20 best mnemonics for Anatomy in FCPS Part 1

Anatomy is the largest single subject in FCPS Part 1, and most of its content is rote — long lists of nerves, branches, derivatives, and relations. Mnemonics aren't optional; they're the only way to keep the volume in your head while you sleep, study, and sit a 200-MCQ exam. Here are 20 we and our peers actually used.

Cranial nerves & foramina

1. The 12 cranial nerves (in order)

"On Old Olympus' Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops"

Olfactory · Optic · Oculomotor · Trochlear · Trigeminal · Abducens · Facial · Vestibulocochlear · Glossopharyngeal · Vagus · Accessory · Hypoglossal.

2. Cranial nerve type — sensory, motor, both?

"Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More"

Order is I–XII; S=Sensory, M=Motor, B=Both. So I=S, II=S, III=M, IV=M, V=B, VI=M, VII=B, VIII=S, IX=B, X=B, XI=M, XII=M.

3. Structures through superior orbital fissure

"Lazy French Tarts Sit Naked In Anticipation" — Lacrimal, Frontal, Trochlear (CN IV), Superior division of CN III, Nasociliary, Inferior division of CN III, Abducens (CN VI). The "L, F, T" run above the tendinous ring; the rest pass through.

4. Foramen ovale contents

"OVALE: Otic ganglion, V3, Accessory meningeal artery, Lesser petrosal nerve, Emissary veins"

Brachial plexus & upper limb

5. Brachial plexus structure

"Real Texans Drink Cold Beer" — Roots, Trunks, Divisions, Cords, Branches.

6. Branches of the brachial plexus (medial & lateral cords)

"My Aunt Raped My Uncle" for branches of medial cord: Medial pectoral, Antebrachial cutaneous, Root of median, Medial brachial cutaneous, Ulnar.

"Lucy Loves Money" for lateral cord: Lateral pectoral, Lateral root of median, Musculocutaneous.

7. Carpal bones

"Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle" — Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform (proximal row); Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate (distal row).

8. Rotator cuff muscles

"SITS" — Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Subscapularis.

Abdomen & pelvis

9. Branches of the abdominal aorta (anterior, in order)

"Suck Some Cool Iced Soda" — Suprarenal (paired), Coeliac trunk, Superior mesenteric, Inferior mesenteric. The major unpaired branches.

10. Coeliac trunk branches

"Left Hand Side" — Left gastric, Hepatic, Splenic. (Or the artery sequence on a CT.)

11. Layers of abdominal wall (inner to outer)

"Spaltehoz's Fascia Often Cuts Tight Pants" — Skin, Fascia (superficial & deep), Outer + middle + inner abdominal muscles, Transversalis fascia, Peritoneum.

12. Contents of inguinal canal in males

"3 nerves, 3 arteries, 3 other things": Ilioinguinal, Genital branch of genitofemoral, Sympathetic; Testicular, Cremasteric, Vas deferens artery; Vas deferens, Pampiniform plexus, Lymphatics.

Thorax & cardiothoracic

13. Mediastinum divisions

"From front to back: TIM" in the inferior mediastinum — Thymus & vessels (anterior), Inside the pericardium (middle), Major vessels behind (posterior).

14. Order of structures at the lung hilum (anterior to posterior)

"VAB" — Vein (pulm v.), Artery (pulm a.), Bronchus.

Embryology

15. Pharyngeal arch derivatives — muscles

Arch 1: "M"uscles of mastication. Arch 2: facial expression. Arch 3: stylopharyngeus. Arch 4 + 6: pharyngeal & laryngeal muscles.

16. Aortic arch derivatives

"1, 2 disappear; 3 carotid; 4 = arch + subclavian; 6 = pulmonary + ductus." Skip 5 (it doesn't form properly in humans).

Neuroanatomy

17. Cerebellar peduncles — what passes through

"Superior — Out, Middle — In from cortex, Inferior — In from spinal cord".

18. Spinal cord tracts — DCML vs spinothalamic decussation

"DCML decussates HIGH (in medulla); Spinothalamic decussates LOW (in cord)." So a hemicord lesion gives ipsilateral DCML loss but contralateral pain/temp loss.

19. Components of the limbic system

"HAMS" — Hippocampus, Amygdala, Mammillary bodies, Septum + cingulate cortex. Plus connections via fornix.

Histology / general

20. Layers of the GI tract (lumen → outside)

"Mucky Mick Smashed Massive Sausages" — Mucosa, Muscularis mucosae, Submucosa, Muscularis externa, Serosa/adventitia.

How to actually use these

1. Don't try to memorise all 20 in one sitting. 3–5 a day for a week beats 20 at once.
2. Write each one out from memory at the end of the day. Active recall >> passive reading.
3. Pair with the diagram. A mnemonic for cranial nerves is useless if you can't draw their exits from the brainstem.
4. Test yourself with MCQs immediately. Do 10 anatomy questions right after learning the mnemonic.

Mnemonics work because lists are bad and stories are good. The brain forgets "Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor…" but remembers "Olympus' towering tops". Use that bias.

We've curated a growing library of FCPS-tested mnemonics inside ReviseFCPS1 — searchable, organised by subject and topic. Free for 7 days.