Like any other major competitive examination, the AIPMT also demands extremely rigorous preparation from aspirants. Given the intensity of preparation needed, we often see that candidates overdo certain parts of their preparation in their enthusiasm to be as completely prepared as possible. Aspirants also do tend to overlook key preparation needs and implement some of the preparation in an insufficient or incorrect manner. With the AIPMT 2016 coming up shortly, it could be relevant to pay attention to some of the biggest preparation mistakes that one should steer clear of in order to maximize one’s chances of clearing the examination.
Table of Contents
AIPMT 2016 news
The AIPMT 2016 will be an offline format, pen and paper examination that will be held on the 3rd of May, 2016. It will last 3 hours and will consist of 180 questions of objective type of multiple-choice type (4 options). Given that it implements negative marking (1 mark) for incorrect answers, specific strategies are called for in order to tackle that as well.
Mistake number 1 – Studying from too many reference books
While it is true that the AIPMT syllabus is challenging and demands deep subject knowledge, aspirants tend to go wrong by going overboard and utilizing too many reference books. The handling of concepts can be significantly different between books and this results in too much time being spent trying to compare varying explanations. It can also cause more confusion and diminished understanding. The primary source should always be the NCERT books and a couple of reference books can certainly help at times with understanding specific areas.
Mistake number 2 – Not having differentiated focus for Biology and Physics/Chemistry
One other area where candidates often go wrong on the AIPMT is when they do not adopt a differentiated focus for Biology and the Physics/Chemistry sections. The Biology section demands a lot of absorption of known terminology and facts as-is in order to build a body of knowledge. On the other hand, the Physics and Chemistry sections demand that an aspirant be numerically oriented with excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. This calls for preparation styles and plans that may be completely different in many aspects.
Mistake number 3 – The Big Bang study approach
Another common mistake made by AIPMT aspirants is to adopt a Big Bang study approach whereby they try to allocate a large amount of time, say 3 weeks to a complex topic and then have some time allocated for revision, say 3 days. This kind of an approach often does not work well because it can diminish the amount of knowledge absorption and retention. A far more effective study plan would involve, for the quoted chapter, 5 phases of study, each phase being allocated 3 days for study combined with 1 day for review.
Mistake number 4 – Getting the Study-Solve/Answer mix wrong
While preparing for tough exams like the AIPMT, it is only natural that one can get bogged down with the studying side of things, trying to absorb the humongous amount of knowledge required. However, it is very important to follow up the studying with time for solving problems and answering questions. The time spent solving problems and answering questions pertaining to a specific topic should be significantly more than the time allocated for studying that topic. It’s only this kind of effort and time “doing” that can help a person cross the bridge from surface level “knowledge” to actual “understanding”.
Mistake number 5 – Inadequate focus on weak areas
The sheer amount of study that needs to be covered can enforce a level of constant pressure which can push candidates into a mind-set that “everything” needs to be covered and “everything” is important. While, as a high-level principle, this is all well and good, in practice, one needs to maintain laser-beam focus on one’s weak areas and ensure to spend enough extra time beefing up knowledge levels in those specific areas. Otherwise, these weak areas can end up significantly dragging down scores on the day of the exam.
About Carson Derrow
