Work hard, have self confidence, and success will be yours - says Dr. Akhil Baby (AIIMS Rank 8)

PrepLadder congratulates Dr. Akhil Baby on securing Rank 8 in AIIMS. We wish him all the best for his career and future ahead. In this exclusive interview with PrepLadder, he shares his success mantra that worked for him to help you get an amazing Rank in AIIMS.

Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

Hi, I am Dr. Akhil Baby, from Calicut, Kerala. I did my MBBS from AIIMS, New Delhi. I have got AIIMS PG Rank 8 for May 2017.

What do you think is the correct approach to study for AIIMS PG? Only MCQ's or Theory+MCQ's?

Obviously, Theory + MCQ. Your theory should be strong enough to solve MCQ'S.

When should the preparation ideally be started?

Internship is the most important time. In AIIMS, we have a light internship, so we get time to prepare. It has its disadvantage also where our clinical skill is concerned, but you do get almost half a year of free time to study.

Please list the books you studied for each subject.

The books I studied for preparation are:

• Anatomy-Rajesh Kaushal class
• Langman Embryology
• Histology Atlas
• Physiology- Ganong graphs, pictures and tables
• Souman Manna Physio review
• Biochem- Kaplan USMLE lecture note, Kaplan video
• Pathology-Robbins pictures and tables. Dr. Devesh Misra review book
• Micro-1st aid USMLE book
• Panicker for Parasitology
• Pharmacology- Gobind Rai Garg review book
• Forensic- Sumit Seth
• Medicine-Thameem notes
• Dermatology-Neena Khanna
• Psychiatry-Praveen Tripathi review book
• Surgery- Bailey general surgery topics
• Bhatia tests and discussion notes
• Ophthalmology -DAMS notes
• Orthopaedics -Apoorv Mehra review book
• ENT- Dhingra, Sakshi Arora ENT- review book
• Obs gynae- JBS
• DAMS Notes Paeds- O.P. Ghai,
• DAMS notes PSM- Vivek Jain notes, Dr. Bhatia tests and discussion notes
• Anesthesia - Ajay Yadav
• Radiology- Sumer Sethi

Have you attempted any PG exam previously? If yes, what were your ranks then and what did you do different this time that lead to your success? I had previously attempted the PG entrance exam in Nov 20166 for AIIMS and my rank was 807. I had attended Dr. Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute during my internship. That was very useful since it streamlines your preparation by providing a proper schedule as to how you can go about your subjects. After November 2016, my plan was to complete the topics that I had left out previously by Jan 2017 end and then revise and do MCQ'S. But I could finish my 1st time reading by Feb 2017 end only. Thereafter, I practiced the previous 3 years AIIMS questions, due to lack of time. For the last 2 months, I kept on revising and gave online tests.

How big is the role of practice and revision while preparing for AIIMS PG and how much time should be dedicated for it?

Revision is the key to success. Doing previous year questions also helps a lot, because in AIIMS, topics do get repeated. At least for the last 2 months, you should revise what you have studied.

Did PrepLadder play a part in your success? If yes, how?

It’s a great initiative by PrepLadder to provide online test series for PG entrance exams. The questions posted are very relevant and extremely useful for all aspirants. It’s a good idea to visit a site for an hour per day when one is tired of reading through medical books.

Did you use a time table/study plan to keep your preparation on track?

Yes, I had a study plan. It is very important to make yours before you start your preparation. That way, at least one won’t leave behind an entire subject trying to cover one subject in its entirety. And also you should know what all books/notes you should study for a particular subject.

Were you a topper or a mediocre student during MBBS?

I was a mediocre student during MBBS.

List the most difficult and easiest subjects for you.

For me the most difficult subjects were Anatomy, Pharma, and Ophtha. The easy subjects were Biochem, Micro, Obs Gynae, and Derma.

One mistake that you believe everyone must avoid while preparing for AIIMS PG.

Don’t just start preparation blindly, have a clear cut plan in mind, what all you should study and how much time u should spend for each subject. Identify your weak subjects and spend more time on it. And study, only those books which you would be able to revise.

How many questions did you attempt in AIIMS PG?

I attempted 189 questions.

Some last tips for our readers preparing for PG?

Work hard, have self confidence, and success will be yours. More topper tips coming soon, keep following this space.