Computer simulations (we use the word liberally here to include applets, animations, apps, etc.) have been making steady progress as teaching tools. Large collections of simulations, created by individuals and by groups, are freely available. More recently, research on the effectiveness of simulations as teaching tools, particularly focused on the teaching of concepts, has been an area of interest. We have been using simulations at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) to help prepare students for the physics lab for the past five years. In work by others, simulations were used in the pre-laboratory work to prepare students on a conceptual level. In our case the simulations are used to help prepare students for the experimental aspect. The current work focuses on students' need to take data in the lab and how students can be prepared to efficiently obtain that data. (Contain 1 table and 1 figure.)