# Think Like a Physio: Exam MCQs Explained > Two high-yield physiotherapy exam MCQs on foot drop and fracture healing, with answers, explanations and memory hooks for DHA, NPTE and CPTE revision. URL: https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs Published: 2026-10-07 · Exam prep · PhysioAI Licensing exams such as DHA, NPTE and CPTE reward clinical reasoning, not memorised lists. This article works through two high-yield clinical MCQs, one on foot drop and one on fracture healing, with the answer, the explanation and a hook to help you remember the pattern. ## Key takeaways - Read the vignette for the one sign that points to the answer. The sign tells you the nerve, or the phase. - Foot drop after prolonged squatting points to the common peroneal nerve at the fibular neck. - No dorsiflexion = peroneal, always. - Woven bone formation begins in the reparative phase, around 2–3 weeks after a fracture. - 2–3 weeks = woven = reparative. ## How to approach a clinical vignette MCQ Each question here follows the same format: a short clinical vignette, four options and one best answer. Try to answer before you read the explanation. A reliable way through these questions is to find the key cue first. In the first question it is a movement the patient cannot perform. In the second it is a time point after injury. Once you have named the cue, link it to the structure or process behind it, then check each option against that link. Wrong options are usually plausible because they are related to the right answer. That is why it pays to know why the other options do not fit, not just why the correct one does. These questions are not generic. The DHA exam, for example, is 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours, and those questions are clinically reasoned. Practising the reasoning behind a single question is more useful than reading a long list of facts. ## Question 1: Foot drop **Topic:** Neuro, lower limb **Clinical vignette:** A patient has foot drop after prolonged squatting. Cannot dorsiflex the ankle. Which nerve is injured? - A. Tibial nerve - B. Common peroneal nerve - C. Femoral nerve - D. Obturator nerve **Answer: B. Common peroneal nerve.** **Explanation:** Think: dorsiflexors. Common peroneal winds around the fibular neck. Prolonged squatting compresses it. Tibialis anterior goes weak, leading to foot drop. **Hook:** No dorsiflexion = peroneal, always. ### Why the other options do not fit The common peroneal (common fibular) nerve supplies the muscles of the anterior compartment of the leg, which dorsiflex the ankle, through its deep branch. Its superficial position as it wraps around the fibular neck makes it vulnerable to pressure, which is why prolonged squatting, leg crossing or a tight cast are classic causes. The other options supply different muscle groups: - The **tibial nerve** supplies the posterior compartment, the plantarflexors. A tibial nerve problem affects pushing off, not lifting the foot. - The **femoral nerve** supplies the quadriceps. Weakness shows up as difficulty extending the knee. - The **obturator nerve** supplies the hip adductors on the medial thigh. None of these three explains an inability to dorsiflex the ankle. The sign tells you the nerve. ## Question 2: Woven bone **Topic:** MSK, fracture healing **Clinical vignette:** During which phase of bone healing does woven bone formation begin, typically 2–3 weeks after a fracture? - A. Inflammatory phase - B. Reparative phase - C. Remodeling phase - D. Soft callus phase **Answer: B. Reparative phase.** **Explanation:** Think: reparative phase. The reparative phase follows the inflammatory stage and is characterized by the deposition of woven (immature) bone within the soft callus, beginning around 2–3 weeks post-fracture. **Hook:** 2–3 weeks = woven = reparative. ### Why the other options do not fit Bone healing is usually taught in three broad phases: inflammatory, reparative and remodeling. - The **inflammatory phase** comes first, immediately after the fracture. It is about clot formation and the inflammatory response, not new bone. - The **remodeling phase** comes last. Here woven bone is gradually replaced by mature, organised bone shaped by the loads placed on it. It is too late to be the start of woven bone formation. - **Soft callus** is the tempting distractor. The explanation places woven bone deposition within the soft callus, as part of the reparative phase. The question asks for the phase, and the phase is reparative. For a physiotherapist, this timeline matters beyond the exam. Knowing where a patient is in the healing process helps you judge how much load and movement are appropriate at each stage of rehabilitation. The sign tells you the phase. ## Making these patterns stick Two habits help with questions like these: 1. **Say the hook out loud.** Short rules such as "no dorsiflexion = peroneal" or "2–3 weeks = woven = reparative" are easier to retrieve under exam pressure than a full paragraph. 2. **Revise the distractors, not only the answer.** If you can explain why the tibial, femoral and obturator nerves are wrong, you have learned the lower-limb nerve supply, not just one question. Save these questions for revision, and try them on the classmate who always says "I know this one." ## Practise more exam-style MCQs PhysioAI builds exam-pattern mock tests and daily MCQs for DHA, NPTE and CPTE, with explanations for every question. The DHA mock tests follow the 150-question exam format and come with detailed rationales and a subject-wise breakdown. See the [DHA exam preparation page](https://physioai.in/dha) for the format and available tests, or try the free [Daily Dose](https://physioai.in/daily-dose) for a fresh set of MCQs every day. ## The Instagram post This article is also a 5-image Instagram carousel by PhysioAI: 1. PhysioAI — 1/5 Cover — Think Like A Physio — 1080x1350 (https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs/01.webp) 2. PhysioAI — 2/5 Question — Foot Drop — 1080x1350 (https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs/02.webp) 3. PhysioAI — 3/5 Answer — Common Peroneal — 1080x1350 (https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs/03.webp) 4. PhysioAI — 4/5 Remember — Pattern — 1080x1350 (https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs/04.webp) 5. PhysioAI — 5/5 CTA — Did You Get It — 1080x1350 (https://physioai.in/blog/think-like-a-physio-exam-mcqs/05.webp)