Welcome back to today's post on exam preparation tips for NEET MDS.
Initially when i had started this blog, i had focused more on dental careers, then lately after getting good response from people and some of you have emailed me, and had requested to post on dental photography, i have posted a series on dental photography.
A few days back, i had decided i won't post more on dental careers, instead switch to publishing articles on what common man are searching on dental problems.
Then again, when i went back to my pg college, recently, a few of juniors asked me How to prepare for NEET MDS, then, i have decided to write on NEET MDS.
Now coming back to the topic, on exam preparation tips.
So let's dive in to some of the common FAQ's students ask..
1. How many times should you revise for NEET MDS?
A. You should finish revising entire syllabus ATLEAST thrice or more. Why?
It doesn't matter if you are an average student or topper in your bds time. The syllabus is so vast, that if you read it just once, you will not remember entire thing just by reading once.
The first time when you read, you'll just grab 20-30 percent.
When you finish 2nd or third time, you'll start retaining things.
2. Which book should i refer for NEET MDS?
A. Dental pulse if your bible..you should be very thorough with dental pulse.
Now this doesn't mean that you should trust dental pulse blindly. Many things in dental pulse is wrong.
If you go through pharmacology in dental pulse, lot of things given in dental pulse is wrong. Synopsis is outdated.
So you should always verify using, pharmacology textbook.
I'd be honest here...Dentists..DON'T KNOW much of Pharmacology. When i was preparing for my MDS entrance exams, i didn't understand it quite well.
I shifted to Pharmacology by Dr. Gobind Rai Garg.
Prepladder, had started pharmacology lectures by Dr. Gobind Rai Garg.
He's the best pharmacology teacher, i have seen...
The notes are brilliant.
I had done entire MBBS, level Pharmacology before my NEET entrance exam.
I didn't think that, this is not in syllabus..Tomorrow, if someone in my family falls ill, and some drug is being prescribed, which is not in my syllabus, I'll actually know the side effects, why it is prescribed etc.
So Pharmacology is one subject which i think every bds graduate should know very thoroughly.
So for pharmacology refer book by Dr. Gobind Rai Garg
Since we are talking about medical subject...Let's talk more about some more of the medical subjects..
For Physio & Biochem, refer book called ACROSS for MBBS people.
I had referred it during my preparation time.
For Pathology, i had referred a book by Dr. Sparsh Gupta. (colleague of Dr. Gobind Rai Garg)..
Now you must be thinking...How will i finish so much?
You'd only need to do some important topics...NOT all from medical books...Although i had done quite a lot of topics from these books.
For General Surgery, i had referred a book called Pritesh Singh..For topics like thyroid and carcinomas etc.
For rest of the medical subjects, like ANATOMY, Microbiology, Medicine...Pulse is good.
Now moving on to dental subjects, pulse will be good.
Apart from the above books..
Refer Past Question Papers by Dr. Neeraj Wadhwan..
If you see a question paper of 2015 and 2008 when AIPG was there, and a few other years.. A lot of questions are repeat in the papers, just a few are changed.
Similarly..in NEET MDS, a few years back..new questions were seen...But now many questions are repeat.
So do past question papers nicely. And read the explanation given for each and every answer.
Sometimes, from the explanation, new MCQ's might be asked.
3. Should i join test series?
A. The answer is yes..But which one?
There are a lot of test series offered by a lot of institutes like DAMS, DBMCI MDS Experts, CEDEES, Dental pulse academy, Dentest test series, previously there was prepladder.
I'll recommend you CEDEES..
4. Should i join lectures by coaching classes?
If your basics are not clear, you can join lectures available by lot of coaching institutes
Previously CEDEES lectures were great. Now a days, they don't cover lot of those.
If you want to join..join Pharmacology lecture by Dr. Gobind rai Garg, then medicine lecture series in youtube by Dr. Bhatia (DBMCI) are good.
You can opt for lectures by DAMS or DBMCI MDS experts.
DBMCI has good lectures, some previews are already available on youtube.
5. Should i make my own notes?
Yes! Absolutely.. But only those things, which you have been forgetting a lot or some concepts, which are difficult to remember or some drugs.
If you have opted for lecture by Dr. Gobing Rai Garg, you'll get pharmacology notes, just revise them while watching lectures, that's more than enough.
6. How should i prepare?
If you are solving MCQ's for 1st time from pulse or any other MCQ book like dentest...Follow this sequence
- Read CONS, DM, Prostho together.. After you are done solving CONS..solve DM..because Dental cements, and a few other topics are common to both CONS, DM..similarly impression materials in DM and Prostho
- After you are done this..Solve Pedo, Ortho, Public Health & Perio Together...Pedo also covers some dental cements, pedo and ortho have appliances, also fluorides are common in pedo, public health, then brushing techniques and some more topics are common in Perio.
- After you have read this..start with OS, Anat, General Surgery Section...You get the ideas for similar subjects.
- Then remain subjects like oral medicine, oral pathology, physio,biochem
- Solve Pharmac, medicine after you are done with all other subjects
This is to be followed when you are reading for 1st time. Because whenever MCQ's are repeat, it will boost your confidence that you are able to answer the repeatedly asked MCQ's.
Once you are done reading pulse...solve..Extra books for the same subject which i listed above..
After you have finished reading for 1st time ..Move to 2nd revision..
Now when you are solving for the second time...
DO NOT SOLVE in the above order...
Why?
If you are solving conservative dentistry now..do not directly start dental materials...start perio or some subject which is different...WHY?
BECAUSE...
After a few weeks when you return to Dental Materials..It will help you revise the topic you read weeks back.
Now when you are reading for 1st time..Lot of questions will be new to you.
Mark those questions...
Now when you're solving MCQ's for 2nd time...
60-70% of the things, which you marked while reading for the 1st time..you'll be able to answer..
Still some questions..you won't recollect..
Marks these questions with some other identification...so you remember..this question..you couldn't solve..even after 2nd time.
If even after 3rd reading you do not know a particular question..those are the type of questions, you want to go through just before your NEET MDS..1 day before revise all these questions...
7. When is the ideal time to prepare?
This is very important...As soon as you enter your internship..start your preparation..
Because when you are preparing for the 1st time...
It will take a lot of time...
You'll spend a few months to finish the entire syllabus atleast once.
Second revision will be a lot faster.
Student's waste a lot of time..then they regret and hope they could get some extra time..
CONCLUSION:
- Read thoroughly..Complete entire syllabus atleast 3 or more times
- Don't ignore Miscellaneous section at the end of topic
- Solve Previous year question papers of NEET MDS/AIIMS/PGI Chandigarh
- Join test series
- Go through list of extra books i have provided.
I hope you liked the indepth exam preparation tips. Let me know in the comments, if you like it.