MDCAT or Medical and dental college admission test is one of the most important and talked about entrance exams in Pakistan which is mandatory for getting admission in both government and private sector medical colleges.
This entrance test is conducted by the University of Health and Sciences and every year, more than half a lac students attempt this test. Out of all these candidates, only 5 to 6 percent of the students succeed to secure admission in public sector medical and dental colleges.
So now, coming to the topic of the article:
1. MDCAT is completely an MCQues' based test so your score depends 'totally' upon your performance in the test, instead of your presentation or writing.
2. It consists of a whole lot of 220 multiple choice questions, each carrying 5 marks.
3. There's negative marking in the test. There will be a deduction of 6 marks for each question that you get wrong, but not for the ones you leave unattempted.
4. You'll get two and a half hours or 150 minutes for the test. So, basically, you'll get almost 40 seconds on average, to solve each question.
5. The test is conducted in all the major cities of Punjab.
6. Out of 220 questions:
-88 questions are from Biology
-58 questions are from Chemistry
-44 questions are from Physics
-30 questions are from English
7. 'Your textbooks are more important than any other book for MDCAT'. You'd have heard this phrase so many times by now but this is one hundred percent true. If you've prepared your textbooks well enough in FSc, MDCAT preparation would be a lot easier for you!
8. Biology: For Biology, you can rely completely on Punjab textbook (it might sound very easy but it isn't. There are almost 26 chapters from Biology that are included in UHS syllabus so it's quite a big deal already). And remember, quality of study matters too!
Here is a question from an MDCAT past paper:
Q. Which organelle has two subunits
A. Nucleus B. Endoplasmic reticulum C. Ribosomes D. Plastids
Quite easy. No?
9. Physics and Chemistry: Physics and chemistry portion 'might' be a bit confusing, specifically the physics one! But again, there are many students every year who score 43+ and 56+ in physics and chemistry respectively and they're as human as you are! You can ace it too.
The key is 'concept+cramming' or 'conceptual cramming'. Not only that the formulas and textbook lines should be at your fingertips but you should also know how to apply them. Don't ignore the questions in textbook exercise and PRACTICE as many questions as you can.
-With Nearpeer Online MDCAT course, you can get 100+ video lectures and 1500+ MCQues for each subject in the form of quizzes. Enroll with us now to prepare in the best possible way, that too in no time. Click here to see more.
10. English: Last but not the least, English portion of the test which doesn't really has much to do with FSc text book. But yes, all the grammar rules that you've learned throughout FSc, they're gonna help you a lot! So polish your grammar. Shortlist all the grammar rules.
- So, you've to make sure you don't lose any marks in English at least. You've got to have a really good grammar. Nearpeer online MDCAT program can help you ace English with lots and lots of video lectures, online quizzes, past papers and more. Click to see more.
This portion of the test consists of following sub-portions:
-Sentence completion: If you have a good knowledge of vocabulary, it shouldn't be very difficult for you. Here's a question from MDCAT past paper
Q. The soviet union was so vast and _______ that it comprised all the conceivable world. A. Incisive B. Prolific C. Hermetic
D. Platonic
-Spot the error:
The only requirement is good grammar.
Here's an example from an MDCAT past paper
Q. (A)if it was possible to get (B) the necessities of life from heavens (C) through prayers. Molvi Abdul would have prayed to Allah for a pair of shoes (D) for his Umda.
-Choose the correct sentence:
Again the only requirement is nothing but good grammar.
Q. A. Heat the olive oil into a heavy pan.
B. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan.
C. Heat the olive oil with a heavy pan.
D. Heat the olive oil on a heavy pan.
-Synonyms:
850 synonyms cannot be done in a few days. You've to revise them on a daily basis so start work on them from the very start. Here's an example from MDCAT past paper:
We'll be writing separate detailed articles about how to study for each portion of the test, discussion of UHS syllabus, past papers and much more. Hope you'll like them!