A gap year is one of the toughest times in the life of a student. If you have been a repeater or if you are currently repeating MDCAT, you can relate to the fact that gap year comes with a lot of difficulties. You feel anxious, shattered and hopeless. However, you're not alone on this journey. Roughly 15 to 20 thousand students repeat MDCAT every year. It's a very common practice and there is no harm in giving the exam another try if you feel like you hold the potential to clear the test but you couldn't due to some reason. Your struggles appear to be a little easier to fight when you learn the stories of other people who had to go through the same painful experience and came out successful. Today we're sharing the story of an amazing student from Nishtar medical University, who was also once a repeater like many of you.
.
.
.
Salam everyone!
جو یقین کی رہ پر چل پڑے' انہیں منزلوں نے پناہ دی
جنہیں وسوسوں نے ڈرا دیا ' وہ قدم قدم پر بہک گۓ
I want to share a few instances from my life with you guys with the hope of boosting your morale and strengthening your courage. Some of the things that I have learned from my experiences so far are that one should always hope for the best and have faith in the Creator! These things will stay with me forever. They are the pillars of my relationship with the Almighty!
I am a repeater and I will share my experience of repeating MDCAT with you guys. I made a lot of mistakes but the most important one is that I did not have faith in my abilities. I did not consider myself able enough to clear this test at first attempt and this is the biggest cause of my failure to clear MDCAT in the first attempt. It was the fear of failure and lack of faith in my abilities that I could not work hard enough and time decided to transform my fear into reality! (However, everything always happens for a good reason).
I got 802/1100 in the first MDCAT and 946/1100 in re-conduct, with an aggregate of 87.7717
I knew that I couldn’t get admission with this aggregate. Although I had prayed a lot for my admission, I failed to work hard enough for it. I had once read in the Holy Quran:
اور اس میں تمہاری ہی کہانی ہے ۔
I used to look for advises regarding the different issues in my life, from the verses I used to recite in the Quran daily. After the re-conduct, I came across this verse:
اور بم نے آدم میں ذرا بھی صبر و ثبات نہ پایا
Deep down I realized that I am not going to achieve what I want at least this year. I have to stay calm, focused and patient.
ملے گا! سب ملے گا بس تھوڑا اور صبر ۔۔
With faith and hope, I stepped into 2018, the most productive year of my life so far. I got admission in a coaching center. I groomed myself mentally, worked hard but moderately and consistently, prepared myself for the worst and learned to let go of things that are not meant for me. Not only did I work on my preparation but I also grew so strong that I was able to hew out a stone of hope from the mountain of despair. During this journey, another verse touched my heart:
رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي
Translation: O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness)
I used to recite this verse over and over again whenever I found myself on the verge of giving up!
So finally the day came, the day that decides your career. One might call it ‘The day of Judgment’, especially for repeaters. Before entering the examination hall, my father advised me to read the same dua if I find something difficult. This dua was also advised by one of my prestigious teachers to me.
At last, I was done with the exam. I was hopeful and I decided to check the key by myself this time.
زیادہ سے زیادہ کیا ھو جاےگا
With this confidence, I calculated my score and this time I got 986 out of 1100, with an aggregate of 89.8%.
اللّه کن کہتا ہے تو فیکن کیسے چیزیں ھو جایا کرتی ہیں۔
I wanted to get admission in NMU, but I got admission in QAMC instead. However, I still kept praying for Nishtar medical University and so did my parents.
HE (The Almighty) calls HIMSELF "The All-Hearing." How could he neglect the prayers of my parents?
اور پھر جیسا ہم گمان کرتے ہیں
ملتا تو ویسا ہی ہے ہمیں ۔۔!!
(یہ تو بر حق ہے ۔۔لکھ دیا گیا ہے اس کتاب میں جس
کو کوئی جھٹلا نہیں سکتا ۔)
The official result turned out to be a little different. I got 998/1100 and my aggregate got increased to 90.3909! Alhamdulillah now I am studying in Nishtar Medical University and I proudly hold the title of the very first doctor of my family (In sha Allah)