Guide to FSc & MCAT

Assalam- o-alaikum ,

I am Maryam  Akbar,I did my F.Sc from KIPS COLLEGE and got 1^st position in BISE Lahore by securing 1030/1100 marks. Currently I am a student of 4th year MBBS at King Edward Medical University Lahore and I have been delivering motivational lectures to intermediate students since 2010. Through KEMUNITED i found an opportunity to share my experience with those students who are ambitious to become doctor but they have a few doubts in their mind regarding F.Sc and MCAT.

To answer the questions which students generally ask during intermediate i am going to discuss a few myths and i'll answer them. Hope you will find solution of your confusions up to some extent.

*MYTH # 1: To get good score in F.Sc should we cram each and every word of our books?

I think both concepts and learning of the text written in your books is necessary. If you try to cram things without any concept then you will be able to remember it for a few hours but in the long run it will not help you at all. So the suitable words for answering this question are CONCEPTUAL CRAMMING which means to learn the exact wording of book after having full understanding of the topic and clarification of concepts. The main problem is that examiners prefer the definitions and diagrams written in PTBB (Punjab Text Book Board ) syllabus so in order to fulfill examiner's demand we have to learn by heart at least the definitions in exactly same words as it is written in PTBB.

*MYTH#2: How to prepare daily lectures?

Try to note down the complete lectures or at least important points which teacher tells during class. Learn your lecture then write it down shortly after learning. It will take just a few minutes but you will feel a remarkable improvement in your retaining power and writing speed. It is difficult to follow it in the beginning but you will soon get used to it.

*MYTH#3: Notes are better than text book or vice versa.

I would advise that follow your text book if you are good in making headings and rearranging the topic according to the demand of the question but if you think that you cannot do it then follow any GOOD NOTES.

*MYTH # 4: How much hand writing and paper impression affect our score?

Once i had an opportunity to mark papers of F.Sc and matric at a college. While marking i realized that those papers which were attempted neatly and marginal lines were drawn with a perfect use of marker and pens, were catching more attention and it was easy to read and go through them so the overall score of those papers was better than others which were attempted haphazardly and roughly. I always quote an example in this regard that when we pack gift for someone we try our best to pack it elegantly and we want it to look perfect so same formula is applicable in context of paper impression. "A neatly attempted paper always seeks examiner's attention and affects his mood besides that it reflects the interest of student in studies.

*MYTH# 5: It is always advised to write important points with marker in exams but it wastes a lot of time and we cannot complete our paper if follow this strategy.

It's good if you can manage your time during exams even after highlighting the important points. Of course it needs practice throughout the year by attempting tests at your college or academy. But if you are still unable to manage this then I would suggest you to write the answer with pen and when you will start the next question and you open your marker to write down the heading for next question just take a few seconds survey of your previous answer and underline the important points. This will help you to avoid changing your pens time and again and will save time.

*MYTH # 6: How many hours a day should we study during F.Sc and MCAT?

This is the most frequently asked question. I don't think that there is any exact compulsion of time or any standardization of time limit. You can study as much as you want. I always say that you should prepare your daily lectures and tests thoroughly without thinking that how much time you are spending to complete your daily task. The time requirement varies from person to person.

* MYTH # 7: Those students who have joined academy get good marks than those who have not.

If you are getting good teaching facility at your college then there is absolutely no need to join academy. But those students who are not being entertained in this regard should join academy for clarification of their concepts. If you think you cannot manage it throughout the year then I will advise you to join REVISION AND TEST SESSION. This suggestion is only for those who  are not getting full understanding of their concepts at their colleges. Some students think that if they will listen to more than one teacher then it will help them more. But I advise you to spend your time in self studies if your college teacher is good enough to make all your concepts in a particular subject clear.

* MYTH # 8: MCAT includes questions which are not included in the given syllabus.

I think majority of the questions are from the given syllabus with the exception of a few questions. If you have proper understanding of your syllabus you can solve the paper easily and get good score.

*MYTH#9: How to get confidence that whatever we have studied we will be able to write it down in paper in an excellent way?

Try to write down the topic you have studied on a rough page after learning. This will help you to retain that topic for a longer time. Try to revise all that you have studied throughout the week on Sundays. When you are preparing a topic, think that which type of questions examiner can ask you from this topic and try to find answers of those questions. Try your best to attempt all tests being conducted at your college.

*MYTH# 10: Questions asked in different academies during MCAT prep are difficult enough to shatter students' confidence so should we join any academy for entry test prep or not?

Yes, i agree with it. MCAT is not that difficult but all the difficult questions asked during the prep in academies inculcate fear in our minds. But there might be some benefit with it as we may find MCAT easy as we enter the examination hall with a thought of very tough question paper in our minds than it actually turns out to be. I guess any good academy should be joined. It will help in quick revision of syllabus, in understanding of paper pattern and time management during test. Besides that it will help you to overcome any problem with your concepts. I would like to quote a few words about entry test said by my teacher:

“ENTRY TEST is a test of your information, knowledge,

Concepts, speed, IQ, EQ, RQ and confidence.”

(Mr. Abid Wazir Khan, CE  KIPS)

So any good academy will help you to fulfill the above quoted requirements.

*MYTH#11: Which academy or college should be joined?

The highly indecisive moment. I would suggest that in this regard you should consult more than one student who have got admission in their dream institutions then prefer the option given by most of them. The other way is that you can collect data from internet about different academies. Those academies which are able to help most of the students in getting admission are generally considered better. I have suggested this method because I used it when I had to take the same decision mentioned above. .

*MYTH# 12: We will not get more marks in entry test than we are getting in our academy tests during MCAT prep.

This is the worst fear which students have in their minds. I don't agree with this myth. Many of my friends got much better score in MCAT than their academy tests. All you need to do is to stay confident that whatever you have studied you will be able to write  in exams.

*I have a few suggestions regarding how to stay confident?

1-Never ask about F.Sc or MCAT students who were unable to qualify in MCAT and F.Sc. People share their experiences with you. Those students will create a horrible picture in your mind and transmit all their fears into your brains. Always try to seek help from those who were able to manage their anxiety and terror and passed with flying colours.

2-Make your own strategies to solve your problems and if you fail in solving your problems then share them with someone who has proper understanding of that.

3-Always consult a person who is a true educationalist and is the master of that field.

4-Never compare yourself with any other class fellow. Always set your own targets and try to achieve them. This will save you from depression.

5-Trust your abilities and be confident.

6-Always pray to ALLAH to help you and have faith in HIM,the best way to overcome anxiety.

7-Revise your syllabus maximum number of times you can.

I think I have answered a few questions which come into an intermediate student's mind and I hope this will prove a useful guideline to get through intermediate and MCAT with a good score. Best of luck. Thank you.

(For furthur questions/queries/comments, email us at blog@kemu.edu.pk with subject line "Ask KemUnited")