Veterinary General Pathology and Clinical Biochemistry

There are 8 exam session and are held in January, February, April, June, July, September, October and November/December. Two extra exam sessions only for students enrolled in supplementary years take place on request in March and May.
In order to sit the exam, it is essential to register for the exam via the University's SIFA online service (N.B.: registration closes 3 days before the exam date) and the compulsory propaedeutic exams must have been passed.
The examination takes place in a single session for the three modules of the integrated course and consists of a written exam of a maximum duration of 120 minutes. The student who obtains ≥ 18 points in each module passes the written examination. A student who obtains 16 or 17 points in a module is obliged to take an oral examination. A student who scores < 16 points in two or more modules is failed.
The oral examination to make up the failure in a module of the written examination lasts 10-15 minutes and covers specific topics from the syllabus of the module related to the failed section. The ability to correct the errors made in the written test and whether the failure is due to a real criticality in the knowledge and understanding of the syllabus topics of that module will be assessed. If the oral test is not passed, the student must retake the examination of the entire integrated course. Rubrics with the evaluation criteria for the oral examination can be found on the course's Ariel website.
Students who scored ≥ 18 in the three modules of the written examination and wish to increase their score in one or more modules may apply to take an oral examination on a voluntary basis. The optional 10-15 minutes oral examination covers specific topics from the module programme relating to the section with the grade the student wishes to improve. The test includes a critical discussion of the written result and in-depth questions on specific topics of the syllabus. Rubrics with the evaluation criteria for the oral examination can be found on the course's Ariel website.
The mark expressed in thirtieths is calculated as a weighted average over the CFUs of the marks obtained in the sections of the written paper relating to the three modules. The marks for the individual modules are calculated as follows:

MODULE OF GENERAL VETERINARY PATHOLOGY (maximum 32 points)
The written test consists of two sections. (A) Four multiple-choice and/or single-choice open-ended questions on the general aetiology or pathogenesis of cell damage, adaptation mechanisms or intra- and extracellular degeneration, inflammation, and tumours; 2 points will be awarded for each correct answer; 1 point for each partially correct answer; 0 points for each incorrect or missing answer. (B) Four questions with three short open-ended answers on the general aetiology or pathogenesis of cellular damage, adaptation mechanisms or intra- and extracellular degeneration, inflammation, and tumours; 2 marks will be awarded for each correct answer; 1 mark for each partially correct answer; 0 marks for each incorrect or missing answer.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY MODULE (maximum 32 points)
The written test consists of two sections. (A) Four questions with multiple-choice and/or unequivocal open answers on blood or plasma protein diseases, endocrine diseases, circulatory disorders, organ function tests or fever, and immunopathology; 2 points will be awarded for each correct answer; 1 point for each partially correct answer; 0 points for each incorrect or no answer. (B) Four questions involving three short open-ended answers on blood or plasma protein diseases, endocrine diseases, circulatory disorders, organ function tests or fever, and immunopathology; 2 marks will be awarded for each correct answer; 1 mark for each partially correct answer; 0 marks for each incorrect or not given answer.

CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY MODULE (maximum 32 points)
The written test consists of three sections. (A) Sixteen multiple-choice and/or single-choice open-answer questions in which the student must demonstrate knowledge and ability to understand the theoretical principles and practical aspects of the main biochemistry and molecular biology analysis methods used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories: 0.75 points for each correct answer; 0.4 points for each partially correct answer; 0.0 points for each incorrect answer. (B) Two articulated open-ended questions in which the student must demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical principles and practical aspects of the main methods of biochemistry and molecular biology analysis used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The ability to convert an instrumental result into a biochemical diagnostic parameter will also be assessed: 10 marks maximum for the first question and 4 marks maximum for the second question. (C) Five calculation exercises on transformations between concentration units, preparation of solutions, calculation of enzyme activity, simple questions on the transformation of the instrumental reading of an analysis into the concentration of the analyte: 1.2 points for each correct answer, 0.6 points for each partially correct answer, 0.0 points for each incorrect answer.