How To Crack absurd MCQ Based Questions In Medical Entrance Exams?

MCQ based questions form the basis of Indian medical entrance exams. And though many among us find it absurd and not the perfect measure of a students caliber, it stands to be one of the toughest exams in the country with really low intake. Lakhs of students give the CET exam but only a few of them are able to gain a desired score. Why? Did the other students didn't study as much? Ofcourse not. The ones who crack the exam just know the 'code'. You don't have to be a topper to do well in entrance, you just need to follow these simple rules. 

1.The Right approach:
 In our school days we are taught to focus on textual answers more than MCQs and thats the same approach many students have for Entrance exams,which is totally wrong. For solving MCQs you need to rely a lot on your common sense and subconcious mind rather than the text you have read. You need to understand what the examiner is trying to ask or hide in the question, whether it is a direct factual question or a tricky one. 

2.Good Quality Notes:
Good quality hand written notes are a must to succeed in competitive exams. The trick is to convert long texts into objective-friendly questions. This notes help a lot during the last few months when you need to revise stuff. Notes should be concise, easily understandable and not just random scribbles because you need to revise the notes months after you've written them. Diagrams, flow charts, doodles, mnemonics are a must. Here you can show your creative skills. The art of note-taking is a different lesson altogther.

3. Basic Concepts:
Its impossible to score good in exams without having a clear idea about the basic concepts. They help in solving questions where you need to guess the answer. This is where you need to apply yourself, to understand the concepts thoroughly and in a simple way. 

4. Look for continuity where others see gaps:
Now, this is a complex one. I've seen students fail to answer questions where they need to connect two different chapters or rather concepts. You need to learn the art of connecting the dots. When facing a question you need to have an open mind and consider the different options before jumping to an answer.

5.The art of guessing:
This rule applies to questions which you don't know the answers to. You can't study and remember everything that you read, no one can. Now if you find a question about something you have not read at all? What do you do? You can't say I dont know the answer and leave it or do akkad bakkad.  A calculated guess is what you need. If you ever come across such a question, remember they are bonus points because there are high chances that very few people might know the right answer. Guessing requires something we all fail to use during our exams i.e common sense. Yes, thats it. Read the question a few times and try to gain what the examiner is trying to ask. If the question has a word you dont know the meaning of just break it up, try to figure out the origin of the word for eg. if the question has hyperinsulinaemia. Break it down: hyper(increased), insulin(hormone), -aemina(blood) which is a increased way of saying increased insulin in blood. Look for an option which has some correlation with insulin or diabetes and you are done.

6.Practice and self evaluation:
Like every other skill this too needs practice. Mock tests, online test series, group discussions should be done at a regular basis. Know where you stand right now and try to push yourself. Remember its not a race but more of a marathon. Good Luck and all the best.