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Isn’t it crazy, how quickly in our childhood days only we decide what we want to become when we grow up? Being absolutely clueless about the amount of hard work a particular field would require, our passion, we just randomly pick up anything. Little did we know, that some of those unthought desires on what to become when we grow up are the ones defining our career choices in the late future.

A doctor is what fascinates us all. However, soon only we realize that there are numerous fields medicinal science has to offer us. Budding BDS students know what being a dentist is, and as they look forward to the NEET MDS exam, they even realize it is not an easy nail to crack. Howsoever, tough an exam may sound, there is always a way to master it.

Developing strategies and the right way to make it through the examination is important, and a majority of the failures occur due to a poor preparation strategy and planning. In this blog, we would be highlighting the examination strategy and the success plan to NEET-MDS which every aspiring dental enthusiast can follow to pursuit his/her dreams.

Keeping these following pointers in mind can be of great help:

1. Planning with the dates:

Often students make themselves a study plan without keeping the exam dates in mind. They keep the month of the exam in mind. It is crucial to know the number of days to your exam as each day will count as you will lay down your study plan.

Devising a plan would mean you are having enough days for multiple revisions with you. At least three revisions apart from regular reading should be the aim of every individual.

	SCHEDULE
Subject	First 60 Days First Reading	Last 40 Days Revision
Anatomy	5	2
Physiology	7	2
Biochemistry	3	2
Microbiology	3	2
Dental Anatomy	3	1
Dental Material	3	2
Oral Pathology	3	3
Oral Medicine & Radiology	3	3
Prosthodontics	3	3
Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics	3	2
Oral Surgery	5	3
Public Health Dentistry	3	1
Orthodontics	3	2
Periodontics	3	2
Pedodontics	3	2

2. Read and segregate:

Okay, as a graduate you know there are topics and subjects which are comprehensive in nature. MDS is not about mugging up everything, and in-depth study of detailed subjects will be difficult. Make sure as you give yourself first reading, you chalk out topics that would want more of your time and attention. This understanding at the early stage will save you a lot of time, stress, and chaos in the last months. Have with you the resources and the content which are enough for making it to the examination instead of just learning every statement. Be a smart learner instead of a book worm.

3. Know your subjects and their weightage:

There are around 17 subjects to cover and knowing which subject carries how much weightage is important. High yielding subjects and topic would require you to have multiple revisions. Generally, it is observed that Oral pathology & oral microbiology, and oral medicine & radiology are important and carry around 15 marks each. Also, topics of dental materials, general medicine, and general surgery- surgical anatomy and surgical procedures are questioned for approximately 14 marks each.

4. Break up the dates and set short goals:

Short term goals are easy to achieve and thus keep you motivated. Break your time into short terms, ensure that you are done with your first reading in March-June. Try and test yourself as you begin your first revision in July-August. Try to recollect your learnings and apply them to ground reality to make your understanding concrete. Next should be your focus on the second revision wherein you are thorough with your syllabus and you solve more exam tests, previous year question papers, mock tests. These will prepare you better for the exams.

5. The Final push:

the last two months of your preparation should be devoted to solving most of the available papers, where you can time manage yourself and attempt. Your focus should be to avoid mistakes in order to save yourself from negative marking. Also, solving chapter-wise MCQs at this stage will again help you go through all the chapters that you have learned and it will once again solve the purpose of revision. This will build in your confidence which is very important at this stage.

Other than this try to stay motivated and focused. Give yourself enough breaks and rests to feel energized and refreshed. Also, try to recapitulate everything before bed that you did in the day in form of pointers. Do not overstress yourself.

Somethings which you should avoid in the last months of your exams is referring to new textbooks and resources thinking it will add on knowledge. No this will only burden you and any new addition at this stage can act as a hurdle with your thorough preparations. Do not get over-confident and till the last day do your revisions. Also, try answering the questions which you are not confident about by the technique of elimination instead of guesswork.

These are some basic outliners on which you can start preparing yourself for the MDS exam. It will help you cover the vast syllabus and also allow you to revise and multiple revises in the last months. We hope we were able to help you out to some extent with this article.

We wish all the aspirants Good Luck!