The 3rd anatomy colloquium is behind us! YEAH!
We had our theoretical exam yesterday. The exam covered head, neck and neuroscience.
Honestly, I think it was a tough exam. Many of the questions concerning diseases of the central nervous system I had never heard about (despite covering all the ones mentioned in the lecture). That’s the thing with anatomy. It is so big that you need to choose what to focus on. If you are unlucky the exams can come as a shock despite your best efforts.
As I was reading some of the questions I thought to myself ‘Oh, this I must know!’ but the options given were so similar to each other that I got confused. Not a good feeling. Naturally, some of the questions were easy.
It was a multiple choice test. 80 questions and 90 minutes. 5 answers to choose from – A, B, C, D, E – and only one is correct. So you basically have 1 minute and 10 seconds per question. No negative points in case you choose the wrong answer.
It was definitely a struggle to read all the questions carefully and make a decision almost immediately. Not fun. When I heard the teacher saying 1 minute left! I just had to randomly fill in the questions I had yet not answered. At least 3 of them were totally blind shots. I didn’t even read them. Better to have 25% chance to get them right than deliver them blank.
After the exam, I went straight to one of my friend’s apartment. She prepared a pin test for me and some other students.
She made it on her computer and connected it to a TV so that everyone took the test at the same time. Really smart. It was like a slideshow. A picture with 2 arrows (pointing at some random structure) would come up on the screen. Our job was to write the structures down. Once the time was over the alarm rang and a new picture would appear. Really smart! We were given 47 pins. 30 seconds per pin instead of the 45 seconds given in the actual exam. The whole idea is to make us feel more comfortable in the real exam.
I provided many correct answers. Trust me: even though it doesn’t count for anything it really boosts your confidence to get a good score in a home-made pin test.
Back at home, I focused on X-ray pictures with Matilde. In addition, we covered pharynx, larynx and arteries of the head. At 00:30 my brain couldn’t take anymore and I went to bed.
Since we are done with the histology labs I used this morning to review some of the structures I have trouble with. The hours before the exam are always a pain in my ass.
I left home at 12:00. The exam started at 13:00. Students get into the examination room in pairs (one goes to the left side, one to the right side) and by alphabetic order (last name). Somehow I managed to cool myself down, breathe and enter that room with my best poker face.
The structures were very OK. I knew most of them. If I score poorly is either because of spelling mistakes or because I wrote the wrong side of it. Hopefully, this will be my best practical exam. Fingers crossed!
Results will be out on Monday.
There will be very few classes next week. Now it’s time to start preparing for the final exams.
By the way: Polish ended very well for me. Somehow I nailed that oral interview. I will get the top grade, meaning that I am on the run for exemption next year.
I am taking the evening off. I have already booked a massage. Probably I will have a good meal after and finish the day with a tasty, fresh and colourful cocktail.
That’s how crazy I go after weeks of intense work.
Just to finish the post: Gdansk is more beautiful than ever. The summer really makes the best of the city shine through.
