FMGE Dec ‘23 Preparation: 5 Tips to Solve Clinical Questions Correctly

The FMGE July 2023 exam took everyone by surprise. We ran a survey and here’s what few of the students had to say: 

“Questions were much difficult than anticipated.”

“Unexpected.”

“Tough for a first time attempt.”

“Questions were familiar but should have good concept to answer them.”

The FMGE July 2023 exam was a completely different paper than what many candidates were expecting and that was a big reason for the low pass rate this time around. 

If you are preparing for the FMGE December 2023 exam for the first time or even the second time, read this blog thoroughly. It will help you avoid the mistakes your seniors made or you made during your first attempt. 

The FMG Exam Pattern Has Changed - Here’s What’s New

Uptill now, it was the norm for FMGE candidates to study only selective subjects and pass the exam easily. However, with the new pattern in place, this study technique is not going to work anymore. 

As evidenced by the recent FMGE July 2023 exam questions, significant changes have taken place in the exam pattern. And therefore, you have to learn from it and change your preparation strategy accordingly. 

Here’s a quick look at what’s new:

1. Questions are longer and complex 

Questions in the FMG exam have become longer and more complex because they now span across multiple subjects. For example, in one of the questions asked in FMGE July 2023 exam, the clinical history given was of Pediatrics but the answer demanded was from PSM. 

Similarly, a single question may combine anatomy, radiology, and surgery and another question may include  pathology, microbiology, and medicine. 

This means that as FMGE aspirants, you can no longer afford to study only a handful of subjects. 

2. Thorough preparation is a must

You will need a solid understanding of all 19 subjects to crack the FMGE December ‘23 examination.

As serious FMGE students you cannot afford to leave any subject or any topic. Even if you are not passionate about a particular subject you must allocate time and effort to cover all the bases.

Attempting the exam without covering the entire syllabus is one of the reasons why many FMGE candidates fail the exam. 

3. Questions didn’t have images

A question about Langhans’ Giant Cells might be asked as ‘giant cells with horseshoe-shaped nuclei’ instead of providing the picture. Images will be described instead of being provided directly. 

It is a good idea to assume the upcoming FMG exam will follow this pattern. And if this is the case, it is all the more reason for you to thoroughly read and understand the concepts. 

Images being described is another reason why the paper has become lengthier. 

If you want to know more, go through the FMGE July 2023 exam analysis for the complete details. 

Now let’s look at the 5 tips you must follow to improve your clinical question solving skills for the FMG exam. 

5 Tips To Solve Clinical Questions Correctly For FMGE Dec ‘23

1. Prepare beforehand 

Here are the subjects that had the highest weightage in the FMGE June 2023 exam:

• OBG
• Surgery
• Medicine
• PSM
• Pharmacology
• Paediatrics
• Biochemistry
• ENT

Click on each link to find the most important PYQs asked from each subject. It is important that you clear all concepts of the following subjects especially. You can also look at the subject-wise weightage of all subject for the FMG December 2023 exam if you want a more detailed overview.   

Once you have a clear idea of the high-yield topics in the syllabus you will be able to focus on what you need to study and plan your schedule accordingly. 

If you find making a plan difficult, here is a 60-day plan to master the FMGE December 2023 syllabus.

FMGE January 2024 result has been released today by the NBE. Check now

2. Build a strong conceptual knowledge-base

In the upcoming FMG exams, an increasing number of questions asked are going to be of a clinical nature. And they will incorporate the lessons you learned in the pre-clinical, clinical and para-clinical classes. 

To solve such questions accurately you need to strengthen your fundamental knowledge. The only way to do so is to practice while you study. PrepLadder understands your needs and to help you with this, we have created FMGE QBank 5.0 featuring clinical based questions. It is based on the latest FMGE exam pattern and is organized subject-wise and topic-wise for increased convenience. 

In addition, you will get explanations of both correct and incorrect answers along with relevant video and treasure tags for easy recalling of concepts. 

3. Understand the clinical correlation and practice MCQs

Once you get an idea of how the information provided in clinical subjects are applied are real-life clinical scenarios, your concepts will become clearer. 

You can achieve this by reading case studies, attending clinical rounds and being up to date on the latest relevant clinical journals. Grasping the clinical correlation of the subject accurately will help you apply your knowledge in real-life clinical scenarios and solve clinical questions better. 

Next, develop your test-taking skills by practicing as many MCQs as you can. Take the help of FMGE QBank 5.0 for this. It will not only help you get a feel of the exam but also understand the type of questions that are asked. 

Put your clinical knowledge to test by diligently practicing clinical based questions. Keep the following factors in mind while solving MCQs: 

• Actively engage with each MCQ by reading the question and subsequent options mindfully. 
• Practice deductive reasoning to arrive at the answer. 
• Allow yourself less than a minute to answer each question.
• Review your performance and learn from your mistakes.

4. Work on your speed reading and comprehension skills

In the FMG exam you have 300 minutes to complete 300 questions in total. This means you do not have more than 1 minute to complete each question. In such a scenario, speed reading and quick comprehension are highly recommended to increase your performance in the exam. 

There’s more. Quickly comprehending the content of a question can help increase the accuracy of your answer as well because in this case you are less likely to miss out on any important details. 

Want to build your speed reading and quick comprehension skills? Here are a few tips to help you build your skills for the FMGE December 2023 exam. 

• While studying, avoid reading passively. Actively engage with the text by summarizing what you read in your own words, underlining key points, highlighting critical words and taking notes. 
• Try techniques like skimming, scanning or chunking which involve quickly going through the text to identify important information. 
• Improve comprehension by linking new information you read to what you already know. 
• Improve your retention by using memory techniques like visualization, repetition and association. 
• Practice all of the above regularly to polish your speed reading and quick comprehension skills.  

5. And last but not least, revise regularly

Regular revision is a critical part of preparing for any competitive exam and especially for FMGE. For a holistic preparation, you have to revise what you study as it helps to reinforce what you have learnt and improves your retention. 

Use flashcards, mind maps and other techniques to make your revision more effective. Revising regularly also helps you identify any gaps in your knowledge so that you can fix those. 

Before we conclude, remember that clinical questions are not tough. It is the same topics being asked. Only the way of putting forth the questions have changed. 

Change your preparation strategy according to the new exam. Follow the tips given in this blog, develop better conceptual clarity, improve your speed reading and quick comprehension skills and soon you will be leaving the competition behind. 

All the best!