Basic Information

 

MEDSCI 142 is known to be one of the most challenging first year courses due to being a high-information course with closed-book assessments. Throughout this course, students will study several systems of the human body: nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, renal system, autonomic and endocrine system, reproductive system and the digestive system. There are two important tests and a final exam in this course. When considering these assessments, it is important to note that the first test may be more difficult than the second test. This is because the three systems tested in the first test: nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory happens to be the most novel to students, and so require more attention to understand and grasp relative to the other systems. In addition to this, there are more questions asked per system in comparison to the second test (which tests the rest of the human body systems aforementioned). Thus, a really good understanding of the first three systems is encouraged and will benefit you later when it comes to the exam. Furthermore on the topic of tests, note that the first two tests are multichoice, while the exam requires short-answers. This means that you will be able to get away with anki flashcards as you are prompted to recall content in-a-boolean-sort-of-way for the first two tests, but for the exam – you really have to lock in! A good way to understand each system is by going through flowcharts of common pathways, especially examples that are presented by the lecturers. 

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Test 1

The average mark for test 1 is lower than test 2, because it tends to be harder in the nature of the questions and concepts that are covered. To combat this, spamming anki cards is highly recommended! Furthermore, it is highly encouraged to thoroughly cover the labs that are assessed in this test: the human brain and sheep heart dissection - as these make up 12 marks of the whole test!

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Test 2

Lecture content includes musculoskeletal system, renal system, autonomic and endocrine system, reproductive systems, the first two digestive system lectures, as well as the final three labs (respiratory, musculoskeletal, and reproductive). The average for this test is generally higher than the first test. This is because there is much more recall, so frequent anki revision for all topics will hopefully suffice. To prepare well for this test, it is important to balance your knowledge about both lecture material and labs; both are very important. Because there is more content covered in test 2, think critically about your gaps in your knowledge by quizzing your friends. 

 

Final Exam

The exam requires you to answer questions covering all content from the entire semester, including labs. For each topic, the mark value of revision questions will be approximately related to the number of lectures allocated to that topic. This means that the exam questions will be weighted differently, and there will be several different ways to gain marks. Examples of questions that may be asked are to 1) circle the incorrect statement, 2) draw a pathway, 3) identify a region of the brain, 4) name the specific cells found in a certain part of the tooth.
 

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Laboratory Component

 

Labs are, for many, the highlight of this paper. At the end of each lab, you will do a closed-book quiz worth 10 marks, together amounting to 20% of your final grade. These labs are really fun, and I certainly looked forward to them every two weeks. It’s a chance to get your hands on a scalpel to dissect a chicken leg, or to breathe into a weird tube to see how efficiently you breathe. This really helped solidify any content from the lecture material – and, with all of the awesome teaching assistants available (excuse the glaze), it is so valuable to ask as many questions as you can! Now, for the important information: the content of the labs will be used to create 6 questions in each test, therefore it is important to cover the lab content well so that you do not miss out on these marks! The end of lab quizzes may be stressful because it requires you to match the pace of the questionnaire video – there have been numerous instances where students miss out on marks from making silly errors on the scantron (i.e. not rubbing out properly, keeping two marked answers). Keep calm and clear your mind before these tests, the lab you complete will give you all the answers that the markers are looking for, so pay attention!

 

Reach out for help if you need it! 142 can get very overwhelming at times but it’s important to remember everyone is in the same boat. Studying with friends and teaching each other is one of the most beneficial, and fun, ways to learn.