Revisions are essential for ensuring a good rank, says PrepLadder Alumini Dr. Vishnu Prasad (AIIMS PG Rank 2)

PrepLadder congratulates Dr. Vishnu Prasad on achieving this unbelievable success. We wish him all the best for his career and future success. Here are some excerpts from his exclusive interview with PrepLadder in which he shares his preparation strategy.

Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

Hi, I'm Dr. Vishnu Prasad P, did my MBBS from AIIMS, New Delhi. I secured rank 2 in AIIMS Nov 2017 PG entrance.

What do you think is the correct approach to study for AIIMS PG? Only MCQ's or Theory+MCQ's?

I would say a quick revision of theory followed by MCQs would be the ideal method of preparation. It would be appropriate to spend 6-7 hrs for theory revision and 1-2 hrs for solving MCQs daily. The reason being that while solving MCQs, you get to know whether your preparation is adequate or not. Also, you will get an idea about which all are the hot topics that are repeatedly asked in the exams.

When should the preparation ideally be started?

A good time for starting preparation is during your internship. This becomes especially important while considering the fact that around 20-25 questions asked the AIIMS entrance were based on practical clinical knowledge. You don't have to prepare separately for PG entrance during MBBS, just make your concepts clear while studying for your professional examinations.

Please list the books you studied for each subject.

I have read the books written by the following authors- Anatomy- Across, Kaushal sir's class notes + pics in Moore's anatomy Physiology- Soumen Manna + graphs in Ganong Biochemistry- Kaplan Pathology and Pharmacology- GRG + Pics in Robbins Microbiology- Rachna Chaurasia + Chatterjee for parasitology Forensic- Sumit Seth Medicine- Bhatia's medicine simplified + Dr.Thameem notes Surgery- Amit Ashish Pediatrics- Deepak Marwah Obs Gynae, ENT- Sakshi Arora PSM- Vivek Jain Ophthalmology- Ruchi Rai Orthopedics- Apurv Mehra Radio- Sumer Sethi Anaesthesia- Ajay Yadav

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?

No, this is the first time I have attempted the exam.

How big is the role of practice and revision while preparing for AIIMS PG and how much time should be dedicated for it?

It takes 7-8 months to revise the whole syllabus if you are devoting 6-8 hrs per day. Then give 2 months for another revision at 10 hrs per day, and do the final revision in the last 2 weeks prior to the exam to brush up all the subjects. You need not memorize every detail about a particular subject, just give more importance to the hot topics that are repeatedly asked. You should be able to recall, whatever you have studied, on the day of the exam. So, atleast 3 revisions would be essential for ensuring a good rank. There are many test series available online. Subscribe any one of them and do one grand test every 2 weeks. Unless you give mock tests, you would fumble in the real exam.

Did PrepLadder play a part in your success? If yes, how?

Yes. The daily questions and image based questions posted in the Facebook groups were very useful during my preparation.

Did you use a time table/study plan to keep your preparation on track?

Yes. I planned the 10 months I had in my hand in such a way that I could revise the whole syllabus thrice. Following is the plan I used- Anatomy, Pathology, Pharma, Medicine, Surgery-3 weeks each Physio, Biochem, Microbiology, Paeds, OBG, PSM-2 weeks each Forensic, Optha, ENT, Ortho, Derma, Psychi, Anasthesia, Radiology- 1 week each

Were you a topper or a mediocre student during MBBS?

I wasn't a topper in any of the subjects during MBBS. You need not be a topper to secure a good rank in PG entrance. Being a topper definitely gives you an edge, but your final rank will be decided by the effort you put in during your preparation.

List the most difficult and easiest subjects for you.

I did not find the content in any of the subjects too difficult or too easy. This is because if your concepts are strong, then the subject becomes easy. But certain subjects which are difficult, owing to their vast content, are- pharma, anatomy, pathology, medicine, surgery. The easier ones with least content are-psychi, anaesthesia, biochem, forensic. Rest of the subjects have an intermediate amount of content.

One mistake that you believe everyone must avoid while preparing for AIIMS PG.

My advice would be to use only one guide book for each subject, and use the same book for all your revisions. Using more than one guide book, or even using big standard books for revision would be time consuming and won't offer much benefit.

What was your exam taking strategy? How many questions did you attempt in AIIMS PG?

I planned the number of questions I would do in each hour. I divided 200 questions into 70-70-60 for the 3 hrs. By doing so, I was able to get 5 mins in the end for the review of questions, which I had marked for review. I attempted a total of 198 questions. I would say that the number of questions that you attempt should be atleast 190, if you are aiming for a rank within the top 100. It is important to understand that you will not be able to answer all 200 questions with 100% confidence irrespective of how well you prepare. There may be around 40 questions in which you will be able to rule out 2 options, and you are confused between just 2 options. In such cases, you should go for an answer rather than leaving it unanswered for the fear of negative marks.

Some last tips for our readers preparing for PG?

My final advice would be to build up confidence before you start your preparation, and keep it high throughout. Understand that any rank can be achieved if your method of preparation is correct. Two things that are extremely essential are- 1) revision 2) mock tests. So, wishing everyone all the best!! :) Thank you Dr. Vishnu Prasad for your most valuable strategies for AIIMS PG entrance exam! Keep Following PrepLadder for more updates!!