EXAMS ON THEE WAY…..
FUn FacT: No matter how old you become, you are always scared of exams!!!
Just a light ice breaker to the stress YOU are inn right now….
What are the questions that`s going to be asked??….. What if its something I have no idea about??….What if I am not able to complete my paper on time??….What if I don`t go through??….What if I don`t get the gold??(Toppers)….What about the 6 months??….What if in practical I freeze out??…. What if I just mess up my major case??….What branch I will be accessible to??….What if I have to rely on my parents money for admission??(Entrances)……………LOTS of WHATs and IFs.
First of all get this point straight. Majority of your colleagues are on the same page. Its not that you are overthinking or overscared. There will always be few who are chilled out — Toppers<Well prepared ones>//Dekha jayega types<Ready for any of the outcomes>
I , Dr Rahul Mundhara, cracked my latest exam in August ,2020. DMRD(Diploma in Medical Radio-diagnosis). Prior to that cracked NEEET-PG entrance in 2018 in First attempt. Prior MBBS in 2012…..
As I have marched forward on this long journey of mainstreaming my career, I have realized few things.(i) I perform better when I am calm. (ii) I have started enjoying writing my papers and withstanding the palpitation in the practicals.
Now some of my medical colleague might express the I being a Diploma candidate would have no reason to worry.
Trust me when you are one of a kind in your batch, when you know that the exam is going to be CT/MRI centered irrespective that your first one and a half year has gone into analyzing the black and white (USG) and you even dont know the anatomy of most of the CTs or the type of sequences in MRI ,you are damnn scared. (Radiology terms..BEAR IT)
Here is my way of approaching the beast… Hope it might be of some value to the time YOU have given to scroll down to this point.
- Be clear of you mindset. It is time to switch from knowledge centric reading to exam centric reading
- Make a shortlist of questions that have been asked atleast in the previous two -three years. If you are a professor in your 40s, you wont dig much for questions EACH year.
- TIME-TABLE….Make one..Follow it.<Be REALISTIC>
- Be the jack of all , Master of none. Know each of the topic…No need to dive deep inside. Its better to know two sentences regarding a case rather than to be blank or be thorough with it.
- Talk out to your friends…It really eases on the pressure. I was lucky to have two of the best ones around me.
- You are not a machine. So if you unwillingly waste one or two days of the week, Its okay. Study hard when in the mood.
- Start enjoying the pressure you are feeling.. Try it for one day. Its fun
- If you were a Professor in your 40s, you wont read in between the lines of the answer sheet.(Each year, New non-sense). JUst decorate your theory paper …Flowcharts/ diagrams / tables. My motto was…Write less/ Draw more. And believe it has been widely appreciated.
- For the practicals, one rule… YOU wont know all the answers and the examiner is always right. Stick to the basics, high-fis are for the toppers (Unlesss you are aiming for the summit)
- Finally, If you fail.. You are not failing in some small exam-MD/MS-They are big two letter words. Only a handful reach where you are right now. You will surely crack the next time(Generally it is like that as per I know)
- ENTRANCES ASPIRANTS….You need not worry about the things you dont know. Recalling what you have read (19 Monsters) in those 3 hours is the main thing … So be calm…You are not competing with those first 500 to 700 rankers, You are competing with next 3000s. And the second lot has almost at par knowledge. Those who remain calm, be present in each question (No thinking about the previous 7 you have skipped to review later onn)…will easily sail through.
Hope this will ease you a bitt…Its normal to be tensed.
:-I am no expert in this thing or have achieved some bigger feast. Just my views. Those who know me personally can approach if need ears to listen…..
Share if helpful. Adios!!!