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The Formative & The Summatives From a Student’s POV. Steve Tran (Year 3) ICSMSU Academic Officer (Years 1, 2 & GE) icsm.ao12GE@imperial.ac.uk. Content – Updated 16/12/11. Why have this? Exam Dates Results + Resits Type of Questions + Examples SBA – Single Best Answers
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The Formative & The SummativesFrom a Student’s POV Steve Tran (Year 3) ICSMSU Academic Officer (Years 1, 2 & GE) icsm.ao12GE@imperial.ac.uk
Content – Updated 16/12/11 • Why have this? • Exam Dates • Results + Resits • Type of Questions + Examples • SBA – Single Best Answers • EMQ – Extended Matching Questions • SAQ – Short Answer Questions • Year 1 Formative • Graduate Entry Formative • The Exams • Tips
Why have this? • Students (Year 1 & GE1) have approached me concerned about the format of your exams • All the information here is taken from the Intranet (http://education.med.ic.ac.uk) on the 16th December so may not be the most recent. • All the other information is from my own experience and point of view so don’t sue me.
Year 1 2012 • Mon 9 Jan, 2-4pm: Formative • Results: Fri 3 Feb • Tues 20 Mar: PBL in-course assessment deadline • Mon 30 Apr, 10am - 12.15pm: MCD Summative • Mon 11 Jun, 10am - 11.40am: LSS 1 Summative • Tues 12 Jun, 10am - 11.30am: LSS 2 Summative • Thurs 14 Jun, 10am - 11.15am: LCRS Summative • Fri 15 Jun, 2pm - 3.45pm: FCP Summative • Results: TBA (July)
Year Graduate Entry 1 2012 • Mon 31 Jan, 2pm - 5pm: Formative • Tues 17 Apr, 2pm – 4.30pm: CMS Summative • Fri 27 Apr, 9.15 – 10.15am: Epidemiology + S&H • Thurs 21 Jun, 10am - 11.40am: Anatomy Summative • Wed 27 Jun, 10am – 12pm: RS Summative • Fri 29 Jun, 2.30pm – 4.30pm: SS Summative • Results: TBA (July)
Results • On the results day, you will be emailed by the FEO. • They ask you to log into the Imperial e-service: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/studenteservice • Look for them under the ‘Academic Record’ tab. • Prior to the release of results, the FEO release the pass-marks on the intranet under the exam links. • The Top 3 of each year AND the top of each exam paper will get a prize: https://education.med.imperial.ac.uk/Prizes/index.htm
Resits • DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THESE UNTIL AFTER YOUR RESULTS, OR IF YOU DEFINITELY THINK THE PAPERS WENT DISASTROUSLY BAD. • If you do end up not getting the pass marks, you will be automatically entered into the Summer Resits. • The dates will be released closer to the time of the summative exams, but they normally take place over the 2nd week of August. • The percentage of those who resit is relatively normal compared to other medical schools.
Type of Questions • SBA – Single Best Answer • EMQ – Extended Matching Questions • SAQ – Short Answer Questions • EMQs and SBAs are the type of questions you will come across your years at medical school. • However multiple choice doesn’t distinguish whether people actually understand concepts presented in Y1&2, so that is why we also do SAQs - they are the questions you ‘have to think about’.
SBA – Single Best Answer • Multiple choice questions that ask you for the ‘BEST’ answer out of 5. • If they’re mean, they can put two answers that are very similar to each other. • Best Method: Process of Elimination • Go through each option and figure out if you think it’s true or false or a ?. • You’ll most likely end up with having to choose between 2. • INTELLEGENTLY GUESS IF YOU DON’T KNOW!
SBA example • Where in the cell does the TCA cycle occur?* • The Cytoplasm • The Mitochondrial Matrix • In the Inter-mitochondrial-membrane space • On Rough ER • In the Nucleus • * Taken from the Metabolism Self Test on learn.imperial.ac.uk
EMQ – Extended Matching Questions • Similar to Mix-And-Match Questions. • Normally involves definitions. • 5 Questions per list of 10 options. • Options can be used: ONCE, MORE THAN ONE, OR NOT AT ALL. • A lot of options you can eliminate just because 1. they are from a different topic or 2. you know that it definitely isn’t the answer.
EMQ Example • Questions • Associated with CD4+ or CD8+ • Contains Multi-Segmented Nucleus • Widely Spread throughout the skin • Secretes Insulin • * Taken from the Immunology Self Test on learn.imperial.ac.uk • T Cell • B Cell • Natural Killer Cell • Neutrophil • Macrophage • Langerhans Cell • Follicular Cell • Basophil • Eosinophil • Pancreatic Beta Cell
SAQ – Short Answer Questions • These rely on you understand the topic than just remembering facts for SBA and EMQs • More writing! • Can be compared to A level Biology • You get an initial 1 or 2 marker question then more expanded questions which require ‘longer’ answers i.e. a paragraph of writing • Can be used test across topics – Obvious links! e.g. Immunology and Microbiology
SAQ - Example • Name the process that makes glucose from other substrates (1 mark) • List 3 different substrates that could be used (3 marks) • Explain how Adrenaline and Insulin influence the blood sugar levels (6 marks) • What other major hormone is involved in the homeostasis of blood sugar levels? (1 mark) • Answers are not the best, because I made this from the top of head.
Year 1 Formative • Monday 9 January 2012, 2pm – 4pm • For MCD: (Advised 80 minutes) • 32 SBA – Advised 40 minutes • 2 EMQ – Advised 10 minutes • 2 SAQ – Advised 30 minutes • For FCP: 40 minutes of SAQ & SBAs. • Topics: • MCD – Everything including practicals & tutorials • FCP – Clinical Communications, Society & Health, parts of First Clinical Attachment.
GE1 Formative • Tuesday 31 January 2012, 2pm – 5pm • Exam arrangements will be sent to you by 17th Jan. • Society & Health: 6 items • Regulatory Systems: 21 items • Support Systems: 31 items • Cellular and Molecular Sciences: 38 items • Anatomy: 44 items • Hopefully a SAQ consists of 10 items, EMQ (5 questions with one list of options) = 5 items and a SBA = 1 item • Only Support System will have a SAQ.
The Exams • SBA & EMQs are marked by machine by something similar to the math’s challenge or the BMAT. • Put your NAME & Candidate Number down. • Make sure you’re using the right side for SBA and EMQs (EMQ are the longer ones)
Tips 1 • Other than a good night sleep etc… • Make sure you have spare pens and HB pencils! • Bring some water or some snack that isn’t noisy to eat! • Wear comfortable clothes • Comfort Breaks BEFORE the exam – No need to waste time during the exam unless you’re bursting. • Stay calm, you know what you’re doing.
Tips 2 • Make sure you know how much time you want to spend on SAQ, EMQ or SBA. • Choose which ever you want to do first but I would advise GLANCE over what topics the SAQs are on, so that whilst doing the EMQ/SBAs your brain is subconsciously working out stuff for the SAQs, plus you can also figure out if you need to allocate more time for them. • Guess if you don’t know it!
Tips 3 • READ THE QUESTION, then read it again. • I’ve made this mistake so many times. • For SBA/EMQ – Mark on the question sheet your answer, then transfer the answers to the answer sheet. • If you skip a question, give yourself a note to remind you of it later and make sure to skip it on the answer sheet too! • I put a massive highlighted circlearound the SBAs I skipped. • I know someone who lost 50% of their SBA answers because they realised 5 minutes before the end they only had 39 answers to 40 questions. In addition, they didn’t mark on the question paper what they put the answer as.
Need more information? • If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me on: • icsm.ao12GE@imperial.ac.uk • Anything with regards to mitigating circumstances, please contact Neeraj, our welfare officer at • icsm.welfare@imperial.ac.uk