MBBS from Agha Khan Medical College is a dream of every student. It is very easy to pursue this dream provided that you prepare yourself in proper lines for its entry test. The entry test is designed primarily to assess your conceptual learning. You should be really an inquisitive student to qualify the entry test. This article provides all the guidelines for preparation for the entry test.  

These three subjects make the major part of the entry test. Therefore, these subjects should receive more attention from the students while preparing for the test.

The textbooks of Intermediate (FSc) are generally enough for making preparation for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. However, as the test is designed to assess your in-depth learning, it is better to also study some foreign relevant books such as SAT and MCAT. These books are specially designed by the experts of the subjects to make MCQs touching on the conceptual areas of learning. Since these MCQs are extracted by the experts having a higher understanding of their subject area, they are different than normal MCQs generally made (or extracted) by a common student from his books. This is because these MCQs are designed to assess how deeply and conceptually you have learnt the topics of your books. There can be a number such foreign books which provide such ready-made high-level MCQs, and the students can easily read them and prepare them.

Another approach to in-depth learning is to study relevant books of higher classes (e.g., Bachelors). Biology, chemistry and physics are also taught in Bachelor programs in the universities. Since the academic level of the Bachelor program is higher than the Intermediate program, these books provide better and detailed learning of the topics compared to the books of Intermediate. Many ambitious students read the books of higher levels along with their own textbooks to gain a better understanding. Sometimes, the students after appearing in the entry test feel like some of the questions of the test were out of the learning domain of their textbooks. No, these questions are always within the learning domain of the Intermediate books, but this is because the students may have not gained in-depth and conceptual learning of the topics within their textbooks. This is where the importance of reading books of higher classes may come into play. When you read the books of higher classes, it may give you the basic understanding but it can be viewed as in-depth and conceptual learning in the case of Intermediate books.

Now, coming to the textbooks of Intermediate. As noted earlier, the textbooks (course books) of an Intermediate level are always enough for preparation. This is because the entry test is basically for the students with an Intermediate level of qualification. This means that by preparing only your textbooks, you can also very easily qualify the entry test, and most students have done so by studying only their coursebooks. If this is so, then why do students may feel the need to study other books too? The answer is that most students have a wrong approach to learn and prepare from their course books. Most students simply read the topics and memorize them like stories; and to be able to rewrite them in the exam (again like stories). I have used the term ‘story’ intentionally because I have seen that many students even memorize the steps involved answers in mathematics (without understanding them) so they can simply rewrite them in the exam.

Most students never bother to understand the topic. Students normally accept, what is written, as it is; and never ask any question. When you attempt to understand a topic, your mind will start generating many questions. These are the questions generally asked in the assessment tests (including this entry test). This is the correct approach to learning. Let me explain this with the following example:

Example 1. A brilliant student is studying ‘the structure of atom’ in his chemistry book. He reads the sentence ‘Protons exist in the nucleus of atom’. This sentence makes him think that how can proton exist together within the same place (nucleus) because protons have a similar charge (positive), and bodies having similar charge repel each other. He starts thinking to find an answer to this question: how can protons exist together within the same place and that why don’t they repel each other? This is an approach of a brilliant student who wants to understand things conceptually.

Example 2. While studying biology book, a student comes to know that muscles in the arm start to ache when they are used for some time because of lactic acid formation. The mind of such a student may raise a question that if muscles get tired when they are used (due to lactic acid formation), then why heart’s muscles don’t get tired because they are constantly beating 24 hours a day for years. He starts thinking about why cardiac muscles do not get tired with use like the other skeletal muscles?

Obviously, the above conceptual questions have their answers. However, the purpose here is to say that every student should develop an approach like this to their study if they want to easily qualify the entry test. This is how they will generate conceptual questions and will be prepared for such questions, generally asked in the assessment tests.

If you have now one or two months to prepare for the test, start reading the topics of your books with full concentration. Take a pencil and underline each sentence containing important information. Each topic has some MCQs in it. When you have a very short time for preparation, then it is a good technique to extract MCQs from your books using this technique. When you start doing so, you will develop the art of extracting MCQs from topics. This technique does help and has helped many students, particularly when they have a short time for preparation.

Some suggested books are as follows:

• Course books (i.e. FSc, A-level)
• SAT-I (for English & Maths)
• SAT-II (for Biology, Physics & Chemistry)
• MCAT (a foreign book, not the local ones)

The test format of Aga Khan Medical College is updated from time to time. The most recent format seems to have not considered the English section. However, if it does, the following few guidelines will help for the English section.

Previously, the English section included a paragraph reading question and MCQs. The student has to read the paragraph; and to rewrite it in a summative form; and to answer the question given on the same paragraph. It is usually a long paragraph that consumes a lot of student’s time in reading it. The best way to prepare for it is simply to practice such paragraphs given in certain books such as SAT I. This will enhance your reading skills as well as the ability to answer the questions given on the paragraph.

The MCQ part assesses your grammatical knowledge and vocabulary in terms of the following:

1. Synonyms and antonyms
2. Analogies
3. Usage of correct verb, adverb, conjunction or preposition in blanks in the sentence.
4. Dangling modifiers related question
5. Subject-verb agreement related question
6. Sentence correction

The mathematics part consists of simple but tricky questions. These questions are based on the mathematics of class eight, nine and ten which mainly revolve around the following areas:

1. Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication
2. Percentages
3. Ratio & proportions
4. Simple geometry and algebra

The questions are based on simple arithmetic but involve some mind using trick. You should learn these tactics to solve the questions. Some questions can be solved using short formulas to save your time, as discussed below:

Example.
Question: What is the sum of natural numbers from 1 to 100?
Answer: If you start adding all the numbers from 1 to 100, it will take a lot of time. But it has a short formula and using which you can solve it in seconds.

Sum of digits  =  number of digits(first number + last number)/2
Sum of digits  =  100(1+100)/2 = 5050 Answer

Some examples of Maths MCQs:

Question: If ¾ of a number is 7 more than 1/6 of the number, what is the number?
Options:  A. 12   B. 15    C. 18   D. 20

Question: If it is now June, what will be the month after 100 months from now?
Options:  A. January        B. April    C. June   D. October

Test-taking strategies are important for MCQs tests. Despite sound preparation, many students fail the test because they do not know the test-taking strategies. These strategies enhance the chance to answer correctly as well as to complete the test in time, as discussed below:

1. The time for MCQs test is generally short. Each MCQ may hardly get one or a half minute.
2. Divide the time on MCQs to get the idea of time for each MCQ.
3. Have a wristwatch while attempting the test. Keep an eye on it to move on with time.
4. Attempt those MCQs first which you are sure to answer correctly. Leave the difficult one for the end. Sticking to one MCQ will waste your time leaving less time for other MCQs.  Encircle the number of un-attempted MCQs to get to it back in the end easily.
5. Read each MCQ carefully. Think about its answer before reading the given options.
6. If you have no idea about an MCQ, look at the given options. First, skip those options which you think cannot be the answer. Select one in the remaining options. It maximizes your chance of answering correctly.
7.  For answers, you are given a computer sensitive ‘answer-sheet’ having small block or circles. Darken each bloc or circle properly because the sheet is read by the computer to mark it.  Do not just put a tick mark or cross mark in it; because you to darken it properly.
8. Solve practice tests as many as possible while making preparation for the test to get acquainted with test-taking. It helps a lot.

Here is practice test for students appearing in the entry-test of Agha Khan Medical College. This test is based on the MCQs collected from academies for preparation of the test as well as students who appeared in the test. This Practice Test gives an idea about the nature of the test and helps in making preparation. Best of luck!