Every year millions of students aspiring to get a ’Dr.’ in front of their name go through the rigors and grinds of Medical Entrance Examinations like CBSE PMT/PDT, RPMT etc. This review is based on my personal experiences and my analyses of my friends’ (of Medical stream) attempts.
Firstly
One needs to be highly motivated. You can not expect to attain the level of devotion that such entrances require unless you’re motivated from the inside. I am yet to see a student attain academic success at this level because of forced study. So the question arises, how to get motivated? Think what spurs you on to study? Peer talk? Parental’ counselling? Eduacational literature? Biographies? Choose whatever suits you.
Planning
This seems to be a boring and sometimes even unyielding a task but it can make you or break your preparations. Plan your studies on a monthly or weelky basis. Write your schedule at a place from where you can readily retrieve it. Take into account all the interruptions (like functions, gatherings and the like). Make your plan in a way that you complete your syllabus at least 2 months before the exams. Why? Read on. Also, each morning set yourself goals that you seek to achieve and then work hard to achieve them.
Books
Be selective in choosing the books. Never go in for more than 2 books for a subject/topic. And do not get intimidated by the bulk of the study material. If you plan well and remain selective, you’ll complete all of it. Read from the standard recommended books and take advice on buying books from peers and relatives but go for only one book as the main line of attack for concepts building and one another for extra reference or problems. Always try to complete a book rather than leaving three incomplete. If you are preparing for CBSE PMT, select books which will give you enough practice in subjective questions especially numericals. Solving objective types is easier but the hard stuff is where the losers stop!
Coaching
This is a highly situation specific topic. Always think a hundred times before taking admission. Will it be of real help? If yes, will it help you in an area where you can’t help yourself? Will it take too much time? Are you going in because you don’t want to miss out? Read my review on coaching institutions if you need more help.
How many hours should I devote every day?
Many people believe that one should study ’topicwise’ and not ’hourwise’. I beg to differ. I believe you should set yourself a target of say 8-10 hours of regular study. Make your daily targets in each subject accordingly. As for the individual subjects, you should try to be flexible in allotting time and give preference to the topics that you wish to complete.
Should I study with my friends?
The choice is yours. But will this proposition really help you? Will it save your time? Will you be able to resist the temptations that come with it? After answering these questions, if you find that it’ll benefit you, I see no harm in going the whole hog.
Misc.
Always proceed with all three subjects every day. It maintains a regularity in your preparations and you don’t have to go back to earlier studied topics that frequently.
During the last 2 months of your preparations, solve as many test-papers as you can. Enroll in a test series if possible. It will give you the familiarity and experience of actual test conditions and format.
Use Sundays for revision of whatever you’ve learnt over the week. Since the syllabus is huge, revision is of high priority.
TV, sports, gossips are luxuries that presently you can’t afford. Occasional deviation from this is okay but demarcate your boundaries clearly.
You’ll have to take some tough and straight decisions and then stick to them, but then what’s a challenge if it is slick easy?!
I hope this review was of help.
-Rahul-