Cracking NEET 2018

AbhijeetKadam& Prashant Wayal

MTG : Why did you choose medical entrance?
Prashant : I chose medical entrance because this field has job assurance, self satisfaction, respect in society and also it allows to directly serve the people.

Abhijeet : I chose medical entrance because I want to become a good doctor and serve the society.

MTG : What exams have you appeared for and what is your ranks in these exams?
Prashant : I have appeared for NEET. My NEET AIR is 64 (10th in OBC). I have appeared for MHT-CET and secured 1st state rank in OBC. I have also been awarded with KVPY fellowship.
Abhijeet : I have appeared for NEET exam. My NEET AIR is 98. In MHT-CET I got 1st rank in Maharashtra state. Apart from this, I have appeared for AIIMS and JIPMER.

MTG :Any other achievements? (Please mention the name of exams and rank.)
Prashant : I stood first in my college (YeshwantMahavidyalaya) in Maharashtra Board Examinations with 611/650 marks (94%).

MTG : How did you prepare for NEET and other medical exams?
Prashant :I mainly focussed on concepts by solving questions of different types rather than solving bulk of questions of same type.
Abhijeet :I used to complete my work given in the class. I used to solve MTG MCQ books which helped me a lot.

MTG :What basic difference you found in various papers you cleared?
Prashant :The difference is just the name of the exam and difficulty level of questions. Syllabus of them is nearly same, revolving around similar basic concepts.
Abhijeet :In various papers, different questions were asked. Actually, those were not totally different but asked in a different way.

MTG :How many hours in a day did you study to prepare for the examinations?
Prashant :The hours were not fixed. It depended on my mood and interest. Somedays I did not even see the books while somedays I sat until I completed my target. I never studied more than 6 hours.
Abhijeet :I didn’t have fixed time for study. The only aim was to finish my work whatever time it may require. Sometimes, I used to study whole night so as to complete my work.

MTG :On which topics and chapters you laid more stress in each subject?
Prashant :In chemistry, I focussed more on inorganic chemistry as it requires regular brush up. In physics, I focussed more on optics, mechanics and electrostatics. In biology, I focussed more on genetics and ecology.
Abhijeet :In physics, I gave more stress on optics because it is a bit difficult topic. Inorganic chemistry also required more stress. In biology, I gave more stress on human physiology topics.

MTG :How much time does one require for serious preparation for this exam?
Prashant :Regular 3 hours of study and having full devotion is enough to crack any exam.
Abhijeet :I think, one must give appropriate time to each subject. But sometimes, if any topic is difficult whether it is physics, chemistry or biology, then we have to spend more time on it.

MTG :Which subjects/topics were you strong/weak at?
Prashant :I was strong at Physics and Chemistry but I used to get bored while mugging up the biology statistics.
Abhijeet :I didn’t find any subject difficult. Only some topics required more stress.

MTG :Which Books/Magazines/Tutorial/Coaching classes you followed?
Prashant :Iattended Ideal Institute of Biology, Creative Coaching Classes for Physics and Konale Chemistry Classes and their study material.
Abhijeet :For biology, I joined Ideal Institute of Biology (IIB). For physics, I studied in Creative Coaching Classes. For chemistry, I preferred Konale Coaching Classes. No any other extra coaching. I used to follow MTG publication books, magazines, NCERTexemplars.

MTG :In your words, what are the components of an ideal preparation plan?
Prashant :We should never miss our regular classes, complemented with regular fixed hours of study and most important is healthy habits and good diet.
Abhijeet :According to me, concentration and perseverance are the components of an ideal preparation plan.

MTG :What role did the following play in your success (a) Parents (b) Teachers (c) School?
Prashant :(a) Parents : My parents specially played a very important role in maintaining my health before exams which is a very important aspect in my result.
(b) Teachers : They guided me about how to prepare for various exams. They added limits to the extent of study and mapped my entire journey.
(c) School : School helped me by providing a strong foundation.
Abhijeet :(a) Parents : They played the best role in my success. They took care of my each and everything. They provided me the best so as to get success.
(b) Teachers : They are my next parents. Their teaching cleared all my topics, so I didn’t find any subject tough.
(c) School : School inculcated all the good values in me. They made my fundamental concepts strong which proved helpful.

MTG :Your family background?
Prashant :I am basically from a village called Baygon Bk in Buldhana district, Maharashtra. My father is a teacher whereas my mother is a housewife.
Abhijeet :My father is a primary teacher in a village. We belong to village and farming is our main occupation.

MTG :What mistake you think you shouldn’t have made?
Prashant :I shouldn’t have underestimated myself. I was also too lethargic. I think I should have been more focussed and active.
Abhijeet :I think that I shouldn’t have taken some topics lightly. Because of this negligence, I wouldn’t answer most easy questions correctly.

MTG :How did you de-stress yourself during the preparation? Share your hobbies and how often you could pursue them?
Prashant :I regularly used to watch movies (specially comedy ones). Daily at time of lunch and dinner, I used to watch a movie for 40 minutes. I also used to watch WWE, cricket matches, etc.
Abhijeet :When I would feel stress, then I used to do meditation and de-stress myself. My hobby was playing cricket. I used to play cricket in my free time.

MTG :How have various MTG products like Explorer Books and Magazines helped you in your preparation?
Prashant :I used Biology Today, Physics For you and Chemistry Today. They kept me updated with questions from various national exams and olympiads. I also used Fingertips, NEET Explorer and 30 Years book which gave me a similar set of questions as asked in NEET.
Abhijeet :MTG has played a great role in my preparation, because the information provided by them is really helpful and worth preparing.

MTG :Had you not been selected then what would have been your future plan?
Prashant :My aim is to become world’s richest person. So, I definitely, though selected or not, would have started my own business. Being a young Indian Entrepreneur always fascinates me.
Abhijeet :If I wouldn’t have been selected, then I would have attempted next time with more energy and enthusiasm and perseverance.

MTG :What do you think is the secret of your success?
Prashant :I never thought of exams as a burden or my goal. I enjoyed learning new concepts and thinking about how life could have been without them. I always studied as it was fun and only when I was interested I took the book. It was goal-less reading just for fun.
Abhijeet :I think, “Success in life is a matter, not so much of talent or opportunity, as of concentration and perseverance”.

MTG :What advice would you like to give our readers who are PMT aspirants?
Prashant :We cannot master a concept just by reading it many times, it must be supplemented with ample practice and revision. We should start reading between the lines and always share our thoughts with teachers.
Abhijeet :The only thing I would like to mention here is that, never give up and keep trying. At last success will kneel down in front of you.
All the Best!