Hello, how are you doing? We hope you are safe and doing well. In the latest installment of 'Topper's Guide to Success,' we asked some questions to Riddhi Gulati, a fantastic doctor who achieved AIR 992 in AIPMT 2015. Sit tight because she has so many things to share with you about her journey to crack AIPMT and her college life. Let's begin.
Hello Riddhi, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Tell us something about your AIPMT preparation.
Hi, I am Riddhi Gulati, a doctor at Gandhi Medical College and the affiliated hospitals. I secured AIR 992 in the AIPMT exam of 2015. I did my coaching from DS Classes Bhopal, which is a local, as opposed to a national level institute. It was their first year at the time, and they put in their best efforts and a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and worked tirelessly hard for all the students. Before I get into details, I have to mention that I was hardly the class topper. I mean I did always have a decent academic record, but to secure this rank, in the first attempt whilst being the president council member both years, 11th and 12th, proves that this is not unattainable. So you don’t have to be at the top of your class in 10th standard to make it to a medical college in the first attempt, you just have to be consistent with your work.
What strategies did you use to crack AIPMT?
Of all the strategies that I followed, the best one was to come home from coaching classes every day and revise all the topics taught before going to bed, and then again before going to coaching the next day. It’s a hack, that lets you cope with everything, like go to school 4 times a week, attend coaching classes every day for 5 hours and yet manage to secure a good rank in the weekly tests. The other great one was to sit in the front during all the lectures and listen and understand every word being taught by the teachers. They not only taught but made us learn then and there. That would get more than half the work done for me. An important message to all the aspirants is that you should completely cut off from all kinds of social media and use your phone only for the very important calls, to keep distractions at bay. I didn’t have a smartphone until I was done with all the exams. Your social life suffers for 2 years but the end result is worth it.
How's life at Gandhi Medical College?
Life at a medical college is ten times harder than high school. The size of the books is enormous, classes are endless, and the tests take up most of your year. Balancing your personal and professional life really takes a toll on you. But it makes you stronger and calmer. I feel that the decision to be close to home when I could have gotten into a national level institute in Maharashtra was a fairly good decision. I didn’t have to struggle with hostel affairs and ragging and the basic necessities like good food and potable drinking water, adequate space and privacy, etc, which combined with the stress of the educational system can take a lot out of a person.
Let's get into it. What books did you use?
My primary study material was the notes of my coaching. They covered everything very concisely, not more not less. I read NCERT for biology so many times, I even remembered the page numbers of all the topics. For chemistry and physics, I didn’t read up a lot. I would understand the concept in the class, read my notes, and get straight to problem-solving. I did as many previous year papers as I could get my hands on. Apart from that, I solved Arihant and HC Verma for physics, and for chemistry too, I did Arihant. Other than that, my coaching would get out practice sheets of 50-100 questions every day on each topic taught on a particular day, and we had weekly tests, which made sure that I practiced a lot of questions every day on each subject. That makes you realize where you are prone to making mistakes and you are weak, and what topics you should be focusing on. I self-studied for three hours every day on a regular school day with 5 hours of coaching class. On the holidays, I would sit longer like eight to nine hours.
How important are the mock tests?
Preparing for AIIMS was a bit tricky, but I joined a lot of test series that especially cater to AIIMS and improvised on my grey areas accordingly. That helped a lot. I took the test series of ALLEN and AAKASH both, apart from the weekly tests my coaching held. They were both good. I would suggest you take both because you can never solve too many questions. And also tests are a great way to make sure you practice enough questions.
While attempting the mock papers, make the circumstances around you as close to the exam day, as possible. If you are at home, sit in an isolated place for 3 whole hours and do not get up before you’re done. Set up a timer, if it isn’t already there. Do not take more risk than you normally would, just because it’s a mock test. Keep in mind, that you have to attempt it every single time like the real exam.
There are a lot of myths regarding crack NEET among the aspirants? Wanna address that?
The common myths that you have to join a dummy school, or go to Kota and be away from your parents, that you have to lose interest in everything, stop being a normal human being and become a robot. That’s incorrect. You can continue to pursue your hobby like singing, dancing, sports, etc, and continue going to school, provided they are kept to 1-2 times a week. Instead of playing video games, that people seem to get a hard time getting off of, do something that get you moving, like running, playing a sport. Working out 1-2 times a week can be a really good stress buster. You don’t have to start studying until class 11th. 2 years for extreme dedication and hard work are more than enough, that is if you do give your very best, very honestly.
Do you think there's something you could have done to further improve your result?
I wish I had practiced more questions of physics, that was seemingly my weak point. I would have secured a better rank that way. Other than that, I have no regrets. I was on my best behavior throughout.
Preparation, at times, can be quite stressful and panicking. How did you deal with that?
If you are consistently working hard, the fear of failure and anxiety remain at a minimal level. By consistently I mean, every single day. If you keep at it, you will gradually see your rank improving and the anxiety vanishing. However, everyone has these moments, and the best way to let it out is to talk about your feelings with your parents or your teachers. Tell them how you feel, take a breather and go out with your friend for a coffee, and then get back to your desk with the same energy that you had in the beginning. It seems too simple but works wonders for self-esteem.
Were you a morning person or a night owl?
I have been both, a morning person and a night owl. But after having read so much about the human physiology, I would recommend everyone to wake up early to study, instead of staying up late. The more close to normal your sleep-wake cycle is, the more efficient and productive you will be.
How did you manage Boards along with AIPMT?
If you are consistent with your preparation for NEET, you will find that preparing for board exams is relatively easy. I started preparing for it 1 month before the exams because I regularly went to school and took school exams, I did have a general idea about board exams as well. For biology, a thorough reading of NCERT is more than enough. For physics, read the guides that have previous year questions along with the derivatives. For chemistry, you won’t need a separate guide, the preparation for NEET and board exams is quite similar.
Is there any hack to crack NEET?
The only way to achieve a good rank is by being consistent. If you aren’t that, you could have an IQ close to Einstein’s and you would still end up under-performing. I made up a routine for myself and I stuck to it. I would give myself some time off on Sundays to go out and watch television and then go strong the whole week. If you are consistent, you perform well on the tests, this keeps you motivated, and you are consistent. So it’s a cycle. Remember not to break the cycle ever.
Any last moment advice for the NEET 2020 aspirants?
In the last month or two, there’s hardly any time to read up something new or even read up at all. So the best thing is to take a 3-hour online test every day and read up the topics that you make mistakes in. That will improve your performance by leaps and bounds.
Alright then. Anything you'd like to conclude with?
One final tip for everyone is that if you have dreamt of becoming a doctor, don’t let thoughts like you are not good enough, creep into your mind. Whoever you are, wherever you are, you are more than good enough. Just keep believing in yourself, even if no one does.
Dr. Riddhi Gulati
MBBS Batch of 2015
Gandhi Medical College
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