Exam Questions and Answers
 
Below are three sample multiple choice papers. Paper 1 is suitable for medical students, paper 2 is more suited for medical technologists, whilst paper 3 is suitable for both science and medical students. There are also some sample essay questions and answers. These were actual questions set for the MRCPath examination in virology. As a result, most of them were pretty tough!
 
Essay Questions
 
Give an account of the virological monitoring and antiviral prophylaxis of patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation

Discuss the role of serology in virus diagnosis in the early 21st century

Outline briefly how the antigenic components of current viral vaccines are produced and assess critically the alternatives

Discuss the provision of diagnostic virological services to a district hospital

Discuss the vaccine strategies that can be employed for the prevention of common childhood virus diseases

What advice would you give to the ward and theatre staff on the management of an HIV-positive haemophiliac patient admitted for abdominal surgery?

"There is no longer a need for diagnostic laboratories to attempt isolation of viruses in tissue culture" Discuss this statement

Discuss the factors to be considered before selecting a commercially available diagnostic assay. Illustrate your answer by reference to specific examples.

Write an essay on the rational design of antiviral compounds

What investigations would you conduct to determine a role for viruses in acute thyroiditis?

Which arbovirus infections may be encountered in Europe? Describe the laboratory diagnosis of any one of these infections.

"Audit is now an essential part of the new NHS". Discuss this statement in the context of a diagnostic virology laboratory serving a population of 250,000

Critically appraise the evidence for a viral aetiology of human cervical cancer

How would you deal with an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis affecting 5 adult wards in a hospital?

What are the mechanisms for genetic variation in RNA viruses?

Discuss the evaluation of monoclonal antibody-based commercial kits

Discuss the quality control of serological assays

Give an account of the treatment of infections caused by members of the herpes virus family

A 50 year old engineer in your hospital out-patient department is found to be febrile and to have returned two days earlier from West Africa. Discuss the problems posed by this situation.

Discuss the eradication of viruses that cause disease in man

Discuss the monitoring of virus infections in pregnancy

Techniques that directly detect or characterize virus genomes will play a dominant role in the virus diagnostic laboratory at the beginning of the 21st century. Discuss

Virological diagnostic services - centralised or local?