IT is seven times easier to get a seat at Harvard, and only the IIMs are more difficult to enter. For 99% of the 4 crore-plus students who pass out every year from the many different school boards in the country, the MBBS is the most coveted degree.
There are about 10 colleges, which admit students through an all-India entrance examination, and the rest of the 200+ colleges, admit students through state-level entrance examinations conducted either by the government or by private professional colleges associations.
Entrance Exams in brief
The table (view below) summarises the overall number of seats, available seats for open competition, number of questions, subjects tested and important dates for most of the all-India entrance examinations conducted in the country. I
nvariably, all aspirants are tested for their understanding of Physics, Chemistry, Biology. In addition, while some colleges test you on English, some others on Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability etc,, and others test your General Awareness, too.
So your strategy must include time for the additional areas, which are tested. Questions are basically patterned on the lines of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), and include match the following, choose the correct/ incorrect statement, choose the odd one out etc.
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Select National Level Entrance Examinations at a Glance
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Institution
(Baring AIPMT)
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Date
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Results
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No Seats
(General)
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Examination Scheme (No of questions)
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Duration (Hrs.)
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Maximum Marks
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Negative Marks (per question)
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MAHE
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May
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N.A
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60
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Physics (50), Chemistry (50), Botany (50), Zoology (50),
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2
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800
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1/4
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AFMC Pune
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2nd May
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22nd June
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120
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Physics (50), Chemistry (50), Botany (50), English (25),
General Ability (25)
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2
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200
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1/4
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CMC Vellore
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14th May
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17th June
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10
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Physics-Chemistry & Biology (60) each, General Ability (120)
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2
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N.A
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N.A
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AIPMT (Final)
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16th May
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June 1st Week
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15% Seats
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Physics (50), Chemistry (50), Botany (50), Zoology (50)
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2
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800
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1/4
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MGIMS, Wardha
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22nd May
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N.A
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33
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Physics Chemistry Biology (1 paper MCQ pattern) Gandhian Thoughts (100) (Separate Paper)
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2
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N.A
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N.A
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JNMC, Aligarh
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June
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July
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125
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Physics (50) & Chemistry (50)
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2
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N.A
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N.A
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AIIMS
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1st June
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1th July
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37
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Physics (60), Chemistry (60), Biology (60), G.K. (20)
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3
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200
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1/4
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JIPMER
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6th June
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17th June
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22
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Physics (40), Chemistry (40), Botany & Zoology (80), English (40)
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2
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200
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N.A
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BHU, Varanasi
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13th June
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N.A
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42
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Physics (60), Chemistry (50), Bio.-(50), Zoology (50)
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3
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400
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N.A
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Note: One major change in the All India Pre-Medical Pre-Dental Examination (AIPMT-DT) is the complete shift to objective type questions from the 2010 exam. Even the AIPMT finals will now be MCQ-based. It is expected that more difficult and application-level questions would be asked on the pattern of AIIMS that has assertion-reason questions.
Among the entrance examinations, barring Andhra Pradesh (which has nearly 6500 seats), which admits students through state-level EMCET exam, AIPMT lets you compete for nearly 1,950 MBBS seats in more than 100 colleges. However, anyone getting ranks within 3,000 can reasonably hope for selection through AIPMT, since many rank-holders opt for colleges in their home states. For example, AIIMS Pre-Medical Test topper, Jaiben George (See Page 52) is also a rank-holder in AIPMT. In other words, you have a 1/100th chance of getting a seat. So, prepare well.
Biology
This is the most important subject for any entrance examination. As one could see from the table, many colleges have a large percentage of questions from Biology. Also, among the three subjects, it is straightforward and easier to prepare. AIPMT as predicted would have about 50% of its questions from Biology, while AIIMS invariably has 60/200 questions.
But in terms of levels of difficulty AIIMS is the toughest. Time-management is crucial, since there are no sectional time limits in any of the examinations. To get a good rank, one must be able to crack two questions per minute when it comes to biology. The important units are cell biology, plant and animal physiology, genetics and biotechnology, microbes in human welfare and ecosystem. So, revise them thoroughly.
Since you will be revising for the next one month, stick to your NCERT books. And use Truemans Elementary Biology as reference manual. Objective Biology by Dinesh is another good volume. If you have left out any chapter, this is the right time to tackle it. There is no way one could predict which chapter will feature the maximum number of questions. So do not go unprepared on any of the 10 units.
| Quick Take |
- Have your pen and pencil in working order, and in two sets.
- Never wait till the last minute to blacken the Optical Marking Recognition (OMR) sheet (used to mark the answers in the competitive examination). You may run out of time, if you wait until the end.
- When you skip a question, be careful to skip the same question in the OMR sheet.
- Do not spend more than a minute thinking about a question. If you don’t know the answer, skip it.
- While budgeting your time, allot at least 10 minutes as buffer. A cool head is the most important asset during a competitive exam.
- Attempt all conceptual questions first. They take less time, and answering them will give you a certain level of confidence.
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Physics
Since most of it involves high-end mathematics, this is one subject many medical aspirants detest. But remember, Physics is also a very logical subject, and most of the questions invariably involve numericals. So once you become good at the shortcuts to solve a given problem, scoring in this paper is quite easy. In the last one month, don’t study any new sections in the Physics syllabus. Concentrate on what you have already prepared.
Study and remember thumb rules for problem-solving. Go over your mock test/practice test papers to identify patterns. Time-management is the essence here. A good performance in Physics would be a booster shot for your ranking.
Focus on these books to master physics:
- Concepts of Physics by HC Verma
- Objective Approach to Physics by Arihant (especially Vol. II)
Chemistry
In terms of vastness of the syllabus, Chemistry has the largest number of concepts to cover and hence must have sufficient time in your time-table. Identify your strength and work on that. If you enjoy Organic Chemistry, focus on that much more. But do not ignore the other two. Questions in Chemistry are more or less evenly spread out. Physical Chemistry, Chemical Equilibrium and Surface Chemistry are evergreen, popular sections. So is the Periodic Table, Chemical Bonding and Organo-Metallic compounds. So prepare well in these sections. Refer to these textbooks:
- Physical Chemistry by OP Tandon
- Pradeep Objective Chemistry by SN
Dhawan, SC Kheterpal and PN Kapil.
General Knowledge/General Ability/English
Questions in these disciplines are generally easy to answer. Solve some of the Clerks Grade papers, and you will be comfortable answering most of the questions. GK competencies cannot be built overnight. So do not begin to cram during the last month. Since questions are invariably set a few months before the examination, prepare well about events/ issues that occur between six to nine months before the exam.
Give some mock tests when April kicks off to assess where you stand. Especially do proctored tests to assess your speed and accuracy. Do not attempt any mock tests during the week preceding the D-Day. Any expected reduction in performance would only increase your anxiety. Keep all formulae, key points, in a set of cards and organise these according to your own preference. The exams test your understanding more than your memory. So do not at any rate read anything new during the days preceding the exam. Take it easy and do well. Fair wind and good sails!