Reflections on the 8th Inter-Medical Physiology Quiz 2010

At the end of September, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in the 8th Inter-Medical Physiology Quiz this year at Balai Ungku Aziz, University Malaya. A record 41 teams made the trip this year from a diverse group of countries including Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Australia and Romania. The written quiz was absolutely gruelling – a high level of understanding of physiology concepts was needed. Subsequently we were ranked according to the results from the written test.

Quiz day was a test of wits and nerves. The organizers decided to be autonomically sympathetic by making each participant stand to deliver an answer – much like a spelling bee. No discussion between team members was allowed, and penalties were given for incorrect “steals” by the opposing teams. Aggressive teams risked penalties for a higher reward while defensive teams could progress by watching aggressive teams self-destruct. This year, University Malaya clinched the Prof A. Raman Challenge Trophy, defeating a resurgent team from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The organizing team did a good job as well – they spent a lot on freebies and our accommodation at the rusty Wisma Belia was surprisingly cozy. I was proud that our team reached the quarterfinals of the competition and we exceeded expectations by topping the group during the first round. I hoped that I managed to improve my grasp of physiology despite the limited amount of time spent on the subject in my pre-clinical years.