Laboratory (Practical) Examination

The laboratory ("Practical") examination comprises "spot" questions which the candidates answer in rotation (also known popularly as "round robin" or "merry-go-round" - the correct name would be Objective Structured Practical Examination  or OSPE in short).

At the start of the examination you will be given an answer booklet with tabulated spaces for answering the questions. You are required to write your details (name, student number etc) on each page of the booklet. Do not detach any pages from the booklet.

Each question is designated a "Station number". You may start from any question (station) and proceed serially thereafter. Make sure that you answer each question at the appropriate point in your answer book. For example, if you begin at Station 14, you must answer that question at #14 in the answer booklet, and NOT at #1. you will then proceed to #15, #16 and so on. If there are 30 stations, from #30 you will proceed to #1.

There will be a few "Rest Stations" which do not have a question - you just rest for the duration of the station. These are clearly marked as Rest Stations.

Lab and supervisory staff will guide through the movements in the cycle of questions. Each move to the next station is signalled by the beep of a stopwatch.

REMEMBER : ALL DR AND EXAMINATION REGULATIONS APPLY IN THE LAB :

Lab coat and appropriate footwear.

Photographic identity.

No communication except with lab / supervisory staff.

Each lab question is based on an 'exhibit'. The exhibit may be a wet, bottled or plastinated specimen, a bone, an X-ray image, a picture / diagram (gross anatomy or histology) or a histology slide under a microscope. (Majority of histology exhibits will be images, a few will be slides). In most cases the opening statement of the question states what the exhibit is - unless it is too obvious.

The questions asked on the exhibit seek very specific and short answers. Write your answers in the space provided!

Read the question carefully. It takes only a few seconds to get orientation to the exhibit. These few seconds are worth it. Proper orientation is half the answer!