About the Anatomy & Physiology question bank
Cardiovascular anatomy questions on the RCIS are visual and spatial. You are expected to know the coronary tree by its branches and its territories, to state which artery supplies which wall, and to recognise dominance from an angiographic description. Alongside that sits the physiology: the cardiac cycle, the conduction pathway, and the pressure-volume relationships that explain why a failing ventricle behaves the way it does.
This bank drills both. Questions ask you to trace flow through the chambers and valves, to map an occluded artery to the wall it infarcts, and to connect an electrical event on the ECG to the mechanical event it triggers. Getting these automatic frees your attention for the harder reasoning later in the exam.
What this bank covers
- Coronary artery anatomy — LAD, LCx, RCA, and their major branches
- Coronary dominance and which artery supplies the AV node
- Chambers, valves, and the direction of normal flow
- The cardiac conduction system from SA node to Purkinje fibres
- The cardiac cycle — systole, diastole, and the timing of valve events
- Pressure-volume loops and the determinants of preload, afterload, and contractility
- Great vessels, the aortic arch, and peripheral access anatomy
- Coronary venous anatomy and the coronary sinus
How to use it
- Draw the coronary tree from memory before each session. If you cannot draw it, you do not know it.
- Tie every artery to its wall and its ECG leads — anatomy, angiography, and ECG are one topic on this exam.
- Pair this bank with the anatomy poster and the conduction-system guide below.
Frequently asked questions
How much coronary anatomy detail does the RCIS actually require?
Enough to name the major branches (LAD with its diagonals and septals, LCx with its obtuse marginals, RCA with the acute marginal, PDA, and PLV), state their territories, and determine dominance. You are not expected to know rare anatomical variants.
Do I need pressure-volume loops?
Yes, conceptually. You should be able to say what happens to the loop when preload, afterload, or contractility changes, and recognise the loop of a failing ventricle. You will not be asked to calculate areas.
What is the single highest-yield anatomy fact?
Dominance: whichever artery gives off the posterior descending artery is dominant, and in about 85% of people that is the right coronary artery. It drives both anatomy and infarct-localisation questions.