Internal Medicine Exam Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the Internal Medicine Exam exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 Internal Medicine Exam Exam Format at a Glance
📚 Internal Medicine Exam Topics to Study (88)
✍️ Sample Internal Medicine Exam Questions & Answers
1. A 58-year-old man with CKD stage 3b has a serum potassium of 6.2 mEq/L and ECG changes including peaked T-waves. Which intervention should be given FIRST?
IV calcium gluconate stabilizes the cardiac membrane and is the first-line treatment for hyperkalemia with ECG changes.
2. A patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has a 6-minute walk distance of 280 meters and SpO2 nadir of 84%. Which therapy is indicated?
Pirfenidone and nintedanib are the two antifibrotic agents with proven benefit in slowing FVC decline in IPF and are the standard of care.
3. A patient with polymyositis has elevated CK, muscle weakness, and is started on prednisone. Two months later the CK normalizes but weakness worsens. What should be suspected?
Steroid myopathy causes worsening weakness despite normalized CK, presenting a diagnostic dilemma; it is proximal, non-inflammatory, and improves with steroid dose reduction.
4. Which medication most commonly causes AKI through renal afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction leading to decreased GFR?
NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, impairing afferent arteriolar dilation that normally compensates in states of reduced renal perfusion, causing prerenal AKI.
5. A 45-year-old woman is found to have a QTc of 520 ms on routine ECG. She is asymptomatic. Which medication should be avoided?
Ondansetron is a 5-HT3 antagonist that prolongs the QT interval and can precipitate torsades de pointes in patients with baseline QT prolongation.
6. A patient with RA on hydroxychloroquine for 5 years needs monitoring for which specific adverse effect?
Hydroxychloroquine can cause irreversible retinal toxicity (bull's eye maculopathy), requiring annual ophthalmologic screening after 5 years of use.
🎯 Free Internal Medicine Exam Practice Tests
📖 Internal Medicine Exam Guides & Articles
- Internal Medicine Versus General Practice: What Every Patient and Med Student Needs to Know
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine: What It Is and Who Uses It in 2026
- Is Internal Medicine Primary Care? The Real Answer for 2026
- What Does an Internal Medicine Doctor Do? Role, Training, and Scope in 2026
- Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: The Real Difference for 2026
- American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM): Complete Certification, MOC & LKA Guide
- Internal Medicine Residency Programs: Tracks, Match, Top Programs & Application Guide
- Internal Medicine Physician: Career, Training & Daily Practice Guide