MDS ENTRANCE : How to Prepare Part 3

In this part we will be discussing some major DO’s & DON’Ts  of MDS PG Entrance Exams

• If you had earlier studied in groups during your undergraduate days – follow it.
• If you had studied alone during your undergraduate days – follow it
• If you used to read in Library during your undergraduate days – follow it
• If you used to read in your room during your undergraduate days – follow it
• If you used to read watching TV during your undergraduate days – follow it

• A discussion of 2 hours a day will be enough initially. ( When you allot more than 2 hours the discussion will drift to extra curricular topics)
• In the last month, you can discuss upto 3 to 4 hours a day
• Choose a subject and then a topic and one person discuss it each day
• If the same group also works out MCQs, don’t do both in the same time
• First Discuss and then go to MCQs

Assumed Advantages by Reading in Cities

• Some people talk of a “trend” – There is nothing like that.
• In today’s era of Communication, there is no advantage in city life. All the notifications, current trends can be had from the internet.
• I Personally feel that this present trend is the same one which was 7 to 8 years ago for Entrance Exams after XII Standard – you will get medical and engineering seat only if you study in Cities – Now we know for sure that, that idea was absurd

Disadvantages in Cities

• Lodging – minimum Rs 500 per month
• Food – minimum Rs 1300 per month
• Other expenses – Rs 400 per month
• Water – Hope you are aware of the Water Scarcity in Cities.
• Travel & Phoning home – Even if you visit your home once a month – Rs 1000
• Totally you spend Rs 3000 per month ie Nearly 40,000 per year for no obvious benefit
• Note - Petrol Charges not included

• There are a lot of coaching programs and you can enroll in any one of them. And after a long toil at this circuit what I could conclude was that as far as the papers ( ie notes / study materials/question papers / high yield points etc ) are concerned, in majority of cases, it is almost the same as SARP/ PARAS / Bhatia/ Salgunan / PG Plus/ Dharmendra Sharma Crash Course/ Mudit Khanna / Tapas-Arun Yadav/ Various Pretests etc
• The notes of the coaching program and the MCQ books are nearly equa but when you attend the “CLASSROOM” COACHING, it will be beneficial. In fact the only thing that seems as an advantage is the classroom coaching.
• So if you want any advantage, please don’t look at the previous years “papers” – notes/test explanations – you are going to get those details from the books you normally refer.
• It is the class room coaching / lectures that you are spending your/your parents’ hard earned Rs 20000 or 30000 in any coaching class
• So if you are joining make sure that you will be attending all the classes or you can very well read with the standard books.
• In South India, Kottayam is a good choice

• Pre Exam – (Before the day of exam)
• o       Before 1 month
• o       During the last month
• o       During the last week
• o       During the last day
• Per Exam – (On the Exam day)
• o       Before you enter the hall
• o       In the hall
• Post Exam – (After the Exam day)

As you go through the following paragraph, you may come across certain facts which are Extra Academic and may appear insignificant or “childish” to you and you may like to skip those. I feel that advices regarding the MCQs are available freely every where and it is these “small things” that are taken for granted. Nevertheless, they are important and they are given here because I know at least one person who suffered because he/she didn’t do one of those “trivial” things.

• Plan your time
• Read Daily. But if you are working and have a tight routine You can read more one day and less another day, but don’t skip a day
• Divide your time available for that day into 3 parts
• o       Read the Text books first
• o       Then read the notes
• o       And work out MCQs
• These three are to be done daily and it is better if different subjects are done for each
• What not to be done : Don’t allow a day to pass without reading at least one hour

• Keep the last 1 month for revision
• And you should spend a Minimum 20 hours a week, and If you can spend more than that it is well and good
• Calculate how much time in hours you now have at your disposal. You will be surprised to see that you have lots and lots of time, but when you start to allot it to your subjects that is not enough!!

• If the exam centre is a different place, BOOK Your Tickets for your travel. Remember that you are not the only person appearing for this exam
• Start Revision
• o       Pharmac and Biochem should be revised 2 times and it is better if you start them first
• o       And topics like Embryology and Nerve Supply in Anatomy, Enzymes and Metabolism in Biochem, General Pharmacology, Culture Media in Micro, Growth and Development in Paediatrics, Fetal Skull and Diameters of Pelvis in OG, Values in SPM are to be studied again and again
• o       The list given is just to give you an idea about is not exhaustive. In short the topics that “you” easily forget are to be read more than once in the last month
• What not to be done : Don’t Read any new topics
• And I think that you are not a kid for us to advice you to Skip 3Cs Cricket, Cinema and Celebrations during this last month

Extra Academic

• Decide where you are going to stay. Get those facts right now before one week.
• Check whether you have got your hall ticket. If not communicate to the concerned authorities. Read the details given in the hall ticket and the prospectus ONCE AGAIN.
• Does the exam need Pen or Pencil. Get 2 (or 3) pens ready. If the exam needs pencil, get 2 pencils, an eraser (which does not leave mark on the paper – check it now – not on the answer sheet) and a sharpener.
• Pack these and the hall ticket and anything you may need and (if you have a special dress for exams, as most people have – pack that too) now itself. Keep your journey (to and fro) ticket along with these.
• To search for all these just 1 hour before the start of the journey is not going to do your confidence any good. Don’t leave these vital things which (may appear insignificant now, but will occupy the whole of your mind , if not properly planned for and) may significantly affect your PERFORMANCE

Academic

• Take an old question paper of the exam you are going to attend Lock yourself inside a room. Try to complete the paper in the prescribed time Correct the paper with the Standard Text book and not with the key given in the MCQ book itself. Now concentrate on your MISTAKES. They are more important at this stage. You will now know your “Achilles heel”. Don’t repeat it in the exam.
• Don’t care about the answers you got right. You will get it right again in your exam !!
• What not to be done : Don’t waste your time to topics like “the question will be tough”,  “the question will be easy!, “the question is out !!”,  “he/she is not here – gone to get the question paper!!!”
• Listen to only Academic discussions…… If you are preparing with a group, it is better to get away from the group and become “solitary” in the final week. It may sound odd, but this is a practical problem and I have seen most aspirants getting depressed after hearing such kinds of news.

• Take rest !! If you have traveled a long distance, try and get a good sleep. Revise those facts which you find hard to remember , especially the numeric values, investigations, syndromes, etc. Go to bed early

What not to be done : Don’t try to read more points by forgoing your sleep on this particular day In addition to you recent memory (which you will by reading the whole night) for a good performance you need certain other skills like remote memory, analytical skills, speed, decision making the next say. And to get all these at the zenith is to have a good sleep.

• Get to the exam centre early at least 1 ½ hours before the start of the exam. Check that your number is displayed in the notice board. Some times 2 schools / colleges with identical names (or a main school and the branch) will be centers and the Auto Rickshaw will take you to the other center – for example, Kendriya Vidyalaya or SBOA - I was once forced to see many a SBOA School in Chennai just before the start of the exam at the eleventh hour. Get out of the campus and wait outside.Check your purses/wallets and make sure that there are no bits of papers (which you might have kept long time back) inside that might create problems with a checking squad

• First Write your register number looking at it from the Hall ticket (and not from your memory – however good your memory is) and then shade accordingly
• Then shade the Question Paper Code, if any. If there any other paper work do it. Read the instructions in the question paper / answer paper. What not to be done : Don’t leave the important details like register number question paper code blank and start with the questions right away. You may commit a mistake (which may be fatal) when you shade these things later “in a hurry”.
• Mark the answers in the Q.Paper as you read the questions. When you have completed a batch of 25 (or 50) quesitons transform the answers to the answer sheet

Write the details on the rough sheet and work systematically. If you know an alternate way of working that particular problem try that also and check whether the solutions tally.

What not to be done : Don’t do mental calculations or try from you memory.

Relax ! Try to recollect the questions. It is better if you do it as a group. Contibute the questions to any internet discussion group

Work out the answers. Try to find out how much you might score. Wait for the result !!!

What not to be done : Don’t try argue over few questions that might be ambiguous
To Conclude

The lines you have read so far are not for advising you

They are to point out to you some facts

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