Failed the practical on first A&P I test.

[SkylarNola]

I took my first A&P I test today and managed to pass the Physiology portion with an 87. However, I was shocked to find out that I completely bombed the practical with a 48. (Which I thought I did pretty good on. Looks like the joke was on me!) I just have such a hard time trying to identify tissues and such under the microscope. The worst part is that I actually studied for 3 hours a day for a week leading up to today, excluding last night when I studied this material for 7 hours. Obviously something is not clicking. I'm completely discouraged now. Starting off the semester with a "D" average isn't exactly what I had in mind. So what I'm hoping is that someone has some advice on how to remember slides. I've used the "relation" method with food, shapes, and other things and it helped somewhat, but maybe someone has a better idea? I'm dedicated, but If 25 hours of studying for one test doesn't even come close to cutting it, I find it a little concerning. (Don't mind my whining. I'm just on my pity pot right now. )

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[kinny20]

I hav the same problem, im doin great in lecture bt horrible in lab. Right nw in lab i hav a 48 and i havnt even takin my lab midterm yet. Shld i keep tryin or jst withdraw and try again?

[oldeddieboy]

does your school have lab as a seperate class from lecture? I like having having them part of one class so if I do bad on lab, I can pull it up with my lecture grade. with a 48, i would just calculate what your potential grade would be assuming you make 85+ on the rest of your tests. if it comes up to a C or worse drop the class. talk to the teacher too and tell them what grade you need - they can tell you what your chances are.

[e.dejesus]

Hi,

I am in the same situation you are. I am doing fine in the lecture portion, but failed the lab midterm. Since it counts 40% of our lab final grade, I guess I will have to drop the course. Our lab midterms were on tissue slides (name the type of tissue, name the part of the tissue the pointer is on), and bones (name the bone or articulation the pointer is on), a mitosis model (had to name structures of the cell and the stage of mitosis). I studied really hard, but as I said, I failed the lab midterm. This is really discouraging. What in the world am I doing wrong?

I've been a teachers assistant at my community college for over four years. I've made this website to help the students in this class. It contains student notes that I created for my self while taking A&P, Anatomy, & Physiology, lab picture, helpful links to other sources, pictures of slides, and youtube videos of one of my instructor going over the models in lab. http://biosci120.webs.com. Hope this helps as it helps a lot of students at my school.

[pamelacnj]

Thanks for the link. I am in AP2 and will use your histology images to study for my lab mid term.

As for the OP, I would go and speak to your professor about your grade and what you can do to improve it. You are certainly putting in a lot of study time so your 48 wasn't due to lack of effort.

Best wishes.

[msmartel bee]

When I took my a/p this summer, I learn something quick after getting 68 on my first practical. You have to go to the biology help center, if you guys have one. The pictures in the book don't cut it. You have to see exactly how everything looks, in front of you. After that, I was getting nothing but A,s. good luck. If I can do it , you can do it.

[zoe92]

Study groups, open labs, tutoring center. These will all be really helpful.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

One of the best things I've found is that anytime I have to look at something under the microscope, I draw it on a piece of paper with colored pencils. It is called "active learning" and by doing so, it helps you retain the information. Draw what you see, label everything. It will help embed it in your memory and you'll have a much easier time recalling what you see later. Just looking at pictures does nothing, other that give you a vague recollection of what it might be.

Once you've drawn your slides, then group them by similarities (e.g. all epithelial tissues together - simple sqaumous, stratified squamous, cuboidal, etc.) What distinguished one type from another? By doing so, you can begin to use elimination in order to accurately determine what you're looking at under the microscope.

Don't worry...one test won't make or break you. You've still got the rest of the semester. You can do this!!!

I also found the Histology quizzes on this website to be helpful in testing your knowledge: http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/webanatomy/histology/default.html

I used this site to practice for my Anatomy tests last semester. It was GREAT!!!! Do the Brain Bowl game, take all the quizzes. It helps tremendously. You can really apply your knowledge!