An exam question. A patient in consultation. A doubt in full alert.
They ask you about the adverse effects of a GLP-1 agonist, and you know that you read about it. Two weeks ago, in a guide or in your notes. You remember that there was something gastrointestinal involved. You remember the general idea.
The details, no.
It's not a lack of effort. It's just that reading and remembering are two different things, and almost everyone studies as if they were the same thing.
That's why we created «Test me»: Questions about any topic, to remember what you read and not just recognize it.
This is how it works
Type a topic in Itaca, for example «SGLT2 inhibitors in heart failure,» and press «Test me.».
Itaca Investigate the topic, prepare an answer with your sources, and at some point, ask 5 questions about it. The questions are arranged from basic to advanced. Each question has its own explanation and sources.
Are you already using Evidencia?, the tool Itaca that answers clinical questions with sourcesSo it’s even more direct: under each answer you have the «Test me» button.
Who it is for
Anyone who needs to remember medicine, not just have read it:
Medical students preparing for exams. Practice each topic in the syllabus right after studying it and do it again a few days before the midterm. The basic questions tell you if you have the foundation; the advanced ones, if you are ready for a clinical case.
Residents and applicants for a specialty. If you are preparing for the residency exam or your specialty certification, practice on the topics of your program and repeat the ones you fail until they become easy for you.
Doctors who keep up to date. You’ve read the update to a guide for your continuing medical education or recertification. Five questions tell you what you really left behind before applying it in the consultation.
Teachers and researchers. Before a class, a library session, or a presentation, make sure you understand the key points and find the nuances that your audience will ask about.
A clarification: «Put me to the test» is not an official mock exam and does not earn continuing medical education credits. It is a short and frequent practice on the topics that matter to you today.
Now, the interesting part: how he reacts when you make a mistake.
Fail, but with the answer in front of you
Suppose you choose the wrong option. You will see your selected option highlighted and, right next to it, the correct one. Below, the explanation with its sources.
You don't have to look later to see what you needed to know. It's right there, in the moment that matters most to you: when you just made a mistake.
And that changes the outcome. A mistake that you understand immediately is one that you don't repeat in the exam, not even in front of a patient.
In open-ended questions, things aren't always black and white either. A partially correct answer gets partial credit, and the explanation tells you what was missing.
An example
An intermediate-level question about GLP-1 agonists (fictitious example):
What mechanism explains the early satiety that some people experience upon initiating an GLP-1 agonist?
- A. Inhibition of renal reabsorption of glucose
- B. Delay in gastric emptying
- C. Increase in insulin sensitivity in the muscle
- D. Inhibition of the degradation of incretins
Take a look at the options. The four are real drug mechanisms for diabetes. There is no longer one that delays the response, nor one that is so absurd that you can dismiss it. To succeed, you have to know it.
If you choose D, Itaca mark B as correct and it explains the difference: GLP-1 agonists delay gastric emptying and act on satiety centers. Inhibiting the degradation of incretins is what DPP-4 inhibitors do. With their sources.
You know exactly where you are
Each question indicates your level: basic, intermediate or advanced. This way you can distinguish whether you missed a basic concept or a fine nuance, which are not studied the same way.
When you finish, you see your score, what you got right, what was a partial answer, and what you need to review, plus a summary of the topics to reinforce.
Want more? «Practicing again» generates new questions about the same topic, without repeating the ones you already saw. You can choose multiple choice, open-ended questions, or a mix, and from 1 to 15 questions.
Half-measures are not lost
They call you halfway through the third question. Pass.
Your progress is saved. The practice is waiting for you on the Practices page. And if you don't finish it in the day, the next morning you'll receive an email to pick up where you left off.
A result that you can teach
When a result makes you proud, you can share it as a certificate with your name, the topic, and the score.
You choose the name that appears. The link does not show your answers, and you can stop sharing it at any time.
Why it works
Re-reading gives a misleading feeling: the text seems familiar to you and the brain confuses familiarity with knowledge.
Answering a question, even if you get it wrong, forces you to recall the information, and that fixes it. Research in education calls it effect of the evaluation (testing effect), and It has also been observed in medical residents, With better retention weeks later.
The hard part was always coming up with the questions. Now you don't have to do that anymore.
To be honest
The questions and explanations are generated using artificial intelligence based on the sources of each answer. We work to ensure that only those who are proficient in the subject can answer them correctly, but they are not infallible.
That's why each explanation cites its sources. If something doesn't add up, you can check it out.
And at the end we ask you if the practice was useful to you. If a question seemed confusing or poorly answered, please let us know there. We read every comment.
Your first practice, now
Type the topic you want to master and press «Test me». If you already use Evidence, do it from any answer.
5 default questions · Explanation and sources for each question · Your progress is saved
Are you still not using it Itaca? Create your free account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the questions come from?
From a response with sources on your topic. When you write a topic, Itaca first you research it and prepare that response; if you already use Evidence, you can practice on any of your responses.
Do I need to have used Evidencia before?
No. Write any topic on the Practices page and the practice will be prepared along with your answer.
How many questions does a practice have?
Five by default. You can choose between 1 and 15, in multiple options, open or mixed.
Who can see my answers?
Only you. If you share a result, the link shows your name, the topic and the score, but not your answers, and you can stop sharing it whenever you want.
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