Lab Skills Test Information
Please see the information below regarding general information for the Lab Skills Test:
The LifeSci 2L03 lab test will be completed during the week of March 24-28 during your regularly scheduled lab time. Please see Table I for your test start 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L01, last names Amalan - Sajadi (Aria) | Mon Mar 24 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40AM |
| L01, last names Sajadi (Arian) - Zhang | Mon Mar 24 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L02, last names Ajel - Jiang | Mon Mar 24 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L02, last names Kambow - Varma | Mon Mar 24 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L03, last names Ali - Naeem | Mon Mar 24 | 2:30-5:20PM | 2:40PM | 3:40PM |
| L03, last names Nandam - Wainwright | Mon Mar 24 | 2:30-5:20PM | 4:00PM | 5:00PM |
| L04, last names Ahmadoun - Kim (Doyoon) | Tues Mar 25 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40AM |
| L04, last names Kim (Jubilee) - Zahid | Tues Mar 25 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L05, last names Al Amery - Hepburn | Tues Mar 25 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L05, last names Ho - Wang | Tues Mar 25 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L07, last names Ahmed - Khatri | Wed Mar 26 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L07, last names Liu - Ye | Wed Mar 26 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| L08, last names Aggarwal - Gupta | Wed Mar 26 | 2:30-5:20PM | 2:40PM | 3:40PM |
| L08, last names Kahlon - Yeh | Wed Mar 26 | 2:30-5:20PM | 4:00PM | 5:00PM |
| L09, last names Aboutablib - Jama | Thurs Mar 27 | 8:30-11:20AM | 8:40AM | 9:40AM |
| L09, last names Jewett - Yaser | Thurs Mar 27 | 8:30-11:20AM | 10:00AM | 11:00AM |
| L10, last names Abdi - Merlos Gonzalez | Thurs Mar 27 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 11:40AM | 12:40PM |
| L10, last names Mohammed - Thandi | Thurs Mar 27 | 11:30AM-2:20PM | 1:00PM | 2:00PM |
| ALL SAS ACCOMMODATIONS TEST | The instructional assistant 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 will appear on the lab test. With the exception of the calculations that were completed during the cell biology tutorial, tutorial information will not 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 60 minutes in duration. 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 set ups 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 | Equipment and tests used |
| Neurophysiology | Working with compound light microscope, measuring surface area using ImageJ, organizing datasets, background info about how the mouse brain phenotypes were created. |
| Cell Biology | Cell passaging/splitting, pipetting, aseptic techniques, reagents used in cell culture, haemocytometer use, cell concentration calculations |
| Epidemiology | Working with NetLogo and exported NetLogo data, outbreak control strategies |
| Histology | H&E staining process (incl. reagents used), embedding process, working with compound light microscopes, skin tissues, ImageJ linear measurements |
| Locomotion | Experimental design, stereomicroscopy, working with nematodes, Zen microscopy software |
| Genetics | NCBI databases, BLASTp, Clustal Omega, amino acids |
| Common skills/knowledge across multiple labs | Graphing in Excel, taking images in ImageJ, testing a hypothesis, using a compound light microscope |
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 the videos, and review the protocols. Be sure you understand the in-person activities you missed.
- Talk to a classmate who did the activity in lab that week to hear from them what they thought about the experience and the materials they worked with during the lab.
- The lab test is not going to focus entirely on the one lab that you missed. The lab test asks questions about all the labs and modules, 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 lab test so we will be providing your accommodation in-house in the lab room. The date and start time for your accommodated test will be sent to you in an email to your McMaster University email address from the LS2L03@mcmaster.ca email address. Please kindly respond to it.
If you receive new/altered accommodations in the middle of the semester or prior to the lab test, please contact Alastair at LS2L03@mcmaster.ca immediately 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 academic relief for submitting the MSAF. The make-up test may be scheduled outside of your normal lab time.