How to prepare for PG medical entrance exams

Angel · Jun 5, 2011

Gone are the days when MD/MS degrees were easily available after completion of MBBS. In India, some 50 years ago, its government used to send letters requesting MBBS graduates to come and join the PG course. Guess what? Many of them didn't turn up for PG training. For then MBBS was itself considered a complete degree and specialization unnecessary for routine clinical practice. Now the scenario has completely changed with the increase in the number of medical colleges and yearly output of MBBS graduates increasing year by year, the competition for the MD/MS/DNB degree has significantly increased. Current graduates and even MBBS students need to be aware of the competition and difficulty in getting post graduate degrees in Nepal or anywhere.

IOM PG entrance result 2011 has just published and only ~40 could get through the passing marks that includes 927 out of ~2400.

Since then I met few of my colleagues, all of them were determined that - they would definitely make it next year. I am not being more pessimistic but without dedication, devotion and persistence no one can make it even for 10 or more years from now. This is just a post result hang over. It may sound rude, but without hard work there is no pay back. If plan well, study continuously and avoid all distraction with full focus and concentration, then defiantly anyone can make it otherwise, words without action will yield no significant result.

This morning I was talking with one of my friend about preparing for exams and all for various modalities for most powerful and effective planing for goal oriented preparation. Which is time tested and mother of all preparation techniques. It would be useful to know about the key information that is needed for successful preparation, because your planning start with a thought and;

Thoughts become words
Words become actions
Actions become habits
Habits become character
And character becomes your destiny

Hence, even a thought can change your destiny. Therefore if you want to see your name in the top ranks, please consider all of the followings:

Shut down Computer (for un-necessarily spending time in FB and other useless net surfing)

Switch off your mobile

Ignore all family/friends' functions, celebration, get together

Quit the Job (many people will have their own perspective, unless work experience is required, otherwise forget about it no matter whatever your circle suggest you colleagues, senior or family - your aim is to score highest mark in the exam, not just to have pass mark)

Make a schedule and strictly follow regularly such as (you can adjust according to your convenience) everyday;

Sleep 8 hours

Study 12 hours (exam oriented books, practice lots of MCQs, past questions and use reference book if you get confused)

Lunch & Dinner (1+1) 2 hours

Discuss with friends, and get acquainted with current events 2 hours (talk with people who have make out in the recent exams, seek for tips tricks, suggestion and for their personal experiences)

Make a deadline and complete the task (study, revisions) as per the schedule

Saturday - catch up day, revision, recreation, fun (movie) etc. And Monthly wrap up.

Study Techniques - effective study is also an art, which we don't bother at all, go through, various approaches as mention here.

Whether you were topper or average during your MBBS is not that important, anyone can top the exams but you will have to do very serious hard work during your entrance preparation, that is counted a lot. And don't think you were not good in studies and thats why you couldn't make it, that is just a lazy excuse.

If you prepare your routine and follow strictly for a year, your name will be in top rank for sure be it Nepal (IOM, BPKIHS, KU) or Abroad (USMLE, AIIMS, PGI etc) exams. Believe me there will not be a miracle, only you can make it.

Remember: Its the average student who have topped most of the entrance examination. That shows, the dedication, devotion, persistance, focus, concentration and hard work in the moment (particular time frame) and zeal for achieving success can make anyone topper.

Here I am sharing similar information written just for you;

How to prepare for AIIMS and All India PG medical entrance exams

Congrats. You have decided to take the next step in your career. With the sprouting private medical colleges and the output of MBBS graduates increasing every year, the MBBS degree holders have a hard time in the job market. It is not uncommon for a classmate who chose engineering to get twice or thrice the salary than a MBBS doctor. One of the means of alleviating the situation is to get a post graduate degree. It is not easy though; there is a tough entrance exam ahead. As you plan to jump into PG prep mode it's worthwhile to look at some hard facts that might be helpful for most people.

Fact No: 1 – It is not about you but you RELATIVE to OTHERS.
Indian post graduate medical entrances are not designed to test your knowledge. I repeat 'Indian post graduate medical entrances are not designed to test your knowledge' but to eliminate thousands of aspirants and thereby select a very few. Keep this point in mind. This is the most important fact. This difference, though subtle has huge implications in the way you prepare for the exams. Once you get this into your brain a lot of things become easier. Testing a student's knowledge is different from eliminating potential aspirants.

Fact No: 2 – How do I get the top ranks in the entrance exams?
The answer – There is no magic. Chanting mystical incantations in the dark of the moon with a pentagram on the floor will not get you rank 1 in AIIMS or All India or PGI. Of course luck can play a role, but only to certain extent. The most important differentiator is the effort you put into your entrance exam preparation. Yeah, plain old hardwork.

Fact No: 3 – Repeat Questions.
For some strange reason, which most people couldn't understand, AIIMS examiners are prone to ask repeat questions. The percentage of repeat questions vary but it is safe to say it is generally in the range of 10-20% in major exams and upto 40% in some state exams. This has advantages and disadvantages from the individual student's perspective. Advantage is if he had bothered to check old question papers, he is bound to answer most of them correctly. Disadvantage is since most students are aware of the repeat questions, they too would get most of them correct. Most exam takers are happy when they see a repeat question in the real exam, more the repeat questions more the happiness. Unfortunately they miss what this exam is all about. It is about eliminating. It is not about you but you in relative to others.

Fact No: 4- Why it is important to answer all repeat questions correctly?
There is one peculiar problem which most students are unaware with regard to repeat questions. There is a standard statement in each question paper ' All question carry equal marks'. In truth this statement is only partially correct and rankwise patently false (all questions do not equally determine the rank). This can be understood by asking a simple question 'What happens if you answer some repeat question wrongly? The true answer is 'It is the worst thing you can do in the exam especially if you are a good student and expected to secure a rank'. Repeat questions are the easiest questions in the exam. In an exam designed to eliminate, answering an easy question wrongly has much more negative implications than answering a difficult question wrongly. Your rank doesn’t depend on how well you performed in the exam but on how well you performed RELATIVE to other test takers. To summarize 'answering a repeat question correctly doesn't improve your rank much but answering a repeat question wrongly drastically reduces your overall rank'.

Fact No: 5- Even bright students answer repeat questions wrongly.
Surprising as it may seem many students even the brightest get some of the repeat questions wrongly. The reasons could be anything from exam day stress to poor memory to confusion with a different concept/fact and overcritical thinking. To confirm this fact, you need go no further than the free daily exam series in www.emedicinelive.net which has most of the repeat question and still very few people score more than 80%.

Fact No:6 – Questions, Questions, Questions.
The more you attempt the better. Attempting atleast 200 questions daily and regularly is the easiest way to get top ranks. Attempting questions adds necessary knowledge, refreshes memory and corrects previously retained incorrect concepts and facts. www.emedicinlive.net is designed in such a way to help students learn easily. Make use of the resources provided in your aspiration to become the top rank holder.

Fact No: 7 – Patience
Unless you are a top student in the medical college, it is going to take some time before you become fit to score high ranks or even to secure a rank. No ranks or low ranks are expected in the initial stage of your preparation. These are normal and expected but many students get frustrated in this period. Medical science is vast and it takes time to become proficient in it. The most appropriate strategy is slow, steady, regular and consistent preparation.

Fact No: 8 – Focus and concentration.
A person however talented he may be, can't really do multiple things and deliver a quality outcome in everything. If you have decided to get a PG position, then it's your first priority and anything that takes your attention away from that goal is likely to affect your preparation. Some people may be lucky enough to not work and do full time preparation. But majority of the test takers work either as house surgeons or as duty medical officers. Regardless of what you do, focus and really concentrate on your prep. As you wake up in the morning, you should be thinking about what your preparation is going to be today. How much can I score in today's daily exams? How can I do better than yesterday?

Fact No: 9 – Believe in higher power.
No higher power is going to come and answer your paper in the exam. But there are all sort of unknown things like luck, intuition etc which no one knows for sure and may help you in the exam. Since the competition is very high, it's better to get everything on our side including the Almighty's blessings.

Fact No: 10 – eMedicineLive.NET can help you.
eMedicineLive is designed to help optimize your preparation and assess you every single day RELATIVE to other test takers around the country. Again it's not about how much you know in medicine rather how well you can answer the question COMPARED to OTHER TEST TAKERS. The key is not just you but you relative to others. We have provided free daily test series to assess yourselves relative to others. Try them and you will know how you will perform in the actual exam. As long as you follow clear principles and consistently work towards your goals, success should be at your doorstep. All the best. - source

For medical students

Start Preparing Early
It is better to start preparation for your PG entrance from the first day of medical college. First day is largely symbolic, underlying the emotional acceptance that once you landed in MBBs course, you are thinking 51/2 years ahead.

Do MCQ and Previous question papers
Multiple choice questions are a bit different from the routine theoretical questions asked in the undergraduate medical exams. Do more MCQs in your free time. There are several online resourses for medical MCQ including the one available at our website. - Source

We always say, we couldn't make it this time, better next time. But that next time never comes if you don't change your self for effective preparation. Again, there won't be any miracle unless you do hard work.

It is my strong believe (and it does) that everyone has got the tremendous potentials, it just need to be unpleased.

Even, you can do it, toppers are no different than you're.

Wish you all the best.

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How to prepare for PG medical entrance exams

Angel xenoMED

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How to prepare for PG medical entrance exams

Angel xenoMED

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