2. Books to be Done

pulse and dentist  ,  neeraj wadhwan..(excellent explanations)  , aiims dental papers  mudit khanna (for aiims and aipg only)-

previous 5 years papers ,  amit ashish (again for aiims and aipg only) 5yrs ,  NBDE papers (very imp for aiims, aipg and mahe) ,

Other entrance papers (can be found in Dental bytes or Dental quest) , dental explore (for bhu papers) , prabhakaran- for perio

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3. Theory

1. Reading theory part is very important.
2. Mere cramming mcqs wont help you..u must understand question, logic behind it and then solve questions…also “dont read just anything and everything, thats not possible”.
3. Read what is RELEVANT…AND FROM GOOD BOOKS .
4. Mark new questions from explanations, synopsis and maintain separate diary for values,scientists, years..etc…theyll be helpful to you for last time revisions and yes I must tell here that my theory part was always strong thoughout my clg life so I didnt face too many difficulties in reading books and my ntes.
5. But yes, if you feel that you are not able to do theory part then its ok, no need to worry, read explanations and synopsis part carefully.

You need to understand that – all the entrance based dental and medical exams are MCQ bases exams.

The approach to solve MCQ based questions is much different than answering theory based questions.

Its not only a change in the pattern of the question but it also requires a change in the thinking.

How so ?

In theory exam even if you don’t know the answer to a particular question in totality, you can still write few lines on it if you now some key words about it.

So even if your answer is not 100 % accurate but partially correct, you still end up in getting some marks for attempting the question.

That’s why you must heard teachers and seniors telling you never to leave any questions unanswered in theory exams.

There is no negative marking.

But in an MCQ based exam you don’t have that luxury.

You either know the exact answer or you don’t.

You cannot get away by just knowing the key words.

In other words – you cannot beat around the bush and hope to get lucky.

You must know the exact answer accurately and correctly.

Also you cannot bluff as there is the danger of negative markings.

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Hence it is highly necessary that during your exam times itself, you train your mind to answer correctly the MCQs. The more harder you train in that regard, the more successful you will be in answering the MCQs successfully. 

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See Next Slide 

How to Plan your Schedule

4. Schedule

image credit : PicLogo

Having a proper schedule is the most crucial thing that is 

Set your priorities, like which topic and how many topics u have to finish in how much time

and try to stick to it, also dont make a very hectic schedule …

relax … dont overstress yourself.

Preparing for entrance exams is already very stressful.

Students have that misconception that relaxing with friends, outing etc will make them relaxed.

But that is just apparent relaxation.

The only way to achieve complete relaxation in

such a high competition exam is to have a perfectly planned schedule &

then to follow it diligently. 

That will make sure you will have time to complete your courses in time

and you wont’t have the risk of lot of courses being pending as you get closer the exam.

That will give you the maximum relaxation and with a relaxed mind …

it is more likely that you will succeed in the exams.

5. Coaching classes

I didnt join any classes coz I started very late and so I had to decide things myself, if u think that u wont be able to keep up to your schedule then join classes but dont just rely on them completely, the schedule that they provide may not be suitable for all students .

But that doesn’t mean coaching classes do not have their benefits.

If you can cope up to the pace of the coaching centres then you can be really benefited from it.

From my point of view – its best to give the exams conducted by the Coaching Centres.

They condition you for the exams, solving you MCQs within limited time and also how to see yourself calm and composed in such competitive exams.

But think properly if the coaching centre system will benefit you.

It might be good for your friend but not for you.

So you need to decide and then join if you feel its good for you.

Things to do before deciding to join a coaching centre

Many coaching centres are now providing orientation classes which are free of any cost.

So, go to the orientation classes of the coaching centre.

Don’t get swayed by all the motivational talks. See the schedule of how the coaching centre will cover the courses and the schedule of exams.

Think about it – if you can adjust with the pace of the exams ?

There is no time to adjust with the pace of the exam.

You cannot have the approach that – let’s relax and take it slow for few days.

By the time you decide to get ready for the grind, you will already be lagging behind in the schedule of the coaching centre. Soon you might feel demotivated and it might lead to being irregular in the classes on eventually leaving the course all together.

The day you officially start the course, the schedule will start running and if you are not fast enough or determined enough to run along with pace of the coaching centre, then within 2 months you will be lagging a lot behind the schedule.

Set your own priorities and work according to them.

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What Sequence to Follow

6. Sequence of Preparation

Ok, we mentioned above that there is a sequence or schedule that you must follow while preparing for the tough MDS exams.

But what is that schedule ?

What will be best for you ?

Though many will advice you many points but it ultimately depends on you.

I am giving you pointers that I followed. Read the points and see if it fits your planning.

image credit : FreePik

The schedule pointers that I followed are as follows. I am not saying that this is the schedule that you must follow. But you can take few tips out of it and implement it in your schedule.

1. What I did first was read a particular topic (not everything, just brushed through them) from buks and then solved questions from pulse, dentest and  read their explanations.
2. Once I completed them … I moved on to aipg and aiims papers … Aipg and Aiims papers didnt take too much time( theory and explanation part becomes very handy in these papers and helps solving them).
3. NBDE: Next I started NBDE papers, NBDE are comparatively easy to do but still essential and lengthy, so plan properly. I wasn’t able to complete all, but I completed clinicals. You dont have to do them at a stretch, you can also do them at a rate of 1-2 papers per day right from beginning, since new aspirants have a lot of time u can finish them off within 4-5 months at this rate…aiims and aipg papers have repeats from them definitely.
4. Medical Papers: Right from very first day of my preparation…started Mudit khanna and amit ashish and did few questions per day instead of doing them at a stretch…they took A LOTT OF TIME!!! Problem with these papers is that they are very difficult to retain and very very important…aipg and aiims definitely repeats questions from these. keep separate time for their revision…believe me ppl…doing these papers was HARDEST  part of my strategy and they are very volatile so make sure u revise them properly…I didn’t do explanations as there was no time but in any case if u read them its always beneficial.
5. Then I started bytes…there was no time left so cldnt finish all papers..but THE MORE YOU DO THE BETTER!!!! these papers not only helps you to assess your preparation but also builds up your speed and also tells you the important topics and pattern for a particular exam,  it also serves as a question bank from where questions can be asked.
6. Prabhakaran: perio has about 300questions..can be done anytime u want, by the time I reached this stage I had already done a lot of questions and many were repeat from prabhakaran, so doing it wasn’t a problem.
7. After aipg, you’ll again get around one month, again set your eyes on next important exam…PREPARE ACCORDING TO IT!! make your schedule according to it…don’t modify your schedule for other exams that comes in between…like my next exam was comed…so i studied according to it. and just revised 1-2 days before other exams.

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7. REVISION

This is the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of your preparation.

 Remember, DOING A  NUMBER OF BOOKS DOES NOT COUNT. BUT NUMBER OF REVISIONS YOU DO IS MORE IMPORTANT.

Revise as many times as possible, forgetting things is normal but what matters is who forgets LESS. Keep separate time for revision …

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How Much Time You Should

Prepare Every Day

8. Time to be given per day

1. Now it depends upon time u have in your hand and your speed.
2. When I was attending internship I was able to study 3-4 hrs per day. And afterwards when I really sat for prep I increased it  to 7-8 hrs per day and eventually to 12-13hrs. It was too hectic for me but I had to compensate for time lost in college.
3. Those preparing this year and starting right away, you’ll be having more time so u don’t have to stress so much…relax but don’t relax too much…on avg u need to give abt 8-10 hrs per day for prep. 

9.Exams – Believe in Your Self

ALWAYS AIM FOR GOOD RANKS IN THE EXAMS

as it includes preparation for all other exams.

And attempt as many exams as possible.

If u have worked fair enough, you’ll surely land up somewhere.

Remember,

“ Believe in yourself, if anyone else can do it,

you’re no less .. keep faith … ”

Pic Credit : ChiBird

I hope it helps you in your preparation …

if there’s anything I can help you with regarding preparation.

Do let me know …

Dr. Gaurav Mathur