Work Hard in a Smart Way, says PrepLadder alumni Dr. Salman (NEET PG Rank 157)

PrepLadder congratulates Dr.  Salman Mapara on securing AIR 157 in NEET PG 2017. We wish him all the best for all his career and future ahead. In this exclusive conversation with PrepLadder, Dr. Salman shares the strategy that worked for him in achieving this incredible feat.

Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

Hello. My name is Dr. Salman Mapara. I graduated from Grant Medical College and JJ Hospitals, Mumbai. I secured AIR 157 in NEET PG 2017.

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

It should be MCQ +THEORY. I followed ANTEGRADE method from 1^st to 3^rd year and followed RETROGRADE Method i.e. MCQs followed by Theory for the Final year.

When should the preparation ideally be started?

I started for PG preparation from my Final year. Ideally, the preparation should commence as early as 3^rd Minor. Reading Good Books to build concepts is important in the Final year rather than going for MCQs. During the Internship, MCQs should be practiced and queries should be resolved from Standard Textbooks and not from Google. A strong Theory and base helps crack new MCQs and Image Based questions.

Please list the books you studied for each subject.

For Final year-

• Medicine- Harrison’s volume 2
• Blood, Miscellaneous, Skin and Psychiatry - Mathews
• Surgery- SRB Manual
• Few Topics like Breast, Burn and Shock - Love Belly
• Pediatrics - O.P. Ghai and Few Topics from Amit Tripathi & Ashish Gupta
• Gynaecology - Sakshi Arora
• Obstetrics - D.C. Dutta and Sakshi Arora
• Orthopedics - Maheshwari

For PG:

• Anatomy - Amit Tripathi & Ashish Gupta
• Biochemistry - R James
• Physiology - Amit Tripathi & Ashish Gupta
• Pathology - Devesh Mishra
• Microbiology - Apurva Sastry
• Forensic Medicine - Sumit Seth
• Preventive & Social Medicine - Vivek Jain
• Ophthalmology - Ruchi Rai
• ENT- Manisha Buddhiraja
• Skin and Anaesthesia - Amit Tripathi & Ashish Gupta
• Radiology - Rajat Jain
• Psychiatry - Praveen Tripathi
• Surgery- Pritesh Singh
• Medicine - Class Notes only
• Pediatrics - Deepak Marwah
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology - Sakshi Arora
• Orthopedics - OPQR and ODD by Dr. Apurv Mehra
• Pharmacology - Garg plus with all my class notes
• Image Based questions - Class Notes and Harrisons and Robbins Few chapters

I didn’t go for year wise Question Banks since I found it as wastage of time.

Have you attempted PGMEE previously? If yes, what did you do different this year that lead to your success.

No, this was my 1^st Attempt

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

Read, Understand, Revise and Remember - Revision is the key. I did 2 rounds of Revision before the final exam. Examine your Speed, Capacity and understanding of your MBBS knowledge and accordingly select a branch and work towards it. You need to "Work HARD but in a SMART Way” At least 2 to 4 revisions are required. I studied maximum 10hrs/day in the last 2 months else it is 7 to 9 hours depending on postings. But it varies from person to person. Select the best suitable for you.

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

Yes, PrepLadder’s Free Mock Tests organized at All India level prior to NEET PG exam helped me to keep track of my preparation. It helped me cope up with stress of such a huge competition and the improvement plan at the end of the exam helped me identify my weak subjects.

Did you use a Time Table/Study Plan to keep your preparation on track?

No, since my study hours and number of days assigned to each subject depended on my postings. Therefore, I didn’t follow any time table. Some Department Residents were cooperative and I got to manage my study and clear my backlog during postings.

Were you a topper or a mediocre student during MBBS?

I managed to lie in 70% club.

List the Most Difficult and Easiest subjects for you.

Most Difficult Subjects for me were Biochemistry and Microbiology since there was lots of stuff to memorize while the easiest were Pharmacology and Pathology

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

Enroll in a Test series and Attempt both Subject-Wise and Grand Tests. I practiced 1st to 3rd year subjects only and that to in month of October with 2 to 3 tests daily. You must avoid this and attempt Mock Tests from time to time.

Some last tips for our readers preparing for NEET PG?

• Pray to God
• Study with Smart Hard Work
• Talk to yourself
• Review yourself daily and try to improve day by day
• Talk to your parents since they are the best stress relievers
• Ask Difficulties even if they are silly ones since 1 MCQ can climb you several steps ahead in this Prometric marking system