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How to prepare best: Every medico dreams of joining postgraduate course and specialise in a field of his interest.

This can be made possible by skilful preparation combined with a satisfactory scheme for mastering the subjects. You need to know: All PG Entrance Examining Boards have not given the same priority for each speciality, as shown in the table of `Speciality wise analysis of MCQs. The weightage given to Medicine, Surgery, Community Medicine including Family planning and Obstetrics & Gynecology is more when compared to others. This clearly shows that one must have thorough preparation of these subjects followed by outstanding preparation. At the same, time the Basic Sciences (preclinical and paraclinical) and the Specialities cannot be neglected. The level of preparation should be, atleast, well above average . More time should be devoted to all these subjects as it is crucial in deciding one's fate. Some key subjects like pharmacology might be studied thoroughly, because questions on drugs may be asked from most of the above specialities. Your Friend in Need: Davidson`s Medicine, Baily & Love`s Surgery, Clinical Methods (Hutchinson`Medicine & Das Surgery), Shaws Gynaecology, Parsons Ophthalmology, Logan Turners ENT Diseases, Robins Pathology, Parks PSM and other standard textbooks can prove to be your friend in need.. Read these books with an objective mind, interpreting every passage as to how an MCQ can possibly be given on it. Read also Textbooks and study reviews on these subjects for thoroughness. While going through the text books, make a note of the characteristic features, diagnostic findings, most common events, pathognomomic features, initial and important or cardinal symptoms and signs,, common syndromes, common triads, complications (specific), common clinical tests, laboratory investigations, normal clinical values and their pathological state, serum enzymes and when they will increase and decrease, laws, rules, phenomena, basic principles, the exceptions, the rare events etc. In the same way if you bring the similarities to one place and read them, you can remember them better. For example Rib notching is seen in coarctation of aorta,Postoperative (Blalock shunt), Intercostal neuroma, AVM of lung or chest wall, SVC obstruction, Neurofibromatosis etc. TECHINIQUES OF WRITING OBJECTIVE TYPE TESTS Every question has a definite point which must be discovered before any

answer can be attempted by the candidate.. The methods described here largely depend on your individuality, your confidence and your familiarity with MCQs. And you will know which is the best for you. HOW TO ANSWER MCQs IN THE EXMINATION HALL? Very simple. Multiple Choice Questions can be approached in 5 methods. You have 5 most useful methods of answering MCQs By following these techniques, you will be able to get the best possible results. 1. Tips on answering MCQ by knowing the right choice or 100% correct method: Here you are familiar with the question as well as the answer. While reading the question twice in the examination hall, the answer must strike in your mind like a flash without going through various options. 2. Elemination extraction method or 50% correct method: Here you are not familiar with the question but familiar with the answers (at least three of them). That is, when you know that three answers, out of four, are not the correct ones, then take the remaining one as correct. 3. When should you attempt all questions: There could be a situation where you are not at all familiar either with the question or with the answer bits. If there are no minus marks for wrong answering, you should attempt every question, even if you do not know the correct answer. 4. Elimination method or 25% correct method: If you cannot identify the correct answer, use your common sense and eliminate 3 answers, one by one, which you think are far away from being right and mark the only remaining one as the probable right answer. 5. First guess is the best guess: For questions to which the answers are not known to you, the rule of the thumb is, the first guess is the best guess. DOs & DONTs IN THE EXAMINATION HALL: The only way to score well in an MCQ type examination is to know or to be able to reason out, the correct answer to questions. How to tackle an MCQ question? The most important requirement of this type of test is accuracy. An answer to a question should be accurate. As there are more than one possible answers of similar nature to a question, one is required to select the most accurate answers. For this it is essential that the questions as well as all their answers are read very carefully. One must never forget the exact language of the question in judging various answers. IT IS BETTER TO READ A QUESTION TWICE- first at the beginning and then again after reading all answers. The continuity between the question and the answer should never be missed. Time given to answer: It has been observed that many people leave a number of questions

unanswered owing to lack of time. Speed should not be a great problem in this examination, as a candidate of average level can answer all the questions within the stipulated time. It is therefore suggested that unnecessary wasting of time is to be avoided.. Time Management: i) In the Karnataka PG Medical Entrance Test, MEDPET, AIIMS Test, etc., 200 questions are to be answered in 3 hours. In order to utilise time properly one may divide the given time into six equal parts, each 30 minutes; and 1/5th of the questions (i.e. 40 MCQs) should be answered during each part of that time. ii) In the All India PG Medical Entrance Test (either paper I or paper II) or Nizams Institute of Medical Science (NIMS) PG Entrance Test 150 questions are to be answered in 2 hours. In order to utilise time properly one may divide the given time into 4 equal parts each 30 minutes; and 40 to 50 MCQs should be answered during each part of that time. Follow this: In the above said two examinations, after every half an hour one may have to check time and adjust his speed to cover all the questions. One may plan this time in such a manner that the initial 5 minutes are spent in reading the instructions and the remaining 25 minutes are utilized for answering the omitted questions, and for giving an over all view of the whole paper. Usually two methods are followed to answer the MCQS. You can adopt any method of your choice. a. Serial Approach 1st method It is suggested that questions be answered in the serial order in which they are given. It is not proper to leave the questions, for which answers are not known, thinking that they can be attempted later. This leads to consumption of more time as the candidate will have to read the questions again. Moreover the process of finding out the questions, which have been left unanswered in the first round, will further cut into his time as he will have to pick up such questions from every page of the booklet b. Familiarity approach 2nd method In this type of test all questions are equally important, as they carry equal marks. Therefore the candidate should not spend too much time on any one question., If you find any particular question difficult, omit it and answer the next. If you have time after answering the questions in a particular test, you may look back to the unanswered questions and answer them. To get the maximum benefit of time, you should answer the test with full concentration. It will be a waste of time, if you indulge in activities like, talking to the invigilators, looking around to see what is happening and so on.

STEPS TO SUCCESS: Reach the examination hall before time. Ensure that you carry your hall ticket, pens, etc. Be cool and calm before and during the examination, so that you may be in the best of spirits and face the examination confidently. 1. Read carefully and follow the instructions given in the question paper. 2. Take care and mark only in one answer-box for each question. If you mark more than one answer for any question, your answer will be treated as invalid. 3. If you omit a question, because you think it is difficult, be sure that you mark the next answer in the space against the right serial number of that question. Do not mark the wrong boxes in confusion. 4. Attempt all questions if there is no negative marking. For unknown answers, do not guess blindly if there are negative marks. 5. Keep track of the time and use it judiciously.

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