Examinations Area

For Prof Papers:

Some rules and regulations:

To pass a subject, you need to pass the written and viva portions separately.

In clinical examinations, you need to pass the clinical portion (long case + short case) separately from the remaining viva (eg OSCE/table viva etc)

Passing score is 50% in all undergraduate medical examinations in Pakistan.

5 grace marks are allowed in total. Rules vary from university to university. At KEMU, you get a total of 5 grace marks (not 5 in each subject, 5 in total)

General Tips For Written Papers

Naeem Majeed MBBS (KEMU) BSc(PU)

Please refer to the past papers for a general overview of the types of questions asked, topics covered, and the marks allocated to the topics asked.

Read the questions carefully. Each question has different segments. For example if you are asked to define, give factors involved, and discuss the mechanism of any relevant topic, definition will have its own marks (usually 2), factors will have marks of 1 or half per factor (depending on the number of factors, and their importance), and the remaining goes to description. 2-4 marks are allocated for diagrams (if relevant).

You may think that you have covered all the aspects of the topic, but still when it comes to marking, you don't get the expected score... it might be because you missed some points... or maybe the examiner couldn't see them...

To rule out the option of 'points missed by the examiner', make sure that each and every key point is adequately highlighted... Use colored markers... Write in the form of points (numbered or bullets) instead of paragraphs... If writing in paras, underline the key points...

There is absolutely no harm in attempting the entire paper with markers [yes, use pencil markers, not board markers :)]

I hope you know this by now, attempt the questions you know the best, first... it doesn't matter if each question is to be marked by different examiners... Examiners do see how you performed in other questions... so, its still a good idea to attempt the best ones first... moreover, it gives you a moral boost up that helps you attempt the questions you do not know...

Don't panic... and I mean it... even if you don't know a single question, you still may be able to attempt the whole paper... just don't panic... Start with the question that you know something of.... even if you don't know anything of a question, write something, at least the definition and whatever you remember about that topic... You will be credited for that... no matter how less credit you get, its better than a zero...

And please be neat, at least your headings should be clearly legible...

And last, but not the least... Pray... Pray and Pray... that's the key to success in medicine... we have seen miracles happen :) Trust us... But don't rely on prayers alone... prayers work when you put in some effort... ;)

General Tips For Vivas

Naeem Majeed MBBS(KEMU) BSc(PU)

For vivas, first and the foremost thing is stay relaxed, calm and cool... and be confident... the professors are not going to eat you... they are not monsters (trust us... we've faced all the professors at KEMU, all of them were normal human beings like the rest of us! Just that they are more experienced in the field...)

Viva is most of the times luck... you may be asked a single question and that's it... you are passed... but it varies a lot from examiner to examiner...

Preparation for viva is a bit different from writtens... while in written papers you got to know the entire topic, in viva, you are not required that depth of knowledge... but you must know all the definitions, commonly asked values/equations, etc... and you must know the short answers... be precise in your answers... if definition is asked, don't go into the detailed description... definition should be complete... you can give examples if you like to...

and if you are asked a question which you do not know, simply say I don't know, sorry, or anything like that... Do not waste the time of the examiner... it infuriates most of them... moreover they spend a pre-defined amount of time on each examinee... if you waste too much time on one question, you are going to lose some of your questions... resulting in poor percentage of performance e.g. you will score higher if you answer 9/10 questions, instead of 3/4 questions... although you drop just a single question in both cases!