AIIMS PG Session Interview with Dr. Ravi Sharma, Rank 2

Dr. Ravi Sharma has secured Rank 2 in AIIMS PG Jan 2015 session which was held on 9th November, 2014 (Sunday) and results were declared on 13th November, 2014. He has done his MBBS from AIIMS, New Delhi.

Interview

Q. In what year did you pass out your MBBS?

Ans. Internship completion on 31 Dec 2014.

Q. What ranks had you secured in any previous PG medical entrance exams you gave?

Ans. AIR 2 AIIMS NOV 14 on first attempt.

Q. What were your MBBS percentage marks (aggregate or final year) ?

Ans. 81%, BEST GRADUATE FOR AIIMS MBBS BATCH 2009-14.

Q. What is the secret of your success?

Ans. Over years i have worked out on skills which have helped me top my proff exams and Nov AIIMS 14 in minimum possible time and effort.
Throughout my MBBS I have been complemented for my exceptional speed and memory but these abilities i have evolved from my experiences in my college life.
So i m sharing my secret of my so-called exceptional speed and memory.
Most important quality which u need to become an all India topper is that you need to have composure and focus. By focus i don’t mean u need to study 12 hrs a day, it means that whatever u do it with 100% concentration. As Thomas Alva Edison has said- “WHEN I COMB MY HAIR I THINK ONLY OF MY HAIR”. So good focused study without interruptions improves your efficiency and output. So u don’t need to study 12 hrs a day, you must study in a stretch of 3 hrs as your exam is going to be in a stretch for 3 hrs. You need to learn how to maintain your focus for 3 hrs continuously without even a single thought crossing your mind. And believe me it is tough!!! but it is possible to have that level of concentration and if u develop that good a focus, your reading speed and memory will improve considerably and instead of studying 12 hrs a day you just need to spend 6 hrs studying and remaining 6 hrs u can enjoy and have fun…….
It is a general notion that all India top rank needs phenomenal handwork but i would like to restate that it needs a smart way of studying with modest handwork.

Q. How was your internship?

Ans. I am currently doing my internship at AIIMS ( will be completed on 31 December 2014).

Q.  When did you seriously start preparing for the entrance exam?

Ans. Honestly speaking i started my preparation in JAN 2014 but because of hectic rural posting for first 3 months of internship i could not study much. So i geared up my preparation from 1st April,2014.

Q. How many hours did you study each day?

Ans. A question i have been asked in almost interview i gave. Honestly i used study 4-7 hrs/day during the months of April-July 2014 because of hectic internship but in last 3 months( Aug-Oct) i studied 10-12 hrs/ day in planned intervals of 3-4 hrs sitting/interval.

Q. Which books did you read for the theory part?

Ans. Three Theory books i used for REFERENCE (don’t read them word by word, just selected topics) for preparation which i feel are must for all.

1. Robbins
2. Harrison
3. Park

Q. Which books did you read for MCQs revision? Which revision books were the most productive and which were least?

Ans. 1st year – Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology – ACROSS

2nd year – Pathology – Gobind Garg, Robbins, Dr.Devesh Mishra’s Classes
Pharmacology – Gobind garg, sparsh gupta
Microbiology – Rachna Chaurasia
Forensic Medicine- Sumit Seth

3rd year
ENT- Coaching notes (DAMS)
Oorthopedics- Apoorv Mehra
Ophthalmology – Ruchi Rai (DAMS)
PSM- Vivek Jain

Final year
Radiology – Dr.Sumer Sethi’s book
Psychiatry- ACROSS
Medicine – Dr. Thameem’s Notes + DAMS Coaching Notes+ Harrisson as reference
Surgery – DAMS Coaching Notes + DBMI Srgery T&D Notes
Pediatrics – Arvind Arora
Obstetrics – Gynaecology – Dr. Deepti Behl’s Notes (DAMS)
Anaesthesia- Ajay Yadav
Dermaatology – DAMS Coaching notes

Q. Which subjects did you focus on?

Ans. Subjects must do for SELECTION-

1. Medicine + relevant RADIOLOGY
2. Pathology
3. PSM
4. Pediatrics
5. Surgery
6. Anatomy
7. Pharmacology

RANK DECIDING SUBJECTS-

1. Forensic
2. Biochemistry
3. Ophthalmology

Q. What was your strategy for the exam day? How many questions did you attempt and why?

Ans. I had a strategy in my mind. I didn’t take pressure, I kept myself calm. I sat quietly for 30 min before my exam putting together all my strength and confidence.

I planned that i will go through all 200 questions in 2 hrs and reconsider the questions marked for review in remaining one hr.

I was almost close…i finished all 200 questions in 2 hrs 10 min and then reviewed the marked questions in 50 min.

I attempted 196 questions and i kept my attempt high as there were many questions in which i was fifty percent sure of the answer.

Q. Did you join any classes or test series? Was it useful?

Ans. I attended few classes at DAMS and few classes at DBMI.

Those I found useful-

DAMS-
Radiology
Obs-gynae
Medicine
Surgery
Ophthalmology
Dermatology

DBMI T&D
Pathology – Dr. Devesh Mishra
Medicine – Dr. Thameem
Surgery – Dr. Jai Arora
Pharmacology –  T&D
Anaesthesia – T&D

Q.  What were your study methods? How many revisions did you do for each subject?

Ans. I used to study in an integrated manner.
Self Study is important but has to be complemented by group study.
I was fortunate to have wonderful study partners in AIIMS- Dr.Rituraj Upadhyay (AIIMS NOV 14 RANK 46) and Dr. Zainab Vora (AIIMS NOV 14 RANK 98). We used to discuss all important topics and complement each others weak topics. I was lucky to have such exceptionally talented people around me.

I gave 2 revisions for all subjects and i prepared self created notes for last minute revision

Q. In which field do you want to specialize in? why?

Ans. I want to specialize in a surgical field as i feel that to be a good surgeon you must be patient, focused and keep your cool, which i think i have in myself.

Q. Who or what influenced you to take up Medicine?

Ans. I always had an inspiration to become something more than just a doctor. Someone who can bring about transformation in medical science in India.

Q. What is your advice to future aspirants?

Ans.

1. Be confident…Even if u start late u can get top rank…time is not the key…ur focus is!!!
2. You need 6-7 months of focused preparation to crack AIIMS.
3. Don’t cram, understand well….at the end your basic knowledge matters.
4. Don’t read too much, revise more.
5. If your target is AIIMS, read more of conceptual things rather than factual knowledge ( NO ONE ASKS NAMED SIGNS, FACTUAL POINTS in AIIMS… they are useful only in NEET)

Q. Indian PG entrances are highly competitive, so to crack them students end up in appearing for multiple PG exams with some of them having same exam with different slots and papers , please extend your views on this and their pros and cons of appearing in multiple PG entrances.

Ans. I think you should be focussed on one exam as your primary target like i always focused for AIIMS. I dint prepare for NEET or PGI….This will save your time and energy and help u get better results.

We are ending this interview with our hearty congratulations and best wishes for future to this talented person, Dr. Ravi Sharma. Keep up the great work.