How much of the material will be assessed in the tests?
- The mid semester test,
lab exam and final exam will assess your knowledge of material covered in the lectures
and labs ONLY. You will not be asked questions that require information additional
to that contained within this course. However, if there are aspects of the lectures
that you are not clear on then you should read further (course text book, other
text books and journals etc) to ensure that you have a sound understanding of the
concepts, principles and facts pertaining to each lecture or lab topic.
Do I just
need to study up on the pharmacology, or will I also be asked questions on the biochemistry/physiology
aspects of the lectures?
- Many of the lectures will include information on relevant
physiology, anatomy and biochemistry that you need to grasp before you can appreciate
the various pharmacological aspects of the drug examples given in the lecture. While
you may not need to have an in depth knowledge of this background information, you
will be asked questions that will require a general understanding of all of the
relevant material contained in the lectures and labs.
Will the final exam focus
mainly on the second half of the course?
- Not really, the basic principles covered in
the first half of the course are important and will be well represented in the final
exam. The majority of the exam questions will relate to the lecture material, with
less of an emphasis on lab-based material.
There are a lot of drug names mentioned
- do I need to learn them ALL?
- You should be familiar with at least one or two (or
several, depending on the lecture/topic) specific examples of drugs for each of
the various topics covered in the lectures. Important drug names are usually highlighted
in the lecture notes.
How much detail do I need to learn about the drugs mentioned in the lectures?
- This is a common question, reflecting one of the drawbacks of the course: that a
lot of drug names are quoted to exemplify various kinds of pharmacological principles
or applications. In general, you will be expected to be able to quote one example
of a drug for each of the aspects covered in the lectures, or be able to recognise
one example from a list, or be able to attribute a function or property to a particular
drug from a list. In most cases one example is given in the lecture so this is the
one you must learn, but at other times several names may be given (particularly
if there are several similar drugs commonly prescribed) in which case the drug that
is printed in bold lettering in the lecture notes (which may often be the first
name in a list) is the name that may crop up in the exams. Because some lectures
go into some detail on a particular drug, while others just mention a drug as an
example of a class or principle, there is no hard and fast rule on how much you
should know about each drug. The guide is whatever is in the lecture notes. If it
isn't covered in the lecture notes then it won't be in the exam!
Note: The long lists of generic vs brand names given in the introductory lectures
will not be the subject of any exam questions.
Also note: You will not be tested on your ability to remember chemical names or
structures of drugs, although you might be expected to know whether a drug is, for
example, a protein or a steroid etc
How strictly should I adhere to the assignment
word limit?
- The 3000 word limit needs to be adhered to. Failure to do so will result
in a loss of marks.
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