2. State of mind

The very first thing that I would like to talk to you about is your state of mind because this is an underrated topic that nobody talks about. I am a student too and I have been in your shoes too so I can relate to what you’re going through.

Initially GPAT seems like a very huge deal and a big task to study for. When you first look at the syllabus you will have some form of fear that creeps up in your mind and you ask yourself – “Will I ever be able to finish all of this syllabus and study all this?”. Trust me when I say that you are not alone and EVERYBODY asks themselves that question at one point, it doesn’t matter if you’ve always been a smart kid or if you’ve been an average person so far. You need to let go of that fear and acknowledge that you have a big task ahead of you but you are going to be okay.

When it comes to GPAT you do not actually need to complete the whole syllabus 100% because there is a lot of stuff that has been mentioned there that isn’t very important for the actual exam. There are a few subjects that you will always dislike or find difficult and you will never be able to finish all the topics given in it (Pharmacognosy, Patho, Biotech were some for me). There are subjects like Pharmacognosy that have hundreds of small details that you need to remember which is a task that isn’t possible to do.

The next thing about the syllabus is that you need to be smart about how you are going to cover the subjects and each of the chapters given in it. This is where key trick that Mohan sir taught us comes into play where you have to study everything in relation to each other and interlink your subjects. An example would be the topics of “Diuretics” – you start off with the very basics and read about the HAP aspect of kidneys, next you move ahead and study about the Pathophysiology part of kidneys – diseases, renal tests, pathophysiology, then you move ahead to the treatment aspect where you study the Pharmacology part of it and Medicinal Chemistry part would be learning the structures and their basics details.

Lastly an important aspect that Mohan Sir taught us and I strongly believe in is that preparing for GPAT and studying for it is a journey. You have to enjoy the process because the ultimate goal is to do a complete revision of your UG syllabus and to prepare yourself with the thorough knowledge and revision to enter the PG course. Qualifying the exam and getting a good score/rank is a byproduct of your journey and not the actual aim.

Before you begin I want you to sit and ask yourself a few questions:

1.   Why am I studying for GPAT?

2.   What is my goal when I see the result of the GPAT exam in my hand in January?

3.   What college do I want to go to next year and what branch would do I choose to be in?

4.   Will the score of GPAT be a turning point in my life?

5.   Am I ready to put in the needed efforts and work hard towards my goal?

My goal - the image i saw in front of me every time i sat down on my table to study for GPAT
 

It’s okay if you don’t have answers for all of these questions right now. But I want you to always keep these questions at the back of your mind and let them be the motivating factor that pushes you to study each and every day.


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