Extended matching items (EMIs) present a themed list of options (often 8-10) and several clinical vignettes to match against it. Candidates find them harder than MCQs mainly because they read them in the wrong order.
Read in the right order
Read the theme and the option list first, so you know the universe of answers. Then read each vignette and match it to the single best option. The same option can sometimes be used more than once, or not at all, don't assume one-to-one.
Commit before you look
After reading a vignette, form your answer before scanning the list, this stops you being talked out of the right answer by plausible distractors. Then find the closest match.
Practise the format
EMIs feel unfamiliar until you have done a few dozen. Our bank includes EMIs in every section, so you can build the pattern recognition that makes them quick. For overall strategy, see how to pass Paper A.