Enhance your concentration

Its already late of August. And with the entrance tests on the card, it is difficult for every aspirant to retain concentration in the face of so much pressure and tension. Frequently students find it hard to memorize even after so much of thorough revision. Its not the students, though, who are at fault. Basically, its inability to concentrate that causes these problems. And here's how to combat it:

1. Add up: Well yes! This apparently stupid idea can make a lot of difference.All you need to do is take half hour twice a day at the start of your studies and at the end. During this half hour, write any random number of three or four digits (the bigger the better). And when you have finished writing down 10-15 such pairs at random, try adding them up as fast as you can. Then apply this for subtraction, multiplication and division too. During this, try to do it as fast as you can and think of better full-proof ways of doing these in less cumbersome ways. This,, if practices over a period of one month will make you feel a difference within. If you cannot find new ways of solving, get in touch and I will definitely help you. Also, if you think that you have developed a new style of solving, please feel free to comment, as that will help your fellow aspirants.
2. Mnemonic: This is another very helpful process of memorizing things that you learn by relating them to real-life things. And how to do it? well, I will be talking about that in my next post. So, keep visiting this column for more such tips.........

Better Luck this Time

Students aspiring for medical education in India in many cases end up being unsuccessful in their first attempt. And this brings in a lot of pressure, anxiety, depression and all bad things. Aspirants also start blaming themselves for the failure. The main causes for not being able to crack the entrance in the first attempt however, in most cases lies in no fault of the aspirant; here's how:

• Total medical seats in India is around 36000 whereas the total number of aspirants soars well above 7.5 lakh. If all aspirants work with same dedication also, only 36000 will be selected. So, there's no reason to be dejected. 
• Most of the times, students are misguided by career guiding institutions by spreading rumours that NEET is very tough and only aspirants from their institutions get medical and blah blah! Actually, if you are smart enough, with practice and clear concepts, medical is just at your doorstep.
• So many exams and so many part syllabi! Alas! When students study according to their own plans? Too much of exams mar the potential in the aspirants creating a lot of confusion.

So, were you also victim of any of these situations this time? Or was it something else that marred your potential? Share with us and help future aspirants to have a clear path ahead.

And then, what to do? The situation is like this! Isn't there any alternative? Well, there is. I would be sharing tips and ways of preparing for medical entrance and specially how to concentrate in the face of so much of pressure once you could not make your way through. Keep visiting this column for updates...

Azad writes to PM on NEET

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has written to the Prime Minister justifying the need for retaining the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges. 

Last month the Supreme Court has quashed the common entrance test with a majority judgment. The Ministry has decided to file the review petition and has also sought the advice of the department of Legal Affairs in the matter, the Minister said in his letter.

Mr. Azad’s letter comes within days after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh protesting against the Centre’s decision to file a petition in the Supreme Court seeking review of its judgment quashing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

In a dissenting judgment, Justice A.R. Dave had upheld the Medical Council of India’s decision to conduct this common entrance exam saying that holding of NEET is “legal, practical and need of the society.”

Armed Forces Medical College - A report

Armed Force Medical College, popularly known as AFMC, is a premier institute for medical education and research in the country. The AFMC is affiliated to Maharashtra University of Health Science, Nashik and is recognized by the Medical Council of India. The institute offers training to undergraduate, postgraduate and nursing students with assured jobs in the army
.

The MBBS entrance test conducted by AFMC is considered to be one of the toughest medical entrance examinations in the country. The test is usually held in the month of May and the notification for application comes during December or January.

 Eligibility for AFMC MBBS Entrance test

A candidate seeking admission to the MBBS course is eligible to take the entrance examination if he/she fulfills the following criteria:

• A candidate should be a citizen of India or be a subject of Nepal or Bhutan or a person of Indian origin migrated from Pakistan or any other foreign country with the intention of permanently settling in India.
• Must be unmarried. Marrying during the course is not permitted.
• Should be medically fit as per prescribed standards by the Govt. of India, Ministry of Defence
• Must have attained the age of 17yrs on 31st Dec of the year of application, but must not have attained the age of 22 years on that date (Not more than 24 years in case of candidates who have passed or are appearing in final B Sc examinations).

Academic Qualifications: Candidate must have passed all the subjects opted for in the first attempt of the qualifying examinations as a regular candidate with English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology taken simultaneously and securing not less than 60% of the aggregate marks in these 3 science subjects taken together and not less than 50% marks in English and 50% marks in each of the science subjects. They must have also passed an examination in Mathematics of the 10th standard.

Admission Procedure
Advertisement for AFMC MBBS Entrance Test is published in leading news papers of the country in the month of December every year. Candidates are required to submit their application forms in the prescribed format, along with other necessary documents mentioned therein.

Admission to MBBS course is based on written examination. The written examination is held on 1st Sunday of May. Successful candidates in the written examination are called for interview in June for the courses starting in July. Admission is subject to medical fitness.

Number of Seats
A total of 130 seats (105 boys & 25 girls) are available in MBBS program.

How to Apply

Prospectus and application forms can be purchased on payment of requisite amount in cash at the General/Head/Central/Main Post Offices located at the places mentioned in the information bulletin.
Prospectus and application forms can also be obtained by post from Officer-in-Charge (Admission Cell), Armed Forces Medical College, Pune – 411040 on payment of the same amount.

Pattern of Examination

Generally, written test for MBBS courses of AFMC consists of the following pattern:
There will be total 200 objective type questions: 50 each of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and 25 each of English, and Intelligence, logic and reasoning.
For each correct answer 1 mark is awarded. For each wrong answer 0.25 marks is deducted. Use of calculator is not permitted in the examination.

How to prepare for the Test

Students desirous of taking admission in to AFMC should start their preparation right from class 11th. As the general standard of the examination will be that of 11th and 12th class under the 10+2 pattern, hence students are required to have strong fundamental knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology of the same standard.

Tentative Dates of AFMC Entrance Test

• Notification and sale of application forms: December/January
• Written Examination: 1st Sunday of May
• Results of Written Exam: End of May
• Interview: June
• Final Result and selection List: Approximately in the 4th week of June
• Commencement of Course: August

Contact Details
For further information you can contact:-
Officer-in-Charge Admissions
Admission Cell
Armed Forces Medical College
Sholapur Road, Pune – 411040
Admission Cell Tel. no 020 – 2682 0028, Fax no. 020 – 2687 4759
Website: http://afmc.nic.in/
Please Note: The information given above is for general guidelines only. Refer to the prospectus issued by AFMC for exact details.

CLEAR YOUR DOUBTS!!

ATTENTION!!!
neetpcb.blogspot.com has launched a dedicated page for doubt-clearing of medical aspirants. You will find the direct link on the top bar by clicking on Ask Us. You can post all your questions as comments to the post on that page and the experts will answer you. And that's free of cost.

You can always post your questions to the admin as message by filing up the form just on the right menu. Happy preparing for medical entrance tests... All the Best...

Missing something?

Are you missing out those little very important points that the teacher in class is describing and then peeping onto your friend's copy for the note? Well then, frankly, this post is to help you.Taking notes is an art and needs a few techniques to efficiently do so.

What to do then? Read on:

The most comprehensive note taking systems require attention on your part. You must be alert enough in class to take legible, meaningful notes. You can't rely on "writing everything down" because a lot of information in a given lecture won't help you actually learn the material. If you have problems determining the specific relevant points in a particular class, you can always ask the teacher to clarify them for you.

• The 2-6 Method: The 2-6 refers to the way you divide the space on your notepaper. Make two columns, using the red line on the left of the page as your border. Then, when you take notes in class, use the 6 column for the notes and the smaller 2 column on the left as a highlighting system. Write main headings and important points on the left, including material you think you will be tested on. When you're finished, you should have a comprehensive page of information that you can quickly scan for important points. Studying is 99% perspiration; if you give it a real, concentrated effort you will see an improvement. Your academic success is entirely up to you.
• Split Page Method: Class lectures and your textbook--they're the primary sources of course content and you need to learn both. So combine them with the split page method of taking notes. Just divide your notebook page in half lengthwise. Draw a line down the middle of the page. Take class notes on one side of the page and outline the text on the other side. When you study you'll have both. Class notes and text together, integrated. Some students find it helpful to add a third column for questions they need to ask the teacher.
• Using Group Notes: Are you tired of struggling to keep up with a lecture while copying page after page of notes in class? My advice? Don't take the notes -- at least not every day. Instead, form a group with some of your classmates and take turns taking good class notes. When it's not your day to be the note-taker, really concentrate on what is being said in class. You might want to jot down a few particularly important points, but mostly try to participate in class. Ask questions when you can't understand the point your teacher is trying to get across, and score points by answering questions your teacher asks. After class you can either photocopy the notes from your classmate, or better yet, copy them over by hand while reviewing in your mind what happened in class. 
• Secrets to Taking Better Notes: A key interviewing skill is taking good notes--a skill that is just as valuable in the classroom. There is no magic to taking good notes, just common sense. It's simply a matter of being thorough and accurate. Now, not many people can write fast enough to capture everything their professor says in class, so it is a good idea to also use a tape recorder. That way you won't miss something while you write, and you can double-check the tape for accuracy. Whether you use a recorder or not, it's important to transcribe your notes as soon as possible while the subject is still fresh in your mind. By re-writing or re-typing your notes, you become more familiar with the material. You mentally reinforce what was said in class. And you get practice writing the information, making it easier to write the material a second time whether it be for a test or a term paper. 
• Noteworthy Notes: Are your grades as good as you want them to be? Are your notes worth reviewing? Notes are phrases and abbreviations that we hurriedly jot down while trying to follow a lecture. Later, when we go back to review our notes, there are times when we can't seem to understand or remember what those key words and phrases meant; sometimes we can't even read our own handwriting. Here is a note-taking study tip that has proven to be effective. After you have finished class, immediately rush to the nearest computer lab and retype your notes. You need to rewrite those phrases as complete thoughts and sentences; dot your I's, cross your T's and use "cut and paste" to put your notes into some type of a logical sequence. While retyping your notes you are using several modalities: you review as you read your notes aloud, you use your hand to type, and you reread again as you proof read what you have typed. Research indicates that 80% of new material can be recalled if you review notes within the first 24 hours of presentation. Also, clean typed notes are easier to read and highlight as you study. If you retype your notes daily, you will keep the task from becoming overwhelming, you will learn good study habits that aid in memory retention and, at the same time, improve your grades.  
• Attend Class: The most important advice I can give to you is to make sure you attend your classes. Attendance in class enhances your chances. In addition to attending class, it is important to brush up on your note-taking skills to really achieve optimum success. Some general recommendations for improving note-taking skills are to:
  Read all textbook material relevant to the topic being covered prior to attending class.
  Make sure you take notes in class. If you fail to take notes, much of what you learn from the lecture will be forgotten in a few days. If you have something written down on paper, you can always refer to the material later.
  Ask teachers who lecture too fast if you can tape record their lecture. You'll generally find that many teachers are willing to assist you in your efforts to gain as much from their lecture as possible.
  By attending class and utilizing the note-taking techniques just described, your chances for success will increase significantly.
• Prepare for the lecture: The greatest advantage is that
  1. you are familiar with the subject
  2. you know what to ask
  3. you are not going to waste time by writing down stuff that is already there in your study material. Rather, you know what to write, where to pick links and to clear your concepts.
  By the time the lecture is over, you are in a much clearer state of mind. This way, taking down notes becomes more meaningful and worth the time you spent doing it.
• Use Colors: This may take a little bit longer but it will work. Just give it a chance. When you are taking notes change the color of your pen! Don't write in blue or black ink. Writing in color will help you retain 50% - 80% more of the infomation without reading it a second time (also highlight in purple).

Centre seeks review of SC order scrapping joint admission for medical colleges

The Centre on Tuesday sought review of the Supreme Court's controversial judgment junking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) providing for single-window admission process for all medical colleges and said it had erred by holding that NEET breached the rights of religious and linguistic minorities to self-administer educational institutions.

Faulting the majority judgment authored by then Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and relying on the powerful dissent delivered by Justice A R Dave, the Centre said ensuring uniform standards for medical education was of paramount interest to the patient and the Medical Council of India-mandated single-window system to draw the merit list was a step in that regard.

In the petition seeking review of the July 18 judgment delivered on the last working day of the then CJI, the government said it was under duty to ensure that medical education must meet standards of merit.

The review petition, drafted by additional solicitor general Sidharth Luthra and vetted by solicitor general Mohan Parasaran, made a strong pitch for exclusion of narrow considerations of creed and religious minority when it came to medical education.

Refusing to couch its request in niceties, found in petitions seeking reconsideration of judgments, the Centre bluntly said, "It is not as if doctors of a linguistic or religious minority will not be treating patients of all creeds, classes and denominations. The interest of the patient is a major consideration in ensuring that inter-se merit is a criteria for entry into medical education and NEET is a reflection of that need."

The Centre said the Supreme Court had always recognized even in the context of minority rights that merit in the field of medicine was of critical importance. "Right to life (health) requires a need for excellence in medical education," the Centre said and cited numerous constitution bench judgments in support of its stand.

The government said holding of common entrance test came about as a consequence of the Supreme Court's orders in Simran Jain case, during the hearing of which a decision was taken that MCI would hold a single entrance test since merit in medical education was essential to ensure quality healthcare to citizens.

It said the guidelines annexed to NEET ensured that the single-window admission system would be in breach neither of the rights of states nor interfere with rights of religious and linguistic minorities.

Tip to excel

We received this following question from a visitor of our blog:

i was a regular ccp student of allen i had got 5000 rank in neet and 1000 rank in mp pmt and i m not gettin any govt college................so i had joined alen again.
this year i m thinking of getting a under 50 rank in aipmt/neet..............for bio i m studying ncert............for chemistry and physics allen module,teachers notes and ncert. i think they are sufficient or sud i hav 2 sove universal or any other objective book for under 50 in neet???

Here's my opinion:
Well, with congratulations on your rank and your decision and aim of getting a below 50 rank, I would like to say that, frankly, practice is the seed that will bear fruits for you in the entrance exam. Class notes and NCERT text books are good for theoritical understanding of the topics, but the more you practice varied types of questions, the more will it be easier to make it through, specially when you are setting your goals high, you have to work hard. In this respect, I would recommend Dinesh objective books for physics and chemistry and Trueman's objective book for biology. There are a lot of various types of questions in these books, out of which, questions do not generally come in the entrance tests. Also, magazines of MTG such as Physics for you, Chemistry Today and Biology Today are of great help to remain updated with the latest questions and patterns of questions being set in the exams. At the end of the day, practice is the key.

Goa government's decision on doubling medical PG seats might be impractical

The state government's submission to the Supreme Court (SC) that it wants to retain both groups of postgraduate students-those selected through the national entrance-cum-eligibility test (NEET) and those admitted via the MBBS merit list-is probably a ploy to silence critics by throwing the ball into the court of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Sources in the know of admissions at the Goa Medical College say the state's attempt to double the PG seats in such a short time is impractical.

"Getting permission from the MCI to increase seats is a long-drawn process. This move to increase seats is therefore only an attempt to shut up critics," said sources.

Explaining, they said the GMC presently has 85 PG seats, of which 43 are for the all-India quota and the balance for Goa. To accommodate both sets of students, GMC needs at least 31-35 more seats. But to get the increase, a request has to first be made to the union ministry of health and family welfare, which in turn informs MCI.

MCI then sends a team to inspect the institute's infrastructure and to assess if it has the capacity to make the necessary changes to accommodate an increased student-load. The entire procedure, before MCI grants permission, takes about six to nine months, at times even a year. The number of beds and overall patient turnover at the institute is also considered before permission is granted. Moreover, any request to increase seats for an academic year, whether for undergraduate or postgraduate courses, has to be made in advance, stressed sources.

"The government's attempt to admit all PG students is a shabby move to cover its blunder," said a PG student, who believes it is highly improbable that MCI will agree with the state government at this stage. The PG academic year began on June 25.

Another student opined, "If MCI grants the Goa government request as a special case, it will be flooded with similar requests from other medical colleges in the country."

Health minister Laxmikant Parsekar merely said the matter is sub-judice, adding, "The SC will do justice to all."

Things are expected to be clear on August 13, when the matter comes up for hearing in the apex court and the MCI, which has been made a party in the petition, gives its say.

PG students selected via NEET, meanwhile, gave their joining letters on Thursday, but said, they will formally join classes from Saturday. "Friday being a holiday (Eid) we have not attended classes," a student said.

Did you just fall asleep?

Most of us have fallen asleep sometime or the other while reading. Here's why:

• Rhythmic eye movement involved in reading can have a hypnotic effect - making our eyelids feel heavy.
• Relaxed body position further reduces alertness. Never read your text book lying down.
• A passive body adds to the sleepy state when the mind is not involved. Boring topic? Boring material.

Here's how to combat:

• Maintain a comfortable yet alert posture
• Ensure sufficient light
• Infuse fun learning with videos and animations into your reading time so that things are no more dead in black and white.

Board and Entrance - Does study really differ?

Well, its already half of August now. Already dilemma has started growing among aspirants what to practice more, theory or MCQ. Are you also in that deep thought? Then read on.

This is a very common dilemma students get stuck in. But wait! Why are you so worried? Where is the actual dilemma? In fact, there is no real cause for any dilemma at all. Its information and knowledge that would help you do well in every exam, be it the boards or competitive exams. Yes its true that for competitive exams, a lot of practice means a lot of help in the exam hall. But just practicing MCQ without thoroughly understanding the concepts of the subjects and topic will ultimately do no good. And for the boards? If you can combine much more information from your competition level studies with that of the text books, its always better. Also, if you can solve out problems just because you have practiced so much of them, it always gives an extra confidence. At the end of the day, its knowledge and understanding of the subjects that pays off. So, my opinion is that, do practice questions of all sorts and study thoroughly.

Are you going right?

A few years ago, a student had asked me, "I have read Resnick-Halliday, Ganong and J.D. Lee. Still the questions in PMT are so tough, I am trying the second time this year. Give me a few tips". And what I said was, "read NCERT and practice".

In fact its a very common mistake that entrance test aspirants commit during preparation. Most students fall prey to wrong assumptions that entrance tests demand very high level of knowledge. IT IS STRICTLY NOT SO. In fact, what is needed to crack entrance tests is basically thorough concept and understanding of only the chapters included in class XI and XII (with the few additional topics that are included in the test syllabi). And then, time is very short. So, it needs a lot of practice.

Practice is the key to getting a good rank in competitive exams. You should keep in mind that the chapters of biology, physics or chemistry, however deep knowledge you may have will be practically of no need once you are in a medical college. But, wasting time in grasping too much and not being able to crack the questions in the short time of the exam will land you nowhere. What is most important is AGAIN PRACTICE.

In fact, there are students, who with practice have mastered in memorizing the answers and hardly need to work anything out in the exam hall. An NCERT book (optionally a good reference book like comprehensive for physics or modern for chemistry or Pradeep's for biology) and an objective book (I suggest Dinesh)  having wide coverage of previous year questions is the greatest guide and friend of any medical aspirant.

Questions in PMTs, specially in Physics and Chemistry are far below in standard compared to the questions set in IIT or AIEEE. All you need is a thorough understanding of the topics and practice of the probable question types.

Another most common mistake that aspirants commit during preparation for PMTs is that they get distracted too much in the hypes of various institutions. In fact, its my personal opinion that if you can have your concepts right, institutions are just wastage of money. Of course, if you wish to have everything fully prepared so that you can just grasp, then institutions can be of help. But, if you are smart enough to comprehend the concepts, institutes are not at all a necessity.

And last but not the least, hard work is the only way to success. There is no short-cut.

Drop proposal to reintroduce NEET: Jayalalithaa writes to PM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 29 to drop the Centre’s move to reintroduce NEET and abide by the Supreme Court ruling, quashing the test for undergraduate and post graduate medical and dental courses.

Welcoming the judgement, she said it had finally brought to an end a long pending and vexatious issue relating to a policy by which students aspiring for medical and dental seats at UG and PG levels had to go through the ‘agony’ of an uncertain selection process which militated against their interest and the interests of Tamil Nadu.

“The majority judgement has rightly upheld all the valid objections raised by Tamil Nadu along with the contentions of the other petitioners. This judgement of the Honourable Supreme Court has been widely welcomed”, she said in a letter to Singh.

However, instead of abiding by the judgement, a statement by union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad indicated that the Centre may move the Apex Court for a review of the judgement.

“This has again created confusion and frustration in the minds of thousands of students of Tamil Nadu who have already been covered by a fair and transparent admission policy laid down by the Government of Tamil Nadu which has been working well,” she said.

“Tamil Nadu strongly objects to any such fresh purported attempts by the Centre to seek a review of the judgement of the Supreme Court and efforts for reintroduction of NEET in any manner as it infringes upon the State's rights and admission policies to medical institutions in Tamil Nadu,” she said.

“The reported move of the Union Health Minister in seeking to file a review petition before the Supreme Court of India to reintroduce NEET should be immediately dropped. The Government of India should accept the decision of the Supreme Court without seeking a review,” she said.

Recalling her previous letters to Singh expressing opposition to introduction of NEET, Jayalalithaa said the Tamil Nadu government had taken a number of deliberative steps from 2005, culminating in abolition of the Common Entrance Exam for professional under graduate courses in the state.

“A large number of socially and economically backward meritorious rural students have benefited by the decision to abolish the Common Entrance Test in the State,” she said.

She noted that Tamil Nadu followed the policy of upholding social justice by 69 per cent reservation for Backward and Most Backward Communities and Scheduled Castes and Tribes in professional courses.
“The introduction of a Common Entrance Test such as NEET would have created confusion and a plethora of litigations and confounded the smooth implementation of this reservation policy, both in under graduate and postgraduate medical and dental admissions in Tamil Nadu,” she said.

Introduction of NEET would confound the implementation of these policy initiatives and socio-economic objectives of the State, “since we would have to fall in line with the regulations of the national test, which did not have such enabling provisions,” she said.

“The national test would be out of tune with the prevailing socio-economic milieu and administrative requirements of Tamil Nadu,” she said.

AIIMS - Your dream?

AIIMS, the abbreviation of All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Well, its the most prestigeous medical institution in the country and likely is the dream destination of most medical aspirants. It has five branches at Rishikesh, Delhi, Jodhpur, Bhopal, Patna, Raipur and Bhubaneshwar. The oldest and most prestigeous however of all these locations is at New Delhi, the other six locations being given the status of AIIMS only in 2012. Established in 1956, AIIMS not only makes the best doctors of the country but also provides medical assistance through its state-of-the-art hospital. Medical aspirants need to qualify an exclusive test for the AIIMS, that gives opportunity to a total of 600 aspirants (including the additions last year) as it is not included in either NEET or the erstwhile AIPMT. And quite likely, the entrance test is tough, rather very tough. It is rightly said sometimes that to get in the AIIMS you need to be a graduate. And if AIIMS is your dream, we are at your support too. Get all the latest details about the AIIMS entrance at our AIIMS Corner of by visiting aiimspcb.blogspot.com.