-year, board-aligned study system for medical school and licensing exams.

Walk the full Year 1–4 curriculum — foundational sciences, organ-system blocks, clinical clerkships and advanced practice — each with mastery checklists and linked learning resources, plus a dedicated review system for school exams, Shelf/COMAT, USMLE Step 1–3 and COMLEX-USA Levels 1–3.

SCHOOL-EXAM + LOCALIZATION MASTERY

YEAR 1 | PAGE 16C - PATHWAYS, LESION LOGIC, NEURO EXAM + BEHAVIORAL CASES

C. WHAT SCHOOL EXAMS COMMONLY REQUIRE

ResourceDescriptionLink
Tracts / spinal cordTrace pathway, modality, crossing and level; use pattern of motor/sensory loss to localize cord, root, plexus or peripheral nerve.
Brainstem / cranial nervesCombine CN deficits, gaze/pupil findings and long-tract signs to identify the side and approximate brainstem level.
Cortex / vascular territoriesLocalize aphasia, neglect, visual fields, motor/sensory deficits and higher cortical dysfunction; connect to arterial territories.
Basal ganglia / cerebellumDifferentiate movement initiation/suppression disorders from coordination, gait and eye-movement abnormalities.
Special senses / autonomicsLocalize visual, auditory/vestibular and pupillary abnormalities using pathway anatomy and relevant reflex arcs.
Behavioral / psychiatryDistinguish normal variants from syndromes by duration, function and context; connect neurotransmitter/circuit logic to medications and adverse effects.

D. 7-DAY SCHOOL-EXAM REVIEW CYCLE

ResourceDescriptionLink
Days 1-2Spinal cord + motor/sensory tracts. Draw every major pathway, crossing and lesion pattern from memory.
Days 3-4Brainstem/CNs + cortex/vascular territories. Work mixed localization vignettes before looking at answer choices.
Day 5Basal ganglia, cerebellum, special senses, autonomics, sleep and neurotransmitter systems; integrate exam findings with circuitry.
Day 6Behavioral/developmental/psychiatric foundations + timed mixed school-style block. Include images and neuro-exam findings.
Day 7Error-driven re-test using NEW cases. If localization still fails, redraw the pathway rather than rereading a disease list.

D. 7-DAY SCHOOL-EXAM REVIEW CYCLE — E. NEUROSCIENCE ERROR-LOG TAXONOMY

  • Localization gap - recognized the disease name but could not identify the anatomic level from the findings.
  • Decussation/side gap - knew the tract but predicted the wrong side of the deficit.
  • Exam-sign gap - confused UMN/LMN, cerebellar, basal-ganglia, sensory or cranial-nerve patterns.
  • Neurotransmitter/circuit gap - memorized an association without understanding which pathway/function was altered.
  • Behavioral-pattern gap - ignored duration, functional impairment, developmental context, substance/medical causes or normal variation.

F. CLINICAL SKILLS TRANSFER - SUPERVISED PRACTICE STILL REQUIRED

ResourceDescriptionLink
Stanford Medicine 25 - GaitsVideo demonstration of hemiplegic, spastic, neuropathic, myopathic, Parkinsonian, choreiform, ataxic and sensory gait patterns.Open →
Stanford 25 - Video GalleryVerified Stanford bedside-neurology video library including cerebellar exam, reflexes, gait, tremor and Parkinson examination.Open →

F. CLINICAL SKILLS TRANSFER - SUPERVISED PRACTICE STILL REQUIRED — SCHOOL-EXAM GATE

Proceed when you can localize an unfamiliar lesion before naming a diagnosis, explain side/crossing logic, interpret a focused neurologic exam and distinguish normal behavioral/developmental patterns from pathology. VIDEO-FIRST | SCHOOL-EXAM + BOARD-EXAM MASTERY