LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT


‘Consider tackling those questions you know a lot about last, to avoid spending too much time on them’


answer them. Shorter questions often demand more time spent on planning at the beginning, to ensure that you have sufficient time to put down all the facts necessary and thus avoid wasting time writing about irrelevances. A simple way to choose which questions


to answer is to read through each one in turn. Once you understand what a question is asking, put a mark above it for every main area you can think of that you could write about. Do this for every question and the ones with the most marks above them are the ones to answer.


Plan your answer Never simply read a question and then immediately start to write an answer. This leads to a second-rate attempt. Always make a brief plan of the answer, concentrating on the ’fundamentals’ and key points, which should be organised in a logical order. Even questions that allow only very limited time in which to answer are worthy of a minute or two of planning. This ensures that you do not run out of time while frantically scribbling an introduction. With longer questions, you should spend


up to a quarter of the allocated time in planning the answer. It is much easier to write an answer based on a plan, which also helps to avoid pointless rambling and repetition. Do not try to include too much fine detail unless the question demands it – key points will score more marks than esoteric facts.


General presentation Write legibly and ensure that your statements make sense. Try to ensure that your handwriting does not degenerate into unreadable scribble, even when time is short. If the examiner cannot read your writing, or make sense of the points you are trying to make, then you will not gain any marks. Practise writing clearly if your natural


handwriting is poor. Find a pen that fits your hand, feels good and writes with a smooth flow. Practise writing about topics without repetition or ‘waffle’. Try to avoid using jargon, acronyms and


contractions of words unless they are in very common usage. While it may be helpful to use abbreviations, always define them when first used. Do not assume, for example, that the examiner will know that ‘HI’ stands for Haemophilus influenzae, simply because it is a common abbreviation in your laboratory. Also, do not over-emphasis local laboratory practice; be aware of techniques you may never have used. Finally, always remember that an


examination is a formal assessment so please THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST AUGUST 2016 Table 1. Process words in examination questions.


Process word What you must do Assess


Judge the worth of


Compare Contrast Criticise


Describe


Discuss Evaluate Explain


Illustrate Justify List


Outline Relate


Draw attention to similarities between two things, but also mention any differences Draw attention to differences between two things


Judge the merit of the issue, with reasons, and include both favourable and unfavourable comments


Give sufficient detail to ensure the reader understands the subject, going from general to specific


Expound views on a subject, and put the arguments for and against – do not take sides Judge the value of the issue Make the issue clear, in detail


Make the issue clear by description, and include diagrams or examples if possible Demonstrate the correctness of the issue List


Include only the essentials and main points Establish the connection between


do not answer questions using 'text'. While it is quite acceptable to send text messages via your mobile phone, examiners will not be impressed by the imaginative use of this form of syntax in the answer to an examination question.


Presentation aids Pay attention to presentation. A messy, badly written and poorly presented answer with no paragraphs, headings or apparent logical progression is extremely difficult to read and understand, let alone mark. Use paragraphs and headings to separate your answer into sensible sections. These could be related to the key points in your plan. Bullet points can provide a good way of


setting out a lot of information quickly and are useful when time is short. When using bullet points, ensure that each point contains enough information to make sense, otherwise it is simply a list. Unless a list is requested, providing one will not answer a question that requires an outline or a brief description; however, providing a series of statements or arguments as bullet-pointed items may do so quite effectively. Use tables, charts, diagrams or graphs


whenever possible because they can save a lot of time and result in a very clear answer. Refer to any diagrams etc in the written answer but do not duplicate the information in them, as this just wastes time. Diagrams and tables etc should have titles and contain


‘Practise answering written questions under examination conditions as much as possible before submitting yourself for the real thing’


enough information to ensure that they are understandable. However, do not draw a picture or diagram in an answer unless it conveys useful information. Pay attention to spelling. While it is


unreasonable to expect that every word in an answer will be spelled correctly, specific terminology related to the subject (eg medical terms and the names of microorganisms, equipment and diseases) should be correct, using the appropriate nomenclature rather than the vernacular. If you cannot spell words associated with your particular discipline then you have not revised properly.


Practice makes perfect No one would dream of revising the Highway Code and then taking their driving test without practical experience of controlling a car. The same is true for examinations. So, practise answering written questions under examination conditions as much as possible before submitting yourself for the real thing. Practise answering questions in a similar


style to those in the examination for which you are revising (use past papers if they are available). Make summaries or plans on particular topics, which may help you identify particular strengths or weaknesses that you can exploit or correct. You may get a similar question in the examination, which would be a result. Finally, try to be honest with yourself long


before you sit the examination. How good do you really think you are? The only way to find out is to try it out beforehand. You should be able to find someone willing to give you an independent opinion on the quality of your answer. Then, if you find yourself lacking, do something about it. Importantly, don’t panic or get


sidetracked; remain calm, focus on the key words in each question and employ sensible time management on all questions… and most of all, good luck.


405


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60