A guide to the UHS MCAT, especially for the A'levels students!

My fellow A'levels students, you must have always wondered if you will be able to enter the premier government medical universities of Pakistan by doing A'levels. Since, I had done A'levels, I always had that doubt in my mind about such an achievement as studying the FSC books seemed a hectic job. Let me tell you that I was able to erase all these doubts by acing the MCAT test, and making it to the top most medical university of Punjab. Trust me guys, believing in yourself and working hard can easily change anyone's fortunes for the good.

You don't need to be disheartened if you don't have the perfect equivalency. MCAT comprises 50% of the final aggregate that makes up the merit of the medical universities so getting a good score will ensure your entry into the medical world.

As for this guide, I'm sure you people have come across a lot of guides with a lot of stuff so I'm going to mention only the important stuff in Question and Answer style along with my own experience.

My own experience

I began my preparation at the beginning of August, with the paper scheduled for the 23rd of the following month i.e. September. So I had about 45 days with almost (I had attended a few classes at the KIPS academy) no previous experience with the FSC books. My preparation technique included a lengthy notes making process whereby I would write every little fact available in the FSC books in my register. Yes, it was a pretty boring process and it required a huge amount of time and resilience but in the end these notes were quite helpful for me. I was able to go through the books once in about 20 to 25 days and my notes were complete by the beginning of September. From here on, all I did was revise my notes and learnt every single detail I had written. I had my Shifa Medical College test on the 8th of September before which I was able to revise my notes atleast once.

 Following the Shifa test, I started studying the KIPS books (KETS). And frankly speaking, they were utterly useless. They were just a summary of the FSC books, and if I had a choice I would have preferred going through the actual books rather than reading this summary that missed out on many facts. But one book that was quite useful to me among the 5 KIPS books was the supplementary one which gave a detailed view on the UHS MCAT syllabus and covered the missing topics in the FSC books (No question came out of these topics in the final exam). The vocabulary list at the end of English book was also quite useful. In the last 30 days before the exam, I started making flash cards of 25-50 words each day and it made learning them much easier. With my NUST medicine exam on the 15th of September, I was able to complete the KIPS books before that.

In the last 7 days before the MCAT, I revised my notes and attempted the KIPS full length papers (the pictures in my previous post) along with the practice questions given in the KIPS supplementary book.

As for the actual MCAT exam, I began the test with the Biology section. For some reason, I had the instinct that if I was able to do the Biology section successfully, my whole paper would go well. And that is exactly what happened. As I went through the Biology MCQs, I got more confident with every fact I knew and when I moved on the Physics and Chemistry portion, they seemed a piece of cake with some conceptual questions that weren't a big deal for us, A'levels students. I attempted every question in the paper, eventhough I had doubts about some of them. My worst section, as I came to know when I checked the paper, was surprisingly English. I had 5 questions wrong in this one with mistakes in some of the vocabulary questions despite having gone through the list. But my other sections made up for this.

Overall, MCAT was a pretty good experience for me. Biology section had pretty straight forward factual questions that I answered from my knowledge of the FSC books. Physics and Chemistry also had a lot of factual questions but in some cases, you did require sound concepts to come to the conclusion. That's all for my experience.


What should I expect in the entry test? And how should I prepare?

The entrance test is based on the FSC books entirely. There's a syllabus given for the MCAT by UHS. You can check out this year's syllabus. The content, however, will ALWAYS be from FSC, remember that. So you'll need to go over the FSC books. There's no alternative to that. But sticking to the UHS syllabus won't be a bad idea.

There are plenty of Entry Test books available that you could buy to practice MCQs (but they will never follow the syllabus) with Caravan and Jahangir, the famous ones. I used the KETS books. However, it's hard to get your hands on the KETS books unless you are a student of KIPS. 

KIPS or Star Academy?

I'd advice neither. I did attend KIPS last year but I ended up having an attendance of merely 20% just because it was pretty useless. Some people told me that the practice tests are quite useful. But I found out the hard way that they don't let you take the tests home and since we hadn't studied the FSC syllabus beforehand, I was always dumbfounded by the tests. Secondly, their approach to teaching is totally different and quite annoying for us A'levels students. All they tell you is to learn everything by rote and you can do that while sitting at home too. Plus, their tests usually have out of syllabus questions and you'll end up being disappointed. If you really want to get some practice you can attend the full length model paper session that they offer just before the MCAT test. By this time, you would be done with your preparation and so practicing those tests will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect in the final exam. Check out the KIPS tests I posted previously in the MCAT resources post.


I've heard many A'levels students are rejected and end up being disappointed because they can't get admissions, is this true?

You've heard right, I'm afraid so. But in the past 2 years the situations has gotten a lot better with the introduction of A* and printing of a definite syllabus by the UHS. But you've got to accept the fact that there is no alternative to FSC books.

What is the format of the UHS MCAT exam, is it an all MCQs paper?

Yes, there are a total of 220 MCQ's; 30 from English, 44 from Physics, 58 from Chemistry and 88 from Biology. You've got 150 minutes to do all of them.

What is the better option for questions that I have doubt about, guessing or leaving?

I'm sure you guys know that every wrong answer gets you a negative mark while a correct answer gives you 5 marks. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't leave any questions for an apparent logical reasoning. There are 4 options for every question so even if you blindly guess an answer, there is a 1/4 or 25% probability that you do it correctly. So for every 4 questions guessed blindly, you have a chance of doing 1 question correct which gives you +5 marks (for the correct answer) and -3 marks (for the 3 wrong answers), a gain of 2 marks. Playing with the probability is a risky option, but this gain of 2 marks can be of quite advantage. Plus, in most cases there are only two options for every question that you are confused about. So the probability is even more in your favor  But in case, you have a doubt about more than 20-25 questions in the whole paper, then it's better to leave them as the risk is too great then but even then if you get 5-6 questions right, you'll have a final gain. But remember the final choice is yours. If you don't feel comfortable getting that 1 mark cut then you are better off leaving the answer and securing those valuable marks.

How should I prepare in the last 10 days?

I'm sure you would be done with the FSC book at least once by now. So all you need to do is revise. Nothing is coming out of these books and the syllabus, so make sure you learn every minute detail that is needed. Jotting down important words and values on a piece of paper can really help. And make sure you also go through at least 2 full length papers so that you can get proper exam like feel. Do mark yourself so you know where you stand. In each of the last 5 days, I practiced one of the FLPs of KIPS that I uploaded. The results were usually disappointing because these exams are much harder than the actual MCAT but now that you guys have 2 past papers, 2011 and 2012, your practice will be much better.


If you have any other query, feel free to ask. I hope this helps. :)

A'levels or FSC after O'levels for Pakistani medical students?

This is one of the many questions I pondered over during my O'levels and I'm sure many others do the same. To make such a decision usually involves a lot of elements. Its usually your parents who suggest changing your line of education and moving on to do FSC or you just get discouraged by your seniors who couldn't perform well in the entry test and failed to make it to the better government universities. I have always supported A'levels and so I did the same instead of changing my field to FSC so basically, this post will focus on a pro-A'levels argument so if anyone has a different opinion please don't mind. :)

The A'levels Equivalency

Now the first question is that how does the IBCC equate FSC and A'levels students. They have a simple formula where they use the 8 compulsory subjects of your O'levels and 3 subjects of A'levels. The formula is as such that you get 90 marks for an A*, 85 for an A, 75 for a B and so on.

For example, you get 6A*s, an A and a B in O'levels and you get 2A*s and a A in A'levels, your FSC equivalency will be calculated as follows:

6*90+85+75=700 (O'levels) + 265 (2*90+85 in A'levels)= 965

Do you see an anomaly over here? About 73% of the equivalency is comprised of your O'level subjects. That means when you enter A'levels you are already done with 73% of the equivalent FSC and even if you don't do well in A'levels it won't make a grave difference to your FSC equivalent marks.

Advantages of the A*

With the introduction of the A*, the A'levels students are no more at a disadvantage. Apart from the top most students of FSC, getting a 90% equivalency is not an easy task for FSC students. But I'm pretty sure that the proportion of A'levels students with straight A*s (that gives you a 90% equivalency) are much more than FSC students with > 90% marks so we are actually at an advantage here.

Performance in the MCAT

One problem students have when opting for A'levels is the possibility of poor performance in the MCAT due to the pro-FSC syllabus. But let me make one thing clear for you guys that studying FSC books once we are done with A'levels (which are essential to get the best in the entry tests) can only be of advantage to us. Plus, the Punjab UHS MCAT has a strict syllabus which is much closer to the A'levels syllabus and recently in the past two years many students from A'levels have been able to secure top marks in the UHS MCAT. I can't say the same thing about other provinces, though. But with a 90% equivalency, you can do well in any case by working a bit more hard.

Why do A'levels?

Now let me come to the reason why you guys have this question in your mind.

• Firstly, you have studied continuously in the CIE exams type environment so it is always preferred to continue with the same. 
• Then you guys have the choice to opt for Mathematics and other subjects and keep your options open while opting for pre-medical in FSC binds you to one field with very less other options. 
• Then the question of conceptual studies arises. It is quite clear that there is a huge difference between the examination pattern of our local boards and the A'levels. With the latter one always preferred. And this is one major reason why people prefer to continue with the same British curriculum rather than shifting to the local one.
• Lastly, you'll have a slight edge when it comes to admissions in private institutions like the Aga Khan University due to the all round personality you develop as part of the A'levels programme.

Why do FSC?

Eventhough I support A'levels, I've yet come across several advantages of doing FSC.

• First of all, if you don't get good grades in O'levels for example a Matric equivalency of less than 85% with no A*s or a few Bs then it is much better if you do FSC. As I have stated above, about 73% of the A'levels equivalency is comprised of the O'levels result so an average O'levels result will truly damage your equivalency even if you achieve 3A*s, that is the maximum possible, in A'levels. So for those with an average O'levels result and with strong aspirations of entering a government medical university should seriously consider doing FSC instead of A'levels.
• Secondly, doing FSC gives you an idea and prepares you for the hardships and different style of education that you have to go through during the medical studies at the government institutions. It isn't difficult to adjust in the new environment after A'levels either but obviously the FSC students have a slight edge at the beginning.

Verdict

Do A'levels if you have a good enough O'levels result as you'll already be done with 73% of the FSC by then if you choose A'levels.
Do FSC if you have an average result in O'levels as doing FSC will give you a renewed chance of improvement.
The final choice is yours. 

UHS MCAT Practice Material!

Here is stuff that I gathered while I studied at KIPS.You won't find these in the market so take full advantage. It includes 5 full length papers that you can practice in the days before the test. But make sure you are not disheartened by the results you get as these are much harder than the actual MCAT test.

KIPS Practice Tests (Click on it to start the downloading after skipping the ad and then unzip the downloaded file to find the folder with pictures)

I also came across the UHS MCAT 2012 paper I appeared in last year.

Here is the paper:  2012
Make sure you do this, as many questions are repeated plus it will give you an idea of what the actual paper is like.


I hope this stuff helps you. :)

A complete and comprehensive guide to the AKU INTERVIEW

First of all, I cleared the AKU interview but chose not to go to AKU for several reasons which are not important to mention. What matters is the reasoning behind my acceptance to this prestigious university that many people around the world dream to make it to. To make it to the interview, you must have a percentage above the threshold value in the AKU Test that changes almost every year. In 2012, it was 68% for Sciences (combined) and 55% for English, the former one changed to 66% in 2013. You should remember that once you make it to the interview, it doesn't matter if you have an overall percentage just above the threshold, for example 66.3%, or way above it at 80% as the final decision now rests on your interview performance and your co-curricular activities that you mention in the form you get once you pass the test. But I have seen people with above 85% marks finding it much easier to get the final acceptance than others but even then there is no assurity. Now lets move on to the actual information: 

General Information


You'll have to basically give two, one on one, interviews. Each of the interviews will last from 25-45 minutes with a gap of 5 to 30 minutes in b/w. The interviews are quite general. They'll ask you about your family, your interests, your aspiration to become a doctor and so on. For such general questions you should have some answers in the back of your mind beforehand. They'll try to get you tangled in your own answers but you should follow one rule: DON'T LIE! They always catch you. One of their favourite questions is: "Have you ever cheated" Try to get a good answer to this. If they ask you something that you don't know, just tell them that you don't know. Don't hesitate. And don't start an argument that you can't properly defend. As the interview goes on, you feel really relaxed. The interviewers will actually laugh and try to make you more comfortable, but you should always keep your composure and show them that you are a professional. Another important question is that why do you want to come to AKU? This is also quite important. And if you have done community service, don't stop babbling about it. It really impresses them if you have utilized your time helping out the poor, or working in a hospital or any internship for that matter.


General questions:

Did you ever cheat in your life?
Why do you want to do Medicine?
Why do you want to come to AKU?
What books do you read? Which book are you reading currently?
Any query regarding AKU you may have? 
What are you interests? Co-curricular activities? What do you do in your free time.
Do you play any sports?


My Own Experience + Advice

Its true that one of the interviews is the hard one and the other is the easy one. Usually, one will be in English and another in Urdu but it depends on the interviewers. But for me that is what the case was. This part of the guide will be in a question and answer type just as I was asked last year. I had an overall percentage of 75.85 so you can well imagine that getting accepted in AKU doesn't require a very high percentage but I did have a lot of co-curricular activities. I wore a black dress shirt and grey cotton pants without a tie.

My first interview was with a woman and this was all in English. She got me confused at one time but I made it out unscorched. At the start I was a bit hesitant and tensed but as the interview continued I got pretty relaxed. The first thing she asked me was my name and about what my father's profession and the current status of my siblings and so on. After we were done with the personal information she came to the most important question of the interview: 
"Why do you want to choose medicine as a career?" My answer was pretty blunt at this as I had allready thought of the answer and I knew how she would be impressed. I'm not going to tell you my answer as everyone should have a unique thought behind this and cliched answers like "I want to help people" are just over used now. What I talked about was inspirations and so on.
Next she asked me about my interests and my co-curricular activities. As AKU has people from all over the country, she was particularly interested in activities where I had interacted with people from all over Pakistan and with those from out of the country. My answers included my internships with Shaukat Khanum and SOS along with other volunteer work. As for the national interaction I talked about my experience at competitions like NMO and NBTC. I also told her about my trip to India and other stuff. I kept talking about the stuff for at least 20 minutes. It's the habit of the interviewer to stop you midway at times and ask another question before you complete the answer.

To check my independency, she asked if I had a personal room and if I used to clean it myself. I spoke the truth and told her that I didn't and I had a maid. For the next part let me tell you that a senior advised me about how telling them that you drive a car can be representative of my independent stature but doing so was my biggest mistake. So make sure you just use this whole guide as a help and this is not a compulsory action to follow. Continuing, she asked me if I contributed in any way to the household chores. And I replied that I get the grocery and stuff by driving to the market (my biggest mistake in the two interviews). At this she caught me off guarded and replied that you are not even 18 yet according to the application form in her hand. I tried to recover to this with explanation that I have been driving with parents and just recently got the car. But she asked how I came to the hotel where the interview was being held. And speaking the truth again, I said by driving. She got all judgmental and asked if I don't respect the Pakistani law of underage driving and if it was not important to me. But somehow she managed to stop the inquisition and moved on.

This was all about the first interview, which went pretty well except the last part. This interview lasted about 35 minutes and ended with the interviewer asking me if I had some query for her. And I replied no and thanked her.

My second interview was with a guy in his fifties. I heard before the interview that this guy was the head of the interview delegation and is usually the hardest one to clear. But as the interview ended I thought it was better than my first one and probably the reason behind my acceptance. Half of this interview was in English and then suddenly he started talking in Urdu which was a break in momentum for me but to keep pace with him I also answered in Urdu. This interview was more about my knowledge and how I perceive the world. It also started with my personal information.

Now the first out of the blue question this old man asked me was "What is the difference b/w a mill and a factory?". He derived this question when I told him that my brother works in a mill. I wasn't sure about this so I told him that I don't know. Next he asked me about the health issues of our country, to which I replied the lack of proper medical institutions and hospitals and so on. He asked me about the major diseases prevalent in our country and I replied to that too. He also asked me about my interests and I talked to him about debating, dramatics and my other co-curricular activities. Then I also talked about sports etc. He asked me if I like to read and what book am I reading. And keep my pace with the truths I told him that I was reading Game of Thrones which he had no clue about. Btw, this question was asked in both interviews. They also asked me what type of music I listen too and which movies do I enjoy. Now one part where I got a little tensed in the 2nd interview was as such: Interviewer: Do you read the newspaper? I: Yes sir, but only occasionally for example on Sundays. Interviewer: Do you go through the international situations page? I: Not much sir. I mostly read the sports section. Interviewer: So you are saying you have no clue about the world's situation. I: Sir, I do have a clue but not much information.
Interviewer: Tell me what is happening in Egypt these days?
I: There have been uprising in the middle eastern areas recently against the dictatorship rule.
Interviewer: But what is happening specifically in Egypt or Syria for that matter? I: No idea, sir.
Interviewer: Okay, tell me what is KGB? I: No idea, sir. Interviewer: Mossad? I: Sorry sir, I have no idea about that either.
Interviewer: You do know about CIA and ISS, right. I: Obviously, sir. CIE and ISS are the intelligence services of USA and Pakistan, respectively. Oh wait sir, Mossad the intelligence service of Israel and KGB was the one in Russia (Thank God I remembered that). Interviewer: Absolutely.

Then he asked me a question that I couldn't really conjure up a good answer to: "Apne 2 kaam batao jispe aap ko fakhar ho". I really didn't have an answer to that so I talked about how I helped the poor at SOS and hanged out with cancer patients in Shaukat Khanum Hospital during the internship and how I was really proud of it. But I really couldn't get a definitive answer so I just kept telling him about my internships and volunteer works. Against me expectations, this actually impressed him. He asked me if someone told me to this volunteer work. And I was like no, I just had free time and I decided to go for such stuff. Which proved that I use my time efficiently.
He then asked why I wanted to come to AKU: I told him that I want to stay away from my home and experience living independently. Then I talked about how awesome the university campus was. He asked if I visited it but I replied that this was coming only from the pictures (stupidity). Then I told him that the module and PBL system was pretty good. He asked if I knew what PBL was but I had no answer to that. So if you mention anything, make sure you have an answer to that. I talked about international university affiliations that AKU have will be of advantage to me and so on. In the end he asked what will I do if I don't make it to AKU. And I told him that I will be giving UHS MCAT and applying to other universities such as Shifa, CMH etc. He also ended the interview by asking me if I had any query or not. I replied no and he wished me luck and shook my hands and off I went. I was pretty confident after this.

This was all about my interviews in which I made several mistakes but I stuck to the truth and tried to find my way out of the problems they threw at me. As you can see I told them many times that I didn't know about something but I always had something to impress them. So you can do well if you remain calm and stick to the truth. :) Frequently asked questions How many interviewers are there?
There are two interviews, one after the other with the time of each interview varying from 25-45 minutes or even more. For each interview, there is only one interviewer that is one on one interview. 

Should one just answer quickly to the questions or taking a few seconds to think of a response won't hurt?
The AKU interview is much like a casual one on one conversation with a stranger. The only difference is that you'll be the only one doing the talking. Think about the question and answer whatever comes in your mind. Speak the truth. If you don't know then say that you don't. Thinking a lot or too less will both be harmful. So just talk like you normally do. 

Should one be all 'I want to help people when I become a doctor' or will that sound all clichéd?
Obviously it sounds cliched. But if you say this along with other stuff then it can work. What matters is the impression you make on the interviewer. 

What should I wear to the interview? 
Anything decent will go. You may wear a suit if you want to but as it was quite hot in June, when the interviews were held last year, I just wore a dress shirt and a cotton pant without a tie.

I will keep updating the FAQs section as the queries pour in. I hope this guide helps you as much as I intended it to. Your response will be valued and I'll try to make this better with time. :)

A guide on preparation of UHS MCAT specifically for UHS students will be coming soon. 

About Me and The Blog

I'm a student of Medicine in one of the premier government medical institutions of Paksitan (King Edward Medical University) and was also accepted at the prestigious Aga Khan University and LUMS. My pre-university qualification included O'levels and A'levels with pretty good grades and my subjects were Physics, Chemistry, Biology, ICT, Statistics and Additonal Mathematics in O'levels. Along with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Further Mathematics in A'levels.

As for this blog, I will try to post information regularly about the queries I get from my juniors in my former school, from all over Pakistan and the out of country students doing O'levels and A'levels. This information will include my own experience and advice about how to tackle the problems. My posts will mainly be related to the subjects that I took in my O'levels and A'levels. So don't hesitate to put up a query regarding those.

Another part of this blog will provide you information about University Entrance Exams which will include SAT, MCAT (Both international and UHS one), AKU entry test, LCAT (LUMS), NTS and so on. With my speciality being obviously the entrance to medical institutions. You'll also get information about the application procedure of local and international universities. Information about international applications will include Common Application (USA), UCAS (UK), HKU entrance and other reputed universities around the world.

I hope the information I post is of valuable importance to you. But this blog can only work with your feedback anc interest. So your advice will always be appreciated. Thank you for visiting the blog. :)