An understanding of anatomy is essential to the study of biology, medicine and medically-related fields. Like most sciences, anatomy is learned both through lectures in the classroom and through a hands on approach in the laboratory. Laboratory experiences vary and can include experiments, dissection of animals or human cadavers, viewing histological slides, and studying diagrams and models. One of the most difficult aspects of studying anatomy is taking a lab practical.

Lab practicals are exams used to test your ability to identify different anatomical structures, organs, landmarks or markings. They are generally timed exams in which microscopes, models and pinned specimens are set up throughout the lab at numbered “stations.” In the most common form, students are each assigned a different station from which to start at the beginning of the exam. The professor or test proctor sets a timer and when the allotted time (usually 1-2 minutes) has ended, each student moves to the next station. This continues until students have visited all of the stations.

Other practicals are given to the entire class at once with the professor asking students to identify features on a model or on slides. Sometimes practicals are given by appointment and are private, involving the professor and a student in a one-one on situation with the professor asking each student a different set of questions. While any of these situations could be more intimidating than simply taking a lecture exam, they need not be if one is prepared.

Preparation is the key for success and includes knowing what is expected of you, preparing a proper study guide for the exam, finding and utilizing resources available at your campus, and allowing yourself enough time to really learn the information rather than trying to cram for the exam at the last minute. Read on as this guide explains how to study for an anatomy practical.

First accumulate as much information as possible on the format. This is especially important when taking the first practical in the course since you are dealing with an unknown. The more you know about a how a test will be administered the less anxiety you will feel on the day of the exam. Feeling anxious and nervous will interfere with your ability to recall information, particularly in a timed situation.

Among the questions you should ask are: Will it be timed? Will you be looking at specimens, pictures or models or through microscopes or will it be a combination of these? Will there be stations? If so, how much time is given at each station? How many stations will there be? Will it be given during normal class time or will you be asked to sign up for a time outside of class? It is often useful to speak to former students about what their experiences were like—but be careful, sometimes they exaggerate their “war stories” particularly if they didn’t pass the class.

Once you are satisfied with your understanding of the format, obtain or prepare a list of what structures will be on the exam. Speak with the professor or lab assistant if you need clarification on what will be on the test or the location of individual structures.

Find appropriate study pictures from your textbook, lab book, or from the internet that are representative of what you will be asked to identify. There are many good internet sites available where you can take free practice tests--just make sure they have the types of things you will be asked to identify. A few great anatomy websites include: (See reference links at bottom)

1. http://www.getbodysmart.com/
2. http://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html
3. http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index.html
4. http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz.htm
5. http://academic.pgcc.edu/~aimholtz/AandP/Practicals.html
6. http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/GrossAnatomy/h_n/cn/skp/mainframe.htm
7. http://www.wnor.myqth.com/ulexam.htm
8. http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=anatomy-physiology-141-lab-practical-2
9. http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio201/muscle/mustut.htm

Some professors allow students to take photos during labs using their cell phones. Utilizing photographs of the actual specimens or models that will be used in the exam is a great way to study. Just be sure to ask first!

There are also numerous study aids available for purchase including flash cards, anatomy coloring books and different CDs and software programs like A.D.A.M. Practice Practical (CD) http://www.ramex.com/title.asp?id=2694 and PAL (Practice Anatomy Lab). http://www.aw-bc.com/info/pal/

A great idea is to use pictures, drawings or diagrams to make your own study guide or flash cards. This can be done several ways:

1. Attach an unlabeled picture to one side of a large note card, draw lines to structures you need to know and number each line. On the back of the note card write the numbered answers.
2. Photocopy a labeled picture and attach one copy of the picture to each side of a large note card. Use "whiteout" to cover the labels on one side

If you do make your own flash cards you can punch a hole in the cards and put a ring through them so you can carry them with you to study on-the-go. Remember that studying a few minutes every day will benefit you much more than cramming for hours the night before an exam.

A note of caution: don’t spend so much time gathering and preparing study aids that there is no time left in which to study them.

Now you have all the tools you need to be successful—so drill, drill, drill! Repetition is the key for being able to retain and recall what you've learned. DO NOT wait until the night before the exam and cram. You need to put in time every day to study in order to know and understand the material rather than just storing it in your short term memory. This is important since much of what you learn in anatomy builds on itself as the semester proceeds so if you forget what you’ve learned earlier you’ll have twice as much to learn for the next practical. For example, knowing a particular structure on a bone can help you when learning muscles because that may be the point at which a muscle inserts or originates. By already knowing where the bone structure is located the function or action of the muscle will make more sense and will be easier to remember.

Use tricks to help with your memory:

1. Acronyms. “Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can’t Handle” is a funny and easy to remember acronym you can use to help recall the names and order of the wrist bones (carpals): Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate
2. Does the structure resemble something you are familiar with? This is how I teach histology—dense regular connective tissue has an arrangement of collagen fibers that looks like Ramen noodleshttp://lima.osu.edu/biology/images/anatomy/Dense%20reg.%20400X.jpg; areolar connective tissue reminds me of the game "pick-up-sticks" http://kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca/cm1504/15lab42006/loosehis.jpg

If you are having difficulty learning, find a tutor immediately. The most desirable tutor is someone who has taken the class before and is familiar with the professor and the format used. Study prior to meeting with the tutor and show up to the session with specific questions. Tutoring sessions are not a substitute for studying.

Check to see if other students want to form a study group. The make-up of the group is really important. If you have the most knowledge in the group, you’ll be spending most of your time teaching others. This can be good because it will help reinforce what you already know. In medical school there is a saying that goes "See one, do one, teach one" that illustrates the role teaching can play in learning, Even if you enjoy helping others learn, you should make sure there are also people available in the group who can help you. Study groups work best if the individuals in the group are serious about learning and meet on a regular basis.

Check with the professor or laboratory assistants to see if they offer review sessions. If so, plan to attend one or more if you can. Review sessions are extremely useful but are not a substitute for studying on your own. Optimally, students will already have put in a good amount of time learning structures prior to attending review sessions, and just need a little more repetition or clarification. Students who have not studied prior to review sessions will not benefit very much from them.

You need to make sure you are in good physical condition in order to give your best effort on the exam. Since, by this point, you have been studying daily for some time, you should feel comfortable with the material and will not need to “pull an all-nighter.” You should have also developed a degree of confidence from all of time you've put into studying and shouldn't be suffering from the panic and anxiety some of your fellow students will be experiencing. Even if you do feel some nervousness under the pressure of the exam, rest assured that the answers will be easier to recall because you've learned the structures and not just memorized them.

Finally, make sure you’ve had plenty of sleep, have eaten a good meal and are in a good frame of mind to take the test. Sometimes this can make all of the difference. Good luck!