Tag Archive | PGMEE
The Family Physician: A Dying Romantic Idea
I have been known to lament the loss of the prestige of the basic medical degree (MBBS) in India. While you may or may not agree with it, the truth remains that nobody who is doing (or has recently done) an MBBS course wants to stay out at that level. Everyone wants to go and […]
USMLE 2013 and IMGs: All That Glitters is NOT Gold
I have pretty much been declared the official (Indian) USMLE rumor-monger by one of the most famous USMLE coaching institutes that held introductory classes to tell the masses what USMLE was all about. Thank you sir, you made my day. Now, again, another disclaimer. The last time I wrote about the USMLE match (this one: […]
The USA Dream for IMGs: Coming to an end? Analysing the 2012 Match
My attention was drawn to an article in the JAMA today (1) by one of my friends who is actively pursuing the USMLE route. And after reading this, I guess I have to admit that one now has to make haste in order to prevent waste. Now I have long been wanting to write about […]
On Being A Gadfly
Although this is the age of Evidence Based Medicine, in large parts of our country, the “E” in EBM does not stand for Evidence, and more often than not, means “Eminence”. Medicine, for a long time, was resistant to the influx of new ideas. While reading the Gawande article on the History of Surgery in […]
AIIMS May 2012: Part–I: Nostalgia
First up, a sincere apology to my email subscribers for messing up your email with multiple temporary post mails from Windows Live. Sorry for spamming you, the program went bonkers trying to get a hold of my new blog theme (Nuntius). I hope you do not unsubscribe! What were the emotions that you felt while […]
And the AIPG Fiasco Continues
The 5300-odd rankers in the AIPG were breathing a sigh of relief when the notification for counseling for Post Graduation seats was declared, along with dates and ranks and the rank cards were uploaded on the site. It seemed that the concept of online counseling which seemed innocuous on the surface but was fraught with […]
Game, Set… MATCH!
A number of my friends applied for the USMLE this year and it seems that with every passing year more and more people from my neck of the woods are trying to jump shores. The whys and wherefores of such a radical decision are matters for another post, but the thing is, all over the […]
Another AIPG Controversy
Rumors and hearsay have been a dime a dozen since the bombshell of an AIPG dropped on us and since the results were postponed, there seems to have been an explosion of sorts in the kinds of news just flying around. And like all other med students and PG perspirants, even I have been monitoring […]
MAHE: A Fantastic Test Experience of an Unfair Evaluation System
I took the Manipal MD/MS PG Entrance examination today (aka MAHE) and as it was the first ever online test I was going to sit for, I was naturally a little excited and tensed about it. I managed to work it up to a bit of a useless frenzy last night. But I must say […]
Landmark Order: JIPMER Asked to Reveal Test Paper and Keys
One of the biggest bones that the Indian post graduate entrance examinees had to pick with the system was the (?apparent) lack of transparency in the examination system, One of the things that could have easily ensured a transparent and clean exam would be if the students were handed the question papers and answer keys […]
The (Alleged) Rajasthan PG Entrance Fiasco
I was thinking of writing about the postponement of the All India Post Graduate Entrance Exam in order to make time for an online counseling system to be put in place, but I just came across another bit of news that has left me wondering what the heck is wrong with the system. Now obviously, […]
The Map of the Cat Conundrum: Richard Feynman and AIIMS November 2011
Well, that sounds like an odd assortment of topics to group under the same heading, does it not? Well, today I had the misfortune of experiencing first hand what Feynman had described ages ago in Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman? As my blog readers might know, I had an examination today, and before you ask […]
Negative Marking: Proposing An Alternative System
I had written this quite some time ago and I decided to publish this now for obvious reasons. I have an exam this Sunday! The AIPGMEE is a very dicey exam. My personal brush with it has not been very pleasant, so I have obvious conflicts of interest in proposing changes in it and hoping […]
Google+ for Google Apps, Open Lab and Exam Musings
So this is a bit of a mishmash of a post. Google Plus is finally being opened up to the Google Apps users! Phew. That settles the hash of using my old Gmail address solely for the purpose of sticking stuff in the Google Plus panel! Anyways. With over 40 million users in a few […]
PG CET: Not Happening in 2012. Thanks for the mess!
Oh well, this question has been bugging us endlessly for the past few weeks, ever since the MCI declared on its website (ridiculously named MCIIndia.org. Redundancy five!) the much vaunted plan to redesign the ridiculous exam that guards the gates leading into the pantheons of post graduate medical education in India. And now, it seems, […]
…maybe your life just sucks?
I don’t know why but this cartoon by the FANTASTIC Abstruse Goose reminded me of my life.
Got A Coupla’ Crores Lying Around? Go, Buy An MD Degree!
Rant Alert: The post below comes from a MCQ-mauled, beleaguered medical student who is suffering an early mid-life crisis. So switch off your brain cells before you commence reading! If you are the type whose sensibilities are easily hurt, turn back. You have been warned… Bit of news from today’s newspaper.
FlowChart: Classifying Staphylococci
I made this using Bubbl.us which seems like a pretty decent tool to make simple flowcharts and stuff. What do you think of this? Important tool to aid visual learners?
Integrated MCQs – Part 2: Why The Present System Sucks!
The foundations of the Indian Medical Education System is based on the principles of testing students via the use of MCQs. Whilst the system is probably the best possible way of evaluating a student objectively, and without letting subjective bias creeping in on the results (which is often the case in the in-course MBBS examinations, […]
CET: Proposing a NEET Idea
I have had this presentation made by Dr. Avinash Supe, Professor and HOD, Department of Gastrosurgery, KEM Hospital and Seth GS Medical College and was waiting for the right time to publish it online. It seems like the time is now here! Knowing how the Google Docs to WordPress thingy does not always work smoothly, […]
NEET: Not Just A Neat Idea?
So according to the latest update on the website of the Medical Council of India, the proposed merging of state and national level entrance examinations for the post graduate education is going on as planned, despite the stiff opposition from certain sections. Though this notification is a bit vague and in no way a complete […]
The Tyranny of Diagnosis
For a profession that primarily concentrates on the well being of the human being, we seem to be very disconnected with the suffering person. We hide behind the facades of cases/bed no./patient ID or sometimes, even diagnoses/differential diagnoses to depersonalize the man who is suffering the disease. We end up diagnosing the disease, treating the […]
AIIMS MD/MS/MCh Entrances Rigged As Well?
In a bizarre bit of news that must have come as a shocker for more than just myself, a news article in the Hindustan Times claims that the CBI has arrested 5 people for rigging the AIIMS entrance exams this year. Having taken the exam this year, and knowing how high the stakes are in […]
AIIMSing for the Best
A weak pun, I know, forgive me, I have an exam in a few hours for which I am grossly underprepared! Whilst I sincerely wish they were going to ask me questions like this: I am pretty sure I will be handling questions like these instead: Now if only I could be even a portion […]
Saved by A Whisker!
Due to the sensitive nature of the issue concerned, I cannot reveal too much about this right now, but if I did not mention the fact that without a friend’s help, I would be totally at sea today, I will be betraying her contribution! Someday, when this thing is done and dusted, I will post […]
DNB = MD/MS? No Way!
The union health ministry has approved Medical Council of India‘s recommendation that bars Diplomate of National Board (DNB) degree-holders from teaching in medical colleges if they do not have the one-year additional teaching experience to make them on a par with MD/MS candidates. According to the new rule, DNB degree-holders, who have passed out from […]
A Common Test?
This post was written on an old blog of mine when the common entrance test for the medical under and post graduation levels were being mulled. Now it seems the big shots have reached a final decision and there seems to be a consensus on making a united, single exam in the form of the […]
WBPGMAT 2011: Recalled Questions 61-70
Alright, bonus set of questions: I know I had said that I was going to post 60 questions in groups of 10 each, but while doing this significantly large amount of type work, I remembered clues and cues and managed to unearth several more questions. 10 of which go into this final post on recalled […]
WBPGMAT 2011: Recalled Questions 51-60
Q. 1 – 10 Q. 11 – 20 Q. 21 – 30 Q. 31 – 40 Q. 41 – 50 51. Toxic dose of lithium is above: [Pharmacology] a. 1 meq/l b. 2 meq/l c. 4 meq/l d. 6 meq/l 52. In order to prevent the venom of an Elapida bite from spreading what should […]
