Part 2 Vox Pop: Histo/ Embro Incourse And Preparation For First MB As A Preclinical Student.

The faces of part 2 students were a canvas of emotions as they wrapped up their histology and embryology exams last week. The exam format was the hot topic of discussion, with the anatomy department’s switch from traditional True/False questions to MCQs stirring quite the buzz. It was clear many students were grappling with concerns, with some even fearing for their academic standing. Overwhelmed by the upcoming second set of exams and the looming first MB exams as college students, stress levels were high.

To capture the sentiments of these students, Medivoice organized a vox pop with part 2 college students.

Medivoice:

1. How did you feel after the histo/embro incourse last week?
2. Do you think the anatomy department should keep up with their new style of setting MCQ questions together with T/F questions.
3. Do you have any fears as you approach MB? If yes, pls discuss.

1. It is somehow unclear to  describe. Overall, I will say the exam was a bit tasking for me.Some of the questions were directly from our slides while some were clearly out of our materials.The major problem was from questions that weren’t from our materials. The volume of the materials we had to cover prevented me from really consulting external materials during preparation which made it difficult to answer the questions. For the result, I am not really feeling confident but I hope and pray to still be fine.

2. Yes,I feel they can still continue with it but with some Modifications. The MCQS really offers another dimension/feeling to the Incourse different from usual T/F. If the questions can be somehow regulated(not too far away from our materials)and the exam duration should be considered also(due to the increased number of questions).

3. Definitely, being the first encounter and with the required level of preparation. How to cover all that we have been taught and how to go about answering the essay questions and others.

                                                         _____Badmus

1. After Histoembro, I felt relieved to have gotten that off my plate. The excitement almost made me forget other incourses but thank God I snapped back to reality.

2. Well…I’d say yes. MCQ can sometimes afford you a chance even when you’re not sure, unlike T/F wherein if you don’t know, you don’t know.

3. I guess I’m just bothered about the *bulk* of the work and how different it is preparing for theory than incourse preparation.

                                                _____Kemi

1. I actually felt relieved after the exam, knowing well there are more exams to come, I’m happy histo/ embro is partially gone till the MB

2. For me, yes, because I spent less time on MCQ questions than T/F for anatomy exams. 

3. Not really, I always have the understanding that I can meet the required standard and exceed it through the help of God, Full composure, lol.

                                               ______Tosin

1.  Well, there were no special feelings, prior to then, it’s been a feeling of excitement for me knowing well that all things are wrapping up and we are assuredly transversing to another phase (part 3).

2. For me, I think I find the MCQ more challenging, in that, you have more options, reducing guessing accuracy 😅 Hence, it’s somehow a more truer test of one’s reading  than the T/F, but from another sense, MCQ is more direct and less tricky. In summary, I prefer the idea of MCQ.

3. Yes, there is, but it’s a good kind of fear anyway. Seeing that the few days ahead determines a lot about part 2. So, the fear actually is the ability/inability of needed discipline, to pay due and thorough diligence to cover the volumes of books ahead.The Lord is my/our strength 💪in times like this.

                                                            _______David

1. I felt okay to an extent (saw some unexpected questions, some expected but it was fine). Stepping out of the exam hall,I lost every energy to read😌(I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that)

2. NO,I think I prefer the True/False questions😌

3. Yes,there are fears. The mere thought of having to go back to long abandoned slides and textbooks is enough to fear but God is in control,at the end it’ll be fine🤗.

                                                _______Amaka

1. Due to the fact that my preparation wasn’t enough, I had mixed feelings after the exam. The questions weren’t difficult for someone who prepared adequately for the exam.

2. They should keep up with the MCQ questions, elimination method helped in answering them. The T/F strategy is too straightforward and error prone compared to MCQ.

3. I don’t have any fears at all because I know what I know and will learn what I don’t know. Once I watch enough videos, I will be good to go. The earlier the preparation, the better.

                                                ________Glory

1. I didn’t really feel anything after the exam. I don’t know if being expressionless is the right word.

2. The MCQ mode wasn’t a bad one. The department should do whatever they think is right.

3. There are lots of things to cover but I have no fears. Everything will work out well by God’s grace.

                                                    ________Oluwamomi

1. I felt relieved but the fear of BCH and its pathways was quick to replace the relief.

2. They shouldn’t keep up the MCQ mode. They should either reduce the MCQ questions or stop asking because I think It’s more confusing than the normal T/F questions.

3. Heei, Yes oo😌. Fear of the workload and short period of time allocated to covering so much.

                                          _________Inioluwa

1. I felt uneasy after the exam but nonetheless, elated to had taken rid of histo and embro off my plate.

2. Yes I think they should , I find MCQ much easier than True or False questions.
3. Yes, I’ve heard seniors describe MB  as a no man’s land, and having incourses so close wouldn’t allow for ample preparations but God knows best.

                                                      _______King David

1. I had mixed feelings after the exam.

2. Yes

3. I have certain fears for the MB because there’s going to be the essay part which will be really difficult, it’s going to be a very difficult task impressing the lecturers.

                                         ________Ayomide

1. I felt relieved honestly. Histo/embro incourse  has been delayed for a while. So after writing that incourse,the feeling of relief just outweighs the thoughts of how I did in the exam.

2. It depends on the lecturer actually. Some will make the options confusing or even expect you to pick the best of all correct options while some will just ask directly from their slides. I prefer true or false though.

3. Yes! I do. I feel I’ve not prepared enough despite trying my best. Apart from that,this MB is the first theory exam I will be writing since 2019 so it’s a whole lot.But I have faith in God that I can do it.

                                                          ______Jesutofunmi

1.  I felt exhausted after a intense period of reading and preparation. Histo/embryo is one of the incourses I feared the most due to its bulkiness and I didn’t really dedicate much time to reading it when we first resumed.

2.  I don’t think I like it. Most of the past questions we have access to are True or false questions; Asking MCQ questions means they will have to set new questions for us.

3.  I refused to be fearful😩.. I’m worrying about the fact I have a lot to read within a limited period of time and there’s no space in between the exam, unlike the incourses that we might have up to 2 weeks in between.

                                                         _____Lydia

1. Just felt like seeing my result already, cause you never know till you see it
2.  Yes, I like the way they have been mixing it. It’s always a 50-50 chance for German. But it’s not like that for MCQs
3.  Yes there is still so much to cover and recover

                                                              _____Eunice

1. The incourse was fine, it actually went well. It was actually simpler than what I thought will actually come out 
2.  I don’t know 
3. No. I don’t really want to say fear cause it just like having a lot to to read with limited time. It just like a feeling of restlessness cause it gonna feel like you have not covered everything

                                                               ____Divine 

1. Hmm, the exam was okay. There were mistakes, but you know, until the result is out, we can’t say we blasted the exam.
2.  I love the balance of both MCQs and True or false questions.
3. Can I say it’s fear? Tentatively, we have 2 more incourses this month and one early next month. That means we would start MB in June, we have to start revising whatever we’ve done since we started, so the time is not enough. I know this is our first time writing MB in college, we’ve gone through 4 incourses already so there’s no problem with MCQs in MB, what we might have problem with is theory but I hope it won’t be any problem sha.

                                                              _____Ayomide

As students grapple with the new exam format, their reactions remain mixed. Some welcome the change, appreciating the challenge and the opportunity to showcase their knowledge in diverse ways. Others feel apprehensive, worried that the unfamiliar format might negatively impact their performance. Regardless of their initial reactions, one thing is clear: preparation is key.

Preparation for MB as a medical student is not an easy task but we hope they overcome their fears and get the best in their forthcoming exams.

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