6–12% of the exam, and among the most learnable points — developmental milestones, prenatal and newborn care, immunization concepts, and age-appropriate screening. If you review the milestones once, these become quick, reliable points.
Developmental milestones
The exam asks whether a child is on track. Anchor the gross-motor sequence — most questions build on it:
- 2 months — lifts head; social smile
- 4 months — rolls; holds head steady
- 6–8 months — sits without support
- 9–10 months — crawls; pulls to stand
- 12 months — first steps; single words
- 2 years — runs; two-word phrases; half of speech understandable
Frameworks the exam leans on: Erikson’s psychosocial stages (trust vs. mistrust in infancy through integrity in old age) and Piaget’s cognitive stages. Match the stage to the age and the expected behavior.
Prenatal & newborn
- Presumptive/probable/positive signs of pregnancy — only fetal heartbeat, fetal movement felt by examiner, and ultrasound visualization are positive.
- Danger signs to report — vaginal bleeding, severe headache, visual changes, epigastric pain (preeclampsia), decreased fetal movement.
- APGAR at 1 and 5 minutes scores heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color, each 0–2.
- Newborn priorities — maintain airway and temperature; expected vitals differ from adults (higher HR and RR).
Screening & prevention
Prevention is tiered, and the exam tests the distinction:
- Primary — prevent disease before it starts (immunizations, health teaching, seatbelts).
- Secondary — early detection (screenings: mammogram, colonoscopy, BP checks).
- Tertiary — limit damage and restore function after disease (rehab, managing a chronic condition).
General immunization principle: live vaccines are generally avoided in pregnancy and significant immunosuppression. Always defer to the current official schedule for specifics.
Age-appropriate teaching
- Toddlers/preschoolers — short, concrete, play-based; allow choices to give a sense of control.
- School-age — explain how the body works; they can understand cause and effect.
- Adolescents — respect autonomy and privacy; peer acceptance matters.
- Older adults — allow time, minimize distractions, account for sensory changes; do not assume cognitive decline.
Practice it: reinforce this category with explained questions in the question bank, and see how much of your exam it fills on the test plan page.
