RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

No i don't think you are beinga Victor Meldrew.
I think it's really quite unethical to post exam questions on here before some students have sat them. I think it gives the forum a very bad name.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I do think its unethical, but at the end of the day, if you want to pass an exam based on the answers to questions you've learned, then what satisfaction are you going to get within yourself at the end of the day?

May you all be successful in your future careers! [sm=newangel.gif]

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I would just like to add, that I have been using this forum as a revision tool, I have been with my head in my books for 12 months, going over and over, writing reams of notes and then I print off some of the exam papers on this forum, do them, then mark them, then check the answers in my books, as quite a few questions I disagree with the answers and have found a few wrong answers. This site is invaluable, it has shown me my weaknesses and most of all, I have found so much support from all you lovely people out there.
I can understand from where you are coming from, and yes I did post a few questions today after my exam,I posted them as a revision tool, I did not put answers. I have been working VERY hard during the past year, and when/if I pass I shall be very proud of myself as I will know that I have done all the 'hard' work myself with a little help from the forum.
Best wishes and good luck to everyone.
Andrea

[sm=jump1.gif]

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I understand where you are coming from, destresserai, but I don't believe it's unethical. You have a choice whether you read the papers or not, you have a choice whether you wish to share the papers you have obtained or not. If you have a good teacher they should have prepared you with sample questions which should be similar to the exam papers posted.

I have never seen an identical paper to the ones posted as a final exam.. they do get recycled in some cases, I am told, but so far not.. For the most part - they are exactly what they are called - past papers.. those others have sat and are now gone.

For many it assists you in your revision, gives you focus. Whilst there are many papers on here there are thousands of questions possible for each paper.. just cause you've read 5 past papers in a subject it doesn't mean you have all the answers.

When I was revising I filled notebooks with what I thought would turn out to be past papers, it was my choice, I thought it would assist my learning. In therapy work it isn't how many points you get in your exam that makes you a good therapist, it's the skills you've learnt, how you deal with people, how well you've learnt your therapy and how well you can apply it to the real world. So so much more than a 2 hour exam.

To quote Angelbird..

however, my own satisfaction is in my knowledge and how I will retain that in the years to come.. and THAT my friends, is the most important factor in this whole experience.

Totally agree with you.. application, understanding, knowledge, experience..

I would like to think that the best therapists get the best grades but some don't perform well under exam conditions, although they can obtain the best results over all the others in the class from a hands on perspective, and understand the client and how to adapt treatments to their needs perfectly. I wouldn't like to think that the therapists who are a little less academic missed out cause of a couple of multi-choice questions.

Ultimately it's your own conscience that is important... you need to do what feels right for you.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I do agree that posting all the exam questions directly after your current exam gives some members of the community an advantage in getting high marks in the exam. However, you have to remember that people who are using this site are probably using it as a revision tool, which means they are also putting in a lot of work and are consciencious with their studies all year through. Yes there will be people that only look at the exam questions and never pick up a text book, but it is highly likely that if these lazy people are so disinterested in the therapy they are unlikely to continue with it as a profession anyway. I know plenty of students at my college haven't looked at the site, even though they are constantly asking for exam papers (sometimes it is just too much effort).

We should remember that these are multiple choice questions and ITEC have a limited supply, so the chances of getting questions you have already seen are pretty high anyway.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

i think the site is a fantastic revision tool as are other websites that i have found through this site.

i am nearly at the end of my itec aromatherapy and was really grateful for some past questions to be posted as i had no idea how the questions were going to be pitched and there is not a lot about itec aroma papers anywhere...

no, you could never get an understanding of a subject if you just read the exam papers the night before, so more fool them.

i've worked damn hard this year and i will be happy that i have done my best and that my understanding is sound and going over some past questions has help focus my learning .

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

For me the greatest concern would be that some people would pass who don't know and understand the full syllabus. These people could go on to practice - perhaps badly - and this could damage the reputation of the qualification and thus impact on those who have passed throught their own hard work.
I don't think anyone is saying that looking at past papers is wrong - after all teachers in school provide past papers for GCSE and A'Level students. The point initially made by destresserai is that posting this year's paper before everyone has sat the paper means not only that some will have an unfair advantage but that some will pass who are not fit to practice.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Hello Everyone!!!

I am taking my Anatomy and Physiology exam for the third time on Tuesday and I have found this site so helpful as i find that reading the questions, finding out the answers for myself helps me to remember and this, i find is a fantastic way to revise as it is so much better than just reading through notes as this then gets boring.

Just because i have failed 3x does not mean that I will be a bad therapist as i have passed my Holistic Massage Practical, Theory, Business awareness exams and my case studies but i just have severe difficulty in remembering the Anatomy and Physiology part.

I strongly believe that if you study hard enough the results will pay off. Sure there are people who just come on this site as an easy way out but they will not remember the information long term, where i am sure that we all will!!!

Good Luck to all and I hope that you all reach your goals!

x

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Heya Monkeys - agree with you there and that was one of the points I was trying to make in my own post.. some of the best therapists have worked hard and sometimes even struggled to pass their exams yet they have wonderfully strong skills in everything but sat exams.

Most courses have a good mix of coursework, examinations and practical work. No teacher worth their salt would submit a student for an exam if they thought they were not good enough to obtain their qualification and later practice. They want to see the industry grow with good quality therapists..

When I am looking into studying a new therapy, I read posts her and on other sites and I find that the exam papers give me a general idea about the syllabus overall, which in turn helps me identify not only if it sounds interesting but also if I could apply myself to become very proficient in that therapy.

I've shared essays and case studies, all sorts on here, I think it's a good thing to do, helps people work and learn, I know there will be some who may print out my entire essay, that's up to their conscience, but for those who are genuine those things will be used appropriately I know it.

It's all about sharing knowledge and giving one another the best chances possible.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I think the problem lies with the examination board, we are just helping each other out. My tutor for ITEC reflexology has given us NO ITEC style questions and without this site I wouldn't have a clue how the questions would be worded and what sort of things they asked.

What the examination boards need to do is not use the same question paper, I already know 2 colleges that took the exam on different days had the same paper, waiting to see if mine is the same. Or they need all theory exams to be on the same day across the country.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I don't think you are being a V Meldrew, Destresserai. However, my experience is that for any public exam such as GCSE/ A -level and even for university degree exams, there are past papers available for students to assess the kind of questions and the level of knowledge they will be expected to have when presenting for a particular exam.
If ITEC are reluctant to make such papers available, then how are students supposed to judge what is expected of them?
Most of us are working very hard/ have worked hard to prepare for exams and checking through past questions is just one way of reinforcing our knowledge.
There will always be people who want to take the short route. At the end of the day, I would guess most of us like to 'give it our best shot.' I like to think that the kind of people going into complementary therapy are, on the whole, a decent bunch.
Freddie 🙂

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Thanks for everyone comments.

I do feel that responses have been governed by past questions which I have no gripe with. My concern is the recent posting of current exam questions. The one recently seen on this site was for exact questions to an exam I had only just taken yet they were posted on here the day after someone had sat it. (DOES THIS MAKE SENSE!!!)

Whilst I agree that people relying on this type of revision may not be in it for the long haul - I do believe that it can jeopardice the ethics of our profession and in particular this site.

I have in the passed relied on past questions to assist with revision and indeed been lucky enough to have tutors that have supplied numerous examples of their own. However, posting exact current questions whether with or without answers in the middle of the exam season just seems wrong to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers everyone and may the best of us have long and satisfying careers in a fascinating industry.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Ah I get you now, and yes I suppose it does give people an advantage if they take the paper later that week (if they bother to work out the answers). However some exam boards have a fixed number of papers to work from so if ten of their 30 are posted on here, there's a 1 in three chance you'll get that paper posted two years ago. It's like anything with an exam, luck of the draw, you either know it or you don't. And worse - six months after the exam you've probably forgotten bits of it anyway..

Anyway - hope you have really good results in your exams, you've worked hard and I'm sure your hard slog will be rewarded with pleasing results.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Are you saying that ITEC set identical sets of questions on different days? Surely not!
I'm loving these pages, & amazed that people remember so much detail -it has helped me hugely to be able to test myself as a bit of relief from Tucker et al.
Sitting A&P on the 18th of July - & hoping to do well, but must say the Tucker-led syllabus & questioning format combined are very limited. Luckily we've had a fab teacher who has brought the subject to life.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

Most of us post our questions as soon as we can so we dont forget them. We dont know the correct answers we can just say what we think they are. With people kindly sharing their exam experience with us, we can see where we are weak and need more revision in a certain area. I do think you sound like Victor Meldrew. Whats wrong with helping others to gain more confidence in themselves? some are terrified and entering an exam with a little more belief in yourself can only be a good thing. This is a caring profession we are entering so why not show it Vic

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

The ones I've posted are largely papers handed out as revision tools (often supplied by the exam boards as sample papers) but I have heard that in the past some papers have been used on more than one examination date. Lets face it, for a given subject there are only so many questions they can realistically ask.. so many will turn up time and time again - for example with the AOR stuff - you'll normally get a question on the bones of the foot and the history and something about another complementary therapy (as examples) and the answers will be finite. If you examine the papers and the breakdown of points with regards to each subject area (business practice, practical work, ethics, conduct, treatment adaptation...) you will have a good idea of what to expect overall.

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

It's true - ITEC do in fact have more than one paper for each subject, so the questions you see here aren't necessarily the ones you'll get when you sit your exam.

Memphis

RE: AM I BEING A "VICTOR MELDREW"

I don't think it's unethical for members of HP to post their exam questions before others have taken that partciular exam. What I do think is unethical, are those who use the past papers in this forum as their only study material, and memorise the answers.

The members who post post questions on this site do not and should not have to take responsibility for the way in which they are used (or misused!) by other members.

I personally like to study thoroughly so I know that I have a genuine knowledge of the subject and can give the best treatment possible. Past papers are a valuable reserach, but only after reading through all the course material and handouts and at least one recommended book from the given reading list.