SMLE Exam Orthopedics MCQs

Orthopedics carries a meaningful share of SMLE questions, on par with Ophthalmology and Dermatology. Sample MCQs on fractures, orthopedic emergencies, bone disease and joint disease, each explained.

Orthopedics carries a meaningful share of questions in HighYield's SMLE bank — on par with Ophthalmology and Dermatology, and ahead of several other clinical subjects. Below is a sample set of Orthopedics MCQs in the clinical style tested on the Saudi Medical Licensing Exam.

Fractures

1. A fall onto an outstretched hand in an elderly patient, resulting in a distal radius fracture with dorsal displacement ("dinner fork" deformity), describes a:

A) Smith's fracture
B) Colles' fracture ✅
C) Galeazzi fracture
D) Monteggia fracture

2. Tenderness in the anatomical snuffbox after a fall on an outstretched hand raises suspicion for a fracture of the:

A) Lunate
B) Scaphoid ✅
C) Triquetrum
D) Capitate

Orthopedic Emergencies

3. Severe pain out of proportion to the injury, with a tense swollen limb after a fracture, should raise immediate suspicion for:

A) Compartment syndrome ✅
B) Osteomyelitis
C) Fat embolism
D) Deep vein thrombosis

4. The most common causative organism in acute septic arthritis in adults is:

A) Escherichia coli
B) Staphylococcus aureus ✅
C) Neisseria gonorrhoeae
D) Streptococcus pyogenes

Metabolic & Neoplastic Bone Disease

5. A DEXA scan T-score of -2.5 or lower at the hip or spine is diagnostic of:

A) Osteopenia
B) Osteoporosis ✅
C) Osteomalacia
D) Paget's disease

6. A "sunburst" periosteal reaction on X-ray in an adolescent with a painful, swollen distal femur is most suggestive of:

A) Ewing sarcoma
B) Osteosarcoma ✅
C) Osteochondroma
D) Giant cell tumour

Degenerative & Inflammatory Joint Disease

7. Symmetric small-joint polyarthritis with morning stiffness lasting over an hour, improving with activity, is more typical of:

A) Osteoarthritis
B) Rheumatoid arthritis ✅
C) Gout
D) Septic arthritis

Prepare with HighYield

HighYield's SMLE question bank covers Orthopedics alongside Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Psychiatry and every other subject tested on the Saudi Medical Licensing Exam, with every question explained. For the full SMLE syllabus and eligibility, see our SMLE complete guide.