Hi everyone, I'm Dr Arnav Kalra. I got rank 13 in the AIIMS PG. While preparing for entrance exams, I spent a lot of time watching videos and reading articles on effective methods of learning. I used this knowledge to fine tune my study methods (and to procrastinate from actual studying 🙈🙈). This post is my attempt at making things simpler. I hope it will be helpful for anyone targeting AIIMS, PGI, JIPMER, NEET or any other MCQ based exam. Let's start with the essentials.

Essentials

Essential components of prep are: What to study? When to study? How to study?

What to study?

The first question is the easiest to answer. Many students presume that selecting the right resource will magically solve their problems. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The right resource forms the bed rock of prep. However, a lot of hard work is needed to build on this foundation.

Most major apps & coaching institutes have excellent teachers. It's important to select one you're comfortable with and stick to them. If there are a few subjects/topics you're unable to understand, alternate sources may be used.

If the resource is reputed, by a subject specialist, contains important topics, provides good understanding and can be covered in the allotted time, it may be considered a good resource. It's essential to test your understanding by solving MCQs. A QBank can be used for this purpose.

When to study?

All the time 😛

A schedule helps. It should be personalized and specific to your situation. It's essential to have daily, weekly & monthly plans. It is advisable to maintain a similar schedule each day. It may not be feasible in case of interns, but try to follow as much as possible.

Daily plans:

  1. Practice MCQs at exam time → If exam is from 9 to 12, solve MCQs at this time daily.
  2. Dedicate 1-2 hours daily for revision → flashcard review or review of notes.
  3. While studying major subjects, spend some time on a shorter subject → to reduce boredom

Long term plans:

  1. Most institutes provide a planner. Some videos have been linked below.
  2. Schedule catch up days
  3. Attempt a grand test every 1-2 weeks.
  4. Schedule adequate time for learning from mistakes made in GTs.
  5. Try to cover more difficult/conceptual subjects or topics early in the prep.

How to study?

A lot of research has been done on the science of learning. A recent meta analysis showed that active recall and spaced repetition were the most effective methods of learning. Implementation of these principles can get tricky. I used an app called anki for this purpose.

Active recall?

Active recall is also known as practice testing. It means you test your own knowledge outside of the real exam. It can involve use of flashcards or practice questions. The Cornell method can be used to read notes in an active manner.

Spaced repetition?

Spaced repetition is also known as distributed practice. It means you distribute learning over time. This is better for long term retention as compared to learning only once.

These principles can be applied in multiple formats. I'll cover how these ideas can be used with handwritten notes & how I used anki for the same.

Handwritten notes