The formats of the examinations in the histology components of MB140 and HA235 are identical.
Both examinations are part of the practical examinations in MB140 and HA235. The examination of the histology component will account for one hour of the two-hour practical examination.
There will be 20 stations at which you will have to answer 20 equally weighed questions (typically a maximum of 5 marks for each question).
Of the 20 questions
- around 12 questions will be based on the identification of tissues/organs on slides using the microscope. In addition to the identification of the tissues/organs you may be asked for structural and/or functional features of the tissue/organ you identified.
- Two or three questions will be purely theoretical.
- Two or three questions will be based on photographs of tissues/organs. Typically these questions require you to identify specific cell types or detailed structural features of the tissues/organs.
- Two or three questions will be based on diagrams of processes or structural features.
Some simple mental acrobatics will tell you how much time you have to answer each question - just about 3 minutes. Common sense will tell you that I do not expect you to write big essays to answer the questions. Two or three keywords or a very short sentence typically will do the job for each mark. Two or three sentences may be required for the purely theoretical questions. Of course I'll read everything you write other than
hieroglyphs and acronymic writing
Spelling
If it is unequivocal that you mean the right thing I will mark answers as correct even if the term you use is misspelled/incomplete. But ... note that there are many histological/anatomical terms and that there is a good chance that a misspelled/incomplete term is actually the correct term for something else, in which case your answer is definitely wrong. Look at it from this point - if you misspell something on a prescription it may be perfectly obvious what you meant in the context of the patient's visit, but the pharmacists may be at a loss or, worse, hand out the wrong prescription.
Drawings
You will not have to draw anything to answer a question.