Consistent hardwork and smart work are important for succeeding in pg entrance exams. There is absolutely no substitute. It is very important not to lose focus and not to feel low if exam results don’t go as per ones’ liking. Giving many exams is very imp. Whether it may be mock exams or real exams. It is always a good habit to come back from exams and recall questions and find ans to new questions..A lot of collateral reading is done in the process which will really help in the long run. I think it is good to keep one exam in mind and continuously work towards cracking that exam.

To be honest ive always doubted my abilities and I had never imagined that success would meet me in such magnitude. But teachers, friends and family were there for support and they encouraged a lot, kept me motivated and inspired. i was never a topper at undergraduate level, my scores would be between 60-67 percent. But now I realize that ug and pg prep are totally different..and toppers there may not necessarily be toppers here. So one must never doubt ones ability as it doesn’t take high IQ to crack exams…just perseverance..

If one is starting preparations afresh after internship I think one needs to devote all the time in hand towards studying. Depending on your speed number of hours spent with books should be individualized to anywhere between 13-17hrs. For students who ve been studying from ug days it is very important to use all the time during internship to consolidate what one has learnt and give your best at the exams soon after internship.

After all india exam results I took a break for about 45 days. I started serious preparation towards the end of march.. and by second week of april I was back to studying like before- almost 16hrs/day

Yes volatile memory has always been an issue..lol. revision alone helps to overcome the problem. I would make notes and flash cards for all important and high yield topics. Did that specifically for topics asked previously in pgi. Also made charts and mnemonics to revise topics in anatomy pharmac and psm. Eg branches of internal iliac artery, subclavian axillary artery etc. staging of tumors in surgery and gynaecology Discussing with friends is a nice and fun way to learning and I would discuss a lot with my friends vishrut and deepa. Whatever I discussed I would retain for longer.

Studying had become the only thing I was doing for most of last year. Ive made lots of sacrifices to achieve success. I stopped playing my favourite sport basketball and would just wake up everyday start studying and do the same until bedtime…but yet it was always difficult to stick to timetable and finish whatever I wanted to for that day…

There is no shortcut, so work as hard as possible to get your dream subject in the best colleges in the country. I think prayer, blessings and good wishes from elders and seniors go along way..

I read Lippincott for biochemistry, revised genetics just before the exam since it is a hot topic for pgi exam. Robbins I read general pathology and hematology. Ganong for most of physiology. Harrison- imp topics that are frequently asked and I went through the tables. While revising I could only go through selected tables.

Day before exam it is important to read volatile topics and topics frequently asked. For eg developmental milestones in pediatrics, derivatives of neural crest, congenital adrenal hyperplasia , immunology in patho, tumors in surgery and gynaec. sleep well before the exam.. I never did that until the last exam, which fetched me a single digit rank.

I started from question one and ended with 250. Friends had told me that I needed to progress at the rate of 40 question per half hour.

I would feel low. I would think of seniors who had fulfilled their dreams and I would imagine myself having secured the top rank to keep myself inspired. or just talk to a few friends who would just tell me to hang in there. I am really thankful to all my close friends for that.