Lab Skills Test Information
Please see the information below regarding general information for the Lab Skills Test:
Our lab test will take place during the week of March 25-28 during your regularly scheduled lab time. Please see Table I for your test start time.
UPDATE March 5, 2024: We have realized that students are sitting in all different arrangements this term, not just at pods C-H, so the previous scheduling plan based on pods won’t work to split up each lab in half for the tests. Instead, we’ll go by last name, and we’ve update this table I below to reflect this. This will ensure just 12 students write during each test slot and there is no confusion about who will write when.
If you are in the first half of the alphabetical order of the lab by last name, you’ll write in the first half of lab time.
If you are in the second half of the alphabetical order of the lab by last name, you’ll write in the second half of lab time.
There will be no extra time if you arrive late.
Table I: Lab Skills Test Schedule
| Lab Subsection | Test Date | Regular Lab Time | Test Start | Test End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L02- A- Kim, E. | Mon March 25 | 11:30-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L02- Mak, N.-Z | Mon March 25 | 11:30-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L03- A-Ghai, D. | Mon March 25 | 2:30-5:20PM | 2:40PM | 3:40PM |
| L03-Ghali, C-Z | Mon March 25 | 2:30-5:20PM | 4:00PM | 5:00PM |
| L04- A- Mulla, S. | Tues March 26 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40PM |
| L04- Osman -Z | Tues March 26 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L05- A- Li, Weyman | Tues March 26 | 11:30-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L05- Lin-Z | Tues March 26 | 11:30-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L06- A-Ghazy | Wed March 27 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40AM |
| L06- Hambly-Z | Wed March 27 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L07- A-Kung | Wed March 27 | 11:30-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L07- Macchiusi-Z | Wed Mar 27 | 11:30-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L08- A-Mehta | Wed March 27 | 2:30-5:20PM | 2:40PM | 3:40PM |
| L08-Merjo-Z | Wed March 27 | 2:30-5:20PM | 4:00PM | 5:00PM |
| L09- A-Khan Abaid | Thu March 28 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40AM |
| L09- Khan Maheen-Z | Thu March 28 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L10- A-Maesano | Thu March 28 | 11:30-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L10- Mohkanaraj,-Z | Thu March 28 | 11:30-2:20AM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| ALL SAS ACCOMMODATIONS TEST | Mon April 1st | Dr Zamani will email you directly to book your SAS lab test with your accommodations based on your response to the shared form | ||
The test format is a mix between application and content from lab (~75%) and lecture content (~25%). No lab report writing guide material or tutorial material will appear on the lab test.
Questions may consist of short answer questions, multiple choice questions, and questions that require you to perform activities that were completed in the lab. You will not have access to the Pressbook or the internet during the test.
The test is a total of 60 minutes. Any of the content/skills from Table II could be on the test. Not all students will receive the same test version – there will be several different versions and stations that will be used throughout the week, so it is very likely you will not see the same questions or skills as students in other lab sections.
Table II: Skills that could be seen on the Lab Skills Test. This is not an exhaustive list; you should review all lab outlines and equipment you may have worked with throughout the year, in addition to reviewing your notes from the lecture.
| Module | Lab Skills and Concepts |
|---|---|
| Aging and Frailty | Working with Excel, equipment used |
| Histology | Staining process, embedding process, working with compound light microscopes, skin tissues, ImageJ analysis |
| Epidemiology | Working with NetLogo and exported NetLogo data, outbreak control strategies |
| Neurophysiology | Updated November 13th: working with compound light microscope, measuring surface area using ImageJ, organizing large datasets, background info about how the mouse brain phenotypes were created. There is not going to be any statistical analysis (t-tests) required for the test. |
| Cell Biology | Cell passaging/splitting, pipetting, aseptic techniques, haemocytometer use, cell staining protocols |
| Genetics | NCBI databases, BLASTp, Clustal Omega, amino acids |
| Locomotion | Experimental design, stereomicroscopy, working with nematodes, Zen microscopy software |
What if you missed lab(s) during the semester? (and have not completed a make up lab)
- Review that lab outline (and ELN) in full – watch those videos, go over the protocols. Be sure you understand the in-person activities you missed.
- Talk to a classmate who did the activity in lab that week – hear from them what they thought about the experience and the materials they worked with.
- The lab test is certainly not going to focus on entirely the one lab that you missed – the lab test asks questions about all of the labs and modules, and so even if you don’t get a chance to review the module you missed, it will not have a huge impact on your final performance on this test, because there are plenty of areas of the test that you will be fully prepared for.
Information for students who receive accommodation through SAS:
If you are a student registered with SAS and have an accommodation that grants you additional time, please DO NOT book a test with the SAS Test Centre; you will need access to the lab equipment for parts of the test so we will be providing the accommodation in-house. The date for the accommodated test will be Monday April 1st. A form has already been sent to you, kindly respond to it.
Dr Zamani will contact you directly by your McMaster email address to book your accommodated test date/time. If you receive new/altered accommodations in the middle of the semester, please contact her directly at zamanim@mcmaster.ca to ensure you are included in the accommodated schedule.
A reminder on procedures for missed tests:
If you miss the lab test, you must submit an MSAF and contact the Instructional Assistant. Please see Policies on Submitting Work, Missed Work and Late Penalties for details.
You will be required to complete a make-up test as your accommodation for submitting the MSAF. This may be scheduled outside of your normal lab time.
