Tips on How To Ace the First BIO 30 Exam

Illustration: Vincent Kua Lunario

They say that “firsts” are always the happiest and most exciting— first love, first kiss, first year in college, first baby, first salary; basically all other things you have tried or have gotten for the first time. But the questionnaire in BIO 30 begs to disagree.

We’re not here to say or create an impression that every BIO 30 exam is something to fear about. However, it is definitely something you have to prepare for, like any other exams you’ll take in UP (Who says exams in UP are a piece of cake, by the way?).

From chromosomes to genotype to phenotype to test and hybrid crosses, you’ve probably heard a lot from upperclassmen who survived BIO 30 already or from those fanboys and fangirls of the course taking it for the n^th time that the test is really a “test of patience” because it is quite long and difficult.

We do know by now, you are almost reaching the finish line in reviewing the coverage for your first exam in Genetics. Yet still, we would like to extend our hands to remind you of the things that you already know but tend to forget and care less about due to the pressure you and your peers are putting on yourselves. So, here are the five ordinary yet powerful tips on how to pass and hopefully help you ace the most-awaited and most-talked about Dr. Mendioro’s first BIO 30 examination:

Aside from the notes that you effortlessly made as the slides fly in full speed during lecture, you can count on Lectures in Genetics manual for better understanding of the lessons. Also, there might be missing ‘chunks’ in your written notes, so it is better to keep your red book handy while reviewing— compensate for the unwritten ones and even for those essential details which you might have overlooked by reading through the pages of the one and only life saver manual. The red book will never let you down!

Practice makes perfect. That may appear too mainstream but those who will seriously abide by that statement have nothing to lose. Try solving the sample problems listed on the laboratory manual or those provided in any Genetics book. You can also change the given values or genotype of particular problems to make yourself familiar with the ways or techniques in which a certain problem may be solved. Still, if you’re feeling unsatisfied, consume the rest of your ATP by searching more problems online.

The most important thing is to stay composed. We always tend to panic and rush things out during examination, resulting to bad penmanship and messy shading of answers in the sheet. Take everything as if you’re breathing in and out while chewing your favorite gum, if you have one. After all, you do not want to get comments from your teacher like “???” on your paper once you receive it back, do you? So, do away with the test jitters and nervousness! Calm yo’ pens, men!

Girls, whether or not you feel like making a scene by showing off your OOTD, please bear in mind that wearing miniskirts or shorts is a no-no! Those who do not follow are told to go out and change it right away. Swear to you, the exam will consume one full hour (or more) of your life and you don’t want to waste half of it changing your clothes.

Convince yourself that you have to do everything to pass the exam and make it to the topnotchers list! Just as what Mario Novak once said, “Mind is everything. Every thought you create manifests itself in the real world. If you did not achieve something you strived for, you simply did not believe in it enough.” But also be reminded that having a good score doesn’t account for anything if you really haven’t understood and learned the concepts well enough.

And there you have it, BIO 30 peeps! We wish you the best of luck in the examination. May you enjoy the rest of the semester studying the science of Genetics!