🎯 Best-of-Five Questions: Understanding Examiner Traps
The best-of-five (BOF) format is the cornerstone of the AMC MCQ exam. In this format, all options may look plausible, but only one is the best answer in the given context. Examiners design these questions to test clinical reasoning, prioritisation, and safety. Understanding common traps can improve your performance.
🔹 1. All Options Are Correct — But Which Is Best?
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Example: Multiple valid investigations are listed.
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Trap: Choosing a comprehensive test instead of the first-line, most appropriate option.
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✅ Strategy: Always select the safest, simplest, guideline-consistent answer.
🔹 2. Ignoring Keywords in the Stem
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Words like “most likely,” “best initial,” “next step,” “most appropriate” are crucial.
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Trap: Candidates overlook these qualifiers and choose definitive rather than initial actions.
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✅ Strategy: Read the stem twice; underline key directives.
🔹 3. Over-Investigating or Over-Treating
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Example: Chest pain with clear STEMI — the trap is choosing CT chest or echo instead of urgent reperfusion therapy.
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✅ Strategy: AMC values timely, safe, cost-effective care in the Australian context.
🔹 4. Picking Rare but Interesting Diagnoses
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Trap: Attracted to uncommon conditions when a common diagnosis fits better.
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✅ Strategy: Think like an examiner — “common things are common” unless clear red flags exist.
🔹 5. Forgetting the Australian Context
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Example: Prescribing medications not PBS-listed or not recommended in local guidelines.
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✅ Strategy: Use eTG and AMH for Australian-standard answers.
✅ Key Takeaway
In AMC best-of-five questions:
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Read carefully for keywords.
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Choose the first-line, safest, and most appropriate option.
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Avoid examiner traps such as over-investigating, over-treating, or favouring rare diagnoses.
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Anchor your answers in Australian practice guidelines.
Bottom Line: Success in BOF questions is about reasoning and prioritisation, not just knowledge. Recognising examiner traps helps you answer with confidence and accuracy.
