NMCQ

This is Version 3.1 of the program. It works on any computer

running DOS, Windows 3.x or Windows 95/95 and has been
tested on machines with processors as fast as 700 MHz.
For convenience, run NMCQ in a DOS box rather than from
the Run prompt of the Windows File or Start menu.
Version 4 (1997) is included in a suite of programs on
a disk included with Barr's The Human Nervous System,
7th edn by J. A. Kiernan (Philadelphia: Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins, 1998). Most of the questions and
answers are the same in both versions.
In the following documentation it is assumed that
NMCQ was received on a floppy disk. The program is also
available as an archived file NEUROMCQ.ZIP from
http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/index.htm
Only one file, NMCQ.EXE (29692 bytes), is required.
The rather verbose original documentation of Version 3.1
follows.
J. A. Kiernan
January 2001
-------------------------------------

NEURO MCQ
~~~~~~~~~~~
Multiple choice questions in Human Neuroscience, especially Neuroanatomy
Version 3.1 Copyright (c) J. A. Kiernan (1994)
INTRODUCTION.
NEURO MCQ ver. 3.xx
following notes are
installing computer
The version history

runs from a single file NMCQ.EXE and the

to help students unfamiliar with copying and
programs. Many users need read no further.
of NEURO MCQ is at the end of this document.

NEURO MCQ is a collection of about 140 multiple choice questions in

Human Neuroscience (mainly Neuroanatomy). For each question the
student is presented with five possibilities (A, B, C, D or E).
Having chosen an answer, the student is immediately told if it is
right or wrong, and what the correct answer is. At the end of a
session the number of questions attempted and the number of correct
answers are displayed, and an approximate mark (percent) is calculated.
The program will run on any "IBM-compatible" computer with a DOS
operating system. The file NMCQ.EXE is the only one needed. This
file (README) and its executable version (README.EXE) are optional
extras.
Most of the NMCQ questions have been used in term tests and final
examinations set by the Departments of Anatomy and Clinical
Neurological Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, for
medical students and students in the allied health sciences, in the
years 1986-1992. In this revision (Version 3.0) minor changes have
been made to some of the questions; a few have been added, and a
few have been removed.

GETTING STARTED.
Unlike previous versions of NEURO MCQ, version 3 consists of only
one file, named NMCQ.EXE. This file is 29676 bytes long (ver 3.00),
and contains the testing program and all the questions.
Always make a backup copy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First make a working copy of the NEURO MCQ diskette, or copy the file
NMCQ.EXE onto another diskette. Install the program file onto a hard
disk if you have one. The command that starts the program is
NMCQ
Make a floppy copy or install on hard disk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISKETTES (Floppy disks). If your computer has two floppy drives,
put the program diskette in Drive A and a formatted diskette with
at least 30 kB free space in Drive B. Enter the following commands
from the keyboard:
COPY A:NMCQ.EXE B:
COPY A:README.* B:
The two diskettes (A: and B:) do not have to be of the same type, so
you can copy from a 5," to a 3" diskette if your computer has both
types of drive. Put the original diskette away in a safe place.
* Diskettes come in several sizes! Be sure to use the correct form
of the FORMAT command. If in doubt, consult your DOS book.
* If you don't have a hard drive, it will be convenient to copy the
NEURO MCQ files onto a bootable floppy. Format the diskette using
the /S option of the FORMAT command, and then copy the program
files as instructed above. You can put a bootable NEURO MCQ
diskette into any computer, switch on, and you're in business.
HARD DISK INSTALLATION OF NEURO MCQ. If your computer has a hard
(fixed) disk you probably know all about directories and
subdirectories. If you don't, now is the time to learn. It's easy
to install the NEURO MCQ program onto your hard disk. All you have
to do is make a suitably named subdirectory and copy into it the
file NMCQ.EXE and (optionally) the two README files (README and
README.EXE) that go with the program.
For example, let's suppose your computer has a hard drive C and a
floppy drive A, and you are logged onto the root directory of the
hard drive, which is C:\
To make a directory for the program, enter the command:
MD NEUROQ
Go into the new directory:
CD NEUROQ
(Alternatively you could
type C and then press
the F3 key. If you
know this already,
you probably aren't

reading these
instructions!)
Copy the files from the floppy:
COPY A:NMCQ.*
COPY A:README.*
Even if you install the program onto a hard disk, it is still
sensible to make a backup floppy copy of the original diskette.
Running the NEURO MCQ program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To start NEURO MCQ, log onto the appropriate floppy drive or
subdirectory of your hard disk, and enter the command:
NMCQ
WHAT IT DOES.
A menu appears on the screen. You are invited to type a letter:
Q to quit now
R for questions picked at random from the whole collection
S for a choice of subjects
You can answer with an upper or lower case letter. Responses other
than Q, R or S have no effect.
If you type a Q you will be returned to the DOS prompt.
If you select the R option, you will be presented with multiple
choice questions in random order, and they'll go on coming until
you've had enough and type the letter "Q" instead of "any key".
If you choose the S option, a second menu of 14 topics appears.
Select a topic by typing the first (highighted) letter, and a set
of 8 - 15 appropriate questions will be presented. If you can't
be bothered answering the whole set, type a "Q" and you'll be
given your score and returned to the DOS prompt.
Files used by the NEURO MCQ program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NMCQ.EXE
(29676 bytes; dated 20 Aug. 1994 at 01:10)
This is the only file needed.
README
This documentation file (ASCII)
README.EXE Alternative easy reading of README on screen
Version history.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 1 (1991) was composed entirely of batch files and some
enhancing utilities. Several batch files were needed to avoid
intolerable slowness, especially on older computers. Copies of
this version are still around, but they should be replaced with
later versions, which run more smoothly and incorporate factual
changes and corrections to the questions.
Version 2 (1993), with its MCQ.EXE and .TST data files, was a

completely new program. It was written by Victor Batorowicz of the

Robarts Research Institute. It was and still is much more elegant
than the batch file-based program that I wrote as Version 1, and it
also embodied many improvements suggested by students over the previous
2 years. Version 2 is still entirely satisfactory, but if you get
it off someone else make sure you have all 14 files with the
extension .TST in addition to the MCQ.EXE file that does the asking
and keeps track of the score. A notable feature of Version 2 is
that for every question you have to keep trying until you get it
right.
Version 3 (1994) has everything in one file (NMCQ.EXE). This reduces
the required disk space from 165 kB to 30 kB, and allows for much
easier copying of the program among students. This version also
incorporates some changes in academic content of the questions, and
a few near-duplicate questions have been removed. In Version 3 you
don't have to keep trying after a wrong respnse, but you are shown the
right answer and given an indefinite time to re-read and think through
each question. The "random" option introduced with this version
should help students to overcome the necessarily artificial division of
Human Neuroscience into the sub-topics used in the planning pf a formal
course. Version 3.1 corrects a bug in the menu of 3.0
J. A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy
The University of Western Ontario
London, N6A 5C1, Canada.
email: kiernan@uwo.ca
(December 1994)