Dr Lovely has recognized these facts and broadened the scope of her book. Usefulness of this title has merged the borders of undergraduate and postgraduate education. Question- answer format was not initially accepted by many teachers stating that students will refrain from reading textbooks. A brief market survey reveals the fact that this is the most successful model amongst the students. The review type books ensure that the students know the essentials of the subject. Ultimately, what do the teachers want? The student should learn the basics of the subject. In that respect, Dr Lovely has fulfilled her mission in making the students learn the subject.

It is not, however, a replacement for textbooks, and students are expected to have gone through the textbooks during their study period. This will help them to grasp the concepts in this review better. The last ten years’ question papers from all major universities in India have been collected and the solutions to almost all essay and short note questions have been included.

Such a venture could not have been possible without the help of many people. First of all I thank God, for enabling me to complete this book. I especially thank to Prof K Chandrasekharan Nair, for his invaluable help and time in going through and correcting the proofs of this review and also for writing a foreword and the section on tips for students on how to write the university examinations. Thanks are due to my many friends and colleagues all over India who sent me question papers from their universities. Special thanks to my department colleagues Dr James Rex, Dr Shibu A (Readers); Dr T Sreelal (Professor); Dr KS Arunachalam (Professor), for their encouragement and help. I must thank Ms Dhanya, for her help in drawing the diagrams which are included in this review. Last but not least, I thank my parents and in-laws, for their encouragement and support. I owe my gratitude to Mr Sudheer, for editing the contents of this book. I especially thank Dr Rema V Nair, Director, Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences, Kulasekharam, Tamil Nadu, for her support and encouragement.

I sincerely hope that students and dental practitioners will find this book useful.

Even though utmost care has been taken to ensure accuracy, mistakes could have inadvertently crept in and I do apologize in advance for the same. Any comments and suggestions are especially welcomed and I will try to implement them in future editions.

The first question can be answered if you learn by heart a list of impression materials. As such this will not be asked as an essay question but it can form part of an essay question. To answer the second question, the knowledge base must be broad and systematized. To answer the third question you should have the capability of reasoning and intelligence.

Between two answers sufficient space should be given so that at a later stage you can come back and more points can be added if necessary and if there is time. While starting the answer, immediately get to the point asked for. If the question asked is on vertical dimension, start with a statement on vertical dimension.

The body should be arranged logically from a focal point and should contain a series of paragraphs which are packages of information. Each paragraph starts with a topic defining sentence which is expanded with details, examples and illustrations. There must be an uninterrupted flow of thought. Unnecessary statements which do not have relevance should be avoided because it is going to affect the time management.

Information in the conclusion moves from the specifics to the general and summarizes the content of the body. It provides a generalized answer to the question but new points cannot be made. Always devote some time to write the conclusion. Abrupt endings are never relished by the readers.

In the introduction you state what you are going to say, in the body state what you have to and in the conclusion state what you have already said.