Many of us here wonder how the rankers get those ranks..most of us want to hear their methods so that we too can follow. And most of the rankers are unanimous on what got them the rank....the books, the hours of study, group discussions, mock tests..... I present here a different perspective...my own expreience
First of all, let me state that the methods adopted by me are high risk...low gaurantee. The conventional tips are the best. But like me there woudl be many who can't follow them. These tips are for them....to boost their confidence when they try to be different.
Lemme first give a background of myself. I finished my MBBS in 2002 n have been working since then, including 2 yrs in Saudi, n apart from reading Harrison hear n there, I have been totally out of touch with books for all these years. So my tips would serve those more like me best.
The things i did for this AIPME are:
Joined a coaching centre..nothing big shot. A college based coaching centre intended for the inters. I just wanted to get an orientation.
Knowing I cannot sit at home n read for 12-14 hours daily for 8-10 mnths, I quit my job only in the end of August.
Didn't go shopping for each n every entrance guide in the market...coz I knew I wont finish them. Stuck to the basics...Muditn Ashish, Salgunan n AmitAshish Medicine for PGMEE
Utilised the college library for reading...not as much to read texts as to read the notes and to keep myself away from distractions at home.
Because it had been so long since I had read all those texts, particularly the boring ones like BDC and Tripathi, didn't try to read any text cover to cover.
Stuck to notes n MK/AG n Salgunana + backreferral from texts.
Didn't go for Combined study because...for 1 I'm not very comfortable with it and of course no1 I knew was taking AIPGME 08. (most are taking DM?MCh entrances though)
Stayed at home...the benefits being proper diet n low costs. The flip side is I had to run errands at home... n couldnt slink away from marriages n guests n friends etc. But I thought it was worth the negatives.
The Texts I read are:
Harrison : Lots of backreferral. Extensively from selected topics.
Baily n Love: Extensive backreferral.
Park: Read extensively....almost all 60%-70% of it at least once..fast reading
Ghai: Extensive backreferrral of topics often repeated.
Father Robins: primarily backreferral but extensive reading from the general patho part.
Micro : Extensively backreffered Bacteriology n Immunology.
Vasudevan/Sreekumari(Biochem)--Selected reading of cycles, metabolism etc.
Ganong: Selected reading n backreferral.
ENT, Opthal, FM: Not much. Only to clear doubts in notes.
BDC Not much. Tried to....but couldn't. Its too damn boring.
Tripathi : Same. Too damn boring. But had to backrefer a lot. n it's confusing. I used Harrison for most of the Antibiotics n AntiCancer.
Skin: Fast reading n note making out of Pavitran.
No texts for FM, Anaesth, Radio: Only notes
I must add that the notes of the coaching classes were good n I read them through n through.
Schedule:
Not much of a disciplined reader. Managed 10 hours on very few really good days. Usually was stuck at 7-8 hours on most days...n 4-5 lots of days. Tried to read at least a couple of hours on the really bad days.
Timetable:
No defenite hard n fast timetable. But never stay stuck with a subject...not for more than 3 days at a stretch.
Recreation:
went for occassional movies wen really low, watched tv, read newspapers, internet n chat including offbeating in rxpg. went for weddings too.
Revision:
I couldn't revise as much as i wanted. I regret it. It's very important to revise...More important than reading new topics in the last one mnth at least.
So friends, to all those who despair looking ahead n thinking how am I going to do what everyone says i shoud do...I say...dont worry. The key is giving it the best effort u can everyday. You cant plan it for the next one yaer n stick to it. Take it month by month..week by week...day by day.
Think positive. Say to urself..if this guy/gal can...so can I. When you feel low...look into a mirror n give yourself a BIG smile. Believe me..it helps. Stay connected to the world.
Assess yourself....but dont take a too big a bite in the begining....start with low expectations at your retention capacity. Remember..no1 remembers everything. And no1 remmebers anything they read only once 10 mnths down the line.
The beauty of AIPGME is that you needn't know everything to answer questions. All thats needed is you should know what might be the answer n what might not be. Thats where text reading helps....you would think it's a waste of time..but text stays somewhere in your memory...which just might help you rule out an option.
And get familiar with as many questions as u can. When u go thru a lot of questions, you get to see the mind of the examiner...see what he wants usually. See what words lead you to the answer....eg: Always, Most common/rare, more in Male/Female, More in Young/Old, Assossiated with low/high risk. This helps in making an educated guess.
I would again stress...These tips are Low Gaurantee and High Risk. I did this because I was totally not into entrances because of the long gap. My aim was DNB which I cleared. If you only want MD/MD, kindly follow the advice of the rankers...you would notice that they are almost identical.
This is just to let those who are feeling that AIPGME is not in their destiny know that there is always hope. There is not only one way of doing it...Afterall, if u only want to get path/or SPM, even a 2000+ rank will be enough right?
Remember, If I can do it....anyone can. This is just a positive message....one that says....Trust yourself. Believe in your capabilities. Give it a decent try. Take things one at a time, Think positive, Stay on course you chart for yourself. And when u stay in that course, your confidence grows. In the end, luck is a very big factor n to make use of the luck u need to have some effort from your side....If things u read well come up, u'll be in the list, Right?
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