Polarizers for Boards

[star23]

For all of you who have taken boards in the past - did you bring polarizers / oil? Did you use them? Where did you get them?

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[Pingu]

I didn't bring polarizers or oil and there were no questions or slides on which I would have had to use them.

 

[BU Pathology]

I brought the lenses from a pair of broken sunglasses which I kept in my pocket, but never needed to use them. In 1982, polarizing a slide was considered state-of-the-art.

 

[sohsie]

For all of you who have taken boards in the past - did you bring polarizers / oil? Did you use them? Where did you get them?

I do not remember any questions on the AP/CP or dermpath boards that required a polarizer.

As for oil. I think if someone decided to put oil on a slide during the exam, there would have been a riot. Remember, these slides are shared between 3 testtakers on that day (Each testtaker gets one box of slides for either the first, middle, or last third of the exam, then hands the box in and gets another one, one that was likely already viewed by another testtaker.) Furthermore, testtakers on other days look at those slides as well.

Would you trust someone else to clean off a slide completely from the oil they use during a timed examination? The ABPath people dont supply Windex or lens cleaner to clean the slides anyway.

 

[GeoLeoX]

don't be one of those people who brings their own microscope. i also saw people who brought suitcases full of textbooks. you don't need oil and you don't need a polarizer. and if you spend more than 40 seconds on a slide you are going to find yourself getting behind.

 

[yaah]

There are no oil immersion objectives on the scopes, so oil is worthless anyway.

I do not know of anyone recently who has needed a polarizer on the boards. I would not bother.

 

[SLUsagar]

THE ONLY 2x3 thin square entity you need for boards is a condom for afterwards (or during the break, if you're realllllly good)

GL

 

[exPCM]

Polarizers and oil are not needed for AP/CP boards.
I have a friend who did use oil on the hemepath boards.
I imagine the slide boxes get quite messy during the hemepath boards.

 

[tardieu]

Polarize every
slide. That's good advice for the
forensic path boards.


Thought I'd combine two threads.

 

[green mantis]

THE ONLY 2x3 thin square entity you need for boards is a condom for afterwards (or during the break, if you're realllllly good)

I'm not sure if I've ever run into any hotties taking boards or doing pathology for that matter.


----- Antony

 

[Pingu]

I'm not sure if I've ever run into any hotties taking boards or doing pathology for that matter.

I don't think he's talking about banging a female pathologist.

And I assume you meant "hotties" to include both female and MALE pathologists?

 

[KCShaw]

I can't remember if I brought polarizers to the AP boards -- pretty sure I brought them as a security blanket, might have even used them, but essentially certain nothing was "positive" or useful. I doubt there would be a slide requiring it on AP. If there is, it's probably one question you could figure out anyway or get the impression of crystals/whatever without polarizing or by using the so-called poor-man's polarizer -- the edge of your finger. But to agree with tardieu, absolutely bring them and use them on the forensic path boards; even so there's probably rare slides where something shows up (and a few others where it could have and the rule-out is useful), but sometimes 1 question counts on the camel's back.