When you look at the main types of clinical reasoning, some people prefer a hypothetico-deductive approach, others prefer to use things like ‘illness scripts’ to memorise key features of cases so you can give the correct answer.

One interesting factor suggested by an editorial in the NEJM (content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/355/21/2217) was the fact that learning to concisely syntehsise representations of clinical problems is an important part of the student become an expert.

If you’re asked-what are the main causes of hypercalcaemia, you’re not going to look clever if you put down ‘sarcoid’ (a rare but possible cause) over primary hyperparathyroidism (probably the commonest cause for incidental finding of hypercalcaemia). So it is difficult, and you probably have to master a bit of everything.