"Just devote yourself to your aim," says Dr. Deepak Garg (PGI May Rank-4)

PrepLadder congratulates Dr. Deepak Garg on securing All India Rank-4 in PGI May 2019. We wish him all the best for his career and future ahead. To find out how he achieved this incredible feat, we spoke to him and tried to understand what it takes to attain such a rank. We would like to share the excerpts from his interview so that we can all learn from his experience and use it to score our mark. Hello, please tell us something about yourself. Hello everyone. I am Dr. Deepak Garg. I have done my graduation from Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak.  I have recently scored Rank 4 in PGI May 2019. What do you think is the correct approach to study for PG entrance exams? Only MCQ's or Theory+MCQ's? According to me, a combined approach of Theory+ MCQs is required to excel in PG entrance exams. A concept usually gets repeated. Therefore, it is always better to get a stronghold on theory and build concepts first and then follow it up by practicing MCQs. How many options did you mark in the exam? I marked around 600 questions in the exam. Many students say that PGI exam is lengthy. Did you have a strategy to complete the exam on time? Yes, it was lengthy. What all is needed for this was a lot of time-bound question paper solving practice and thorough study of textbooks and Manoj Chaudhary, and also a bit of luck too. When should the preparation ideally be started? Actually, the time of preparation should depend on the individual itself. There is no ideal time as such. There are people who start late but secure a very good rank. All you need is devotion. How you study and with how much efficiency you study is all that matters. Whenever you start just put your heart and soul into it. Please list the books you studied for each subject. Anatomy- Grey's Physio- Ganong Biochem- Harper Patho- Robbins Pharma- KD Tripathi and some topics from Katzung Micro- Ananthnarayan Forensic- Reddy Ophthalmology- Parsons, Khurana ENT- Dhingra PSM- Park Medicine- Harrison's Surgery- Baily Gyne and Obs- Dutta and Shaw Pediatrics- Ghai Ortho- Maheshwari Anesthesia- Notes Derma- Saurav Jindal Radio- Sumer Sethi Psychiatry- Sachin Arora Have you attempted any PG exam previously? If yes, what were your ranks then and what did you do different this time that lead to your success? I had attempted the following exams previously: NEET-PG 2019- 402 AIIMS Nov 2018- 743 PGI Nov 2018- 73 JIPMER Dec 2018- 106 Frankly speaking, I haven’t done anything much different this time. I just concentrated on practicing more & more. How big is the role of practice and revision while preparing for PG entrance and how much time should be dedicated to it? Actually, practicing a lot of questions filters your revised topics and makes you alert of your most common mistakes. All you need is to make a proper balance between the two according to your own capabilities. Did PrepLadder play a part in your success? If yes, how? Yes, PrepLadder played a big role in my success. PrepLadder subject apps made it a lot easier to prepare for the exam. I had subscribed to 9 individual subject apps- Biochem, Physio, Obs & Gynae, Ortho, FMT, Anatomy, Psychiatry, ENT, Ophtha. The lectures are awesome & every doctor has put an effort to make the subject interesting & easy in their own way. I just loved Dr. Smily’s lectures. Did you use a time table/study plan to keep your preparation on track? Actually, I didn't had any plan. I just followed a basic principle of completing the 1^st thing and then proceeding to the next. One gets in love with the subject if you study a subject in such a way. Were you a topper or a mediocre student during MBBS? I was a normal student who used to be in touch with the subject through standard books and focused on clearing concepts. List the most difficult and easiest subjects for you. I felt Ophthalmology to be the most difficult and Pathology to be the easiest. One mistake that you believe everyone must avoid while preparing for PG entrance exams. Don't read too much from here and there. Just be clear from which one place you have to study a particular subject. How many options did you attempt in PGI exam? Share some details about your exam taking strategy. Approx 600. Don't waste much time on questions you are not familiar with. Just keep going with a pace and staying calm even if you can't answer some questions. Some last tips for our readers preparing for PG? Just devote yourself to your aim. Your heart and soul should be there for your goal only.. rest everything you should put aside for the time being. All the very best to the PG aspirants. Thank you so much. We thank Dr. Garg for sharing his success story. Best Wishes With Love, Team PrepLadder