By Sumia Fatima, Final Year Medical Student Rawalpindi Medical University
Going through the MDCAT journey was quite a challenge. Looking back, it feels like I weathered a storm tougher than my entire five-year MBBS adventure. I didn’t attend a regular academy; I studied at home on my own. Why? I didn’t want to burden my father. Inflation had increased, and my father was struggling to maintain our middle-class standard of living. I told my friends I have opted for a cozy corner at home over the hustle of an academy.
My Journey
I charted my own path. And guess what? I achieved a 91% in 2018 and secured a spot at Rawalpindi Medical University on the Open Merit list on my first try! So, what’s the secret? I’ll reveal it at the end of this blog, but back then, I didn’t know it. I went through all my FSc textbooks very carefully and did online Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) after each chapter. It was tiring and complex, but it helped me understand the material better and identify areas where I needed more practice.
A significant part of my preparation was reviewing old MDCAT papers. I’d go through them, tackle the tough questions, and revisit the topics I found tricky. I’d delve into those topics until they made sense, regardless of where I had to study, whether from the internet or other resources. If a topic appeared in the 220 MCQs of any year from the six textbooks, I knew it was important.
For English and Logical Reasoning, I did online MCQs and used online English MDCAT prep books. Whenever I encountered tricky questions, I’d bookmark them for a second look.
I always wondered if someone could consolidate all this study material and questions onto a single online platform. Could someone prepare the notes for me and mark their importance, relevance, and difficulty level? Five years ago, this seemed like an impossible dream.
The Secret
Dear student, things have progressed significantly with the advancement of technology. Luckily, today you don’t have to go through that rigorous process. It’s still tough, but not as difficult as it was five years ago. A few dedicated educationists and tech-savvy young individuals have developed a solution: MDCAT Preparation Online. Please explore it. I’m sure your journey will be much simpler than mine was.
The author, Sumia Fatima, is a distinction holder in three subjects, author of 13 scholarly articles, and presenter at 30 research conferences—23 international and 7 national. She has received notable invitations as a speaker to conferences in the UK, USA, Canada, Turkey, and Malaysia.