Students are always concerned about exams and we are careful to schedule these into the course in such a way that they are well prepared for them. Fail rates are very low and the vast majority of students who do fail an exam pass on a first re-sit*. Our primary reason for having exams and our main concern initially is that students fully understand and follow all applicable health and safety procedures. Health and safety in acupuncture practice is quite simple and straightforward to learn, then we make sure that we are following it at all times.
We examine as follows:
Needling and clean needle technique. This is a practical exam where participants demonstrate to an examiner that they can follow health and safety guidelines as they needle an acupuncture point safely and skilfully (usually on one of their colleagues). For this exam we use an external examiner, Pass/Fail.
Point Location. Our students learn about 80 acupuncture points initially. This is a practical exam where students mark 25 points on a colleagues body within 45 minutes. This is our most difficult exam and its why we spend some time learning point location on almost every session at the college. For this exam we use an external examiner, Pass mark 70%.
Written Exam. This is in the form of 50 short questions, some are simply true/false, others require a short explanation. We allow 90 minutes for this. To date no one has failed this exam and we are constantly monitoring it in order to better reflect the course. We like students to achieve at least 50% in this exam. Pass mark 40%.
Case History. Students write up a case using either our case form or one they have developed themselves. We discuss their reasoning and treatment strategy and make suggestions. This is a great learning exercise and an opportunity for students to really show us what they have learned. Pass/Fail.
At this point, students graduate with a certificate to practice acupuncture.
Post-Graduation
There are currently no exams in the post-graduate section of our course. However, individual teachers may choose to hold mini tests in order their part of the course and student comprehension. Upon completion of specific sections of post graduate training, certificates will be issued.
*A first re-sit is automatic, a second is allowed but may incur an exam fee. We reserve the right to make a final decision upon the students suitability to do any further re-sits after that depending upon the circumstances. We will decide on the basis of what we feel is in the students best interest so we may require that a student leave the course or start the course again at this point.
