MCAT --- monsterous--creepy--aching...toxic exam....what do i do? :S

[tom ed]

Hi,
i am going to ask the same old,rotten question that is "How can an A level student get into goverment colleges of punjab ?"..... no matter how many times this question has been asked ..it still needs more answers and more explanations..which come from experience.. i'd request all those who have had the experience of appearing in mcat to please share their opinions ...

i'd also like to know about the equivalence policies...i mean what grades in o levels and a levels are required if u intend to apply..and the scores on mcat to get in good unis..

 

[veiled_fantasy]

Hi,
i am going to ask the same old,rotten question that is "How can an A level student get into goverment colleges of punjab ?"..... no matter how many times this question has been asked ..it still needs more answers and more explanations..which come from experience.. i'd request all those who have had the experience of appearing in mcat to please share their opinions ...

i'd also like to know about the equivalence policies...i mean what grades in o levels and a levels are required if u intend to apply..and the scores on mcat to get in good unis..

I've answered a lot of questions regarding MCAT in this thread in detail. Have a look.

As far as equivalence is concerned, I'm uploading some documents from IBCC's website. They explain the conversion policy quite lucidly.

In order to be eligible for the MCAT, you should have at least 60% marks in both your O Level and A Level equivalence. However that is merely the eligibility criteria; I'd say you need atleast 85% to have a fair chance of getting admission in a government medical college, if not better. Straight A*s would be great since that would give you the maximum marks IBCC gives to O/A Level students i.e 90%.

This year, a lot of students got good marks in MCAT so you should have atleast 95o marks if you want a seat in a fairly reputable public medical college. I think this trend will probably continue to rise in the following years, as people become more acquainted with the format of the test and UHS's syllabus, and the merit may rise.

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask any other questions you have.

 

[anwar2400]

get 8A* olevels
3A* a levels
900+ in mcat

ive by Grace of God 997 in mcat, overall 89.58%
you will need to probably study whole of three months after your a2/alevel exams

 

[anwar2400]

LOOK YOUR OLEVEL COUNTS A LOT, IT COUNTS FULLY FOR OLEVEL EQUIVALENCE.YOUR ALEVEL EQUIVALENCE BASICALLY CONSISTS OF MARKS FROM 800 FROM OLEVELS ANDONLY 300 FROM ALEVELS.



SO OLEVEL BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALEVELS. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS STRANGE THAT FOR YOUR ALEVEL EQUIVALENCE, YOUR OLEVEL MARKS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT, BUT THIS IS HOW IT WORKS HERE. SORRY!!

look even with 997 in mcat out of 1100, my merit in mcat test was 404. So 403 students scored higher than me in mcat test. You never know what is good or bad. There are around 3000 seats in govt colleges in punjab. The best ones are in lahore with around maybe 700 seats or more plus minus 100. so you must have at least 86% aggregate to be absolutely sure. 84.5% is cut off point for lahore BUT THIS CAN VARY BY 0.5 TO 1%. USUALLY IT GOES ABOVE THAN GOING DOWN AS COMPETITION INCREASES EVERY YEAR.

SEE BELOW FOR PUNJAB MEDICAL COLLEGES


Do this math first
calculate your olevel marks for 8 subs phy,chem,bio,eng,urdu,math,isl,pakst
with 90 for A*, 85 for A, 75 for B, 65 for C
add all ur A's, and A* etc as shown above
me (7A* and 1A) = 715

IM NOT SURE BUT I DONT THINK THAT YOU CAN GIVE EXAMS IN THREE CONSECUTIVE SESSIONS BY DIVIDING YOUR 8 SUBJECTS BETWEEN JUNE 2012, THEN NOV 2012 AND THEN IN JUNE 2013

EITHER YOU GIVE ALL SUBJECTS IN 1 SESSION, OR IN 2 SESSIONS WITH A MAXIMUM OF 1 YEAR GAP BETWEEN THE TWO SESSIONS.
IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU ARE TO CONFIRM THIS WITH IBCC


divide your total by 800 and multiply by 900
715/800 into 900 =804
you will get your olevel equivalence
mine was 804/900
89.38%


for alevel equivalence ADD YOUR OLEVEL TOTAL FROM 800 NOT 900+ 3 subjects from alevel (same 90 for A*, 85 for A etc)
i had 3A* in alevel
like for me 715 + (3*90) = 985
this is ur alevel equivalence

now divide ur olevel equivalence percentage by 10, lets call the answer as O
89.38/10 So, O= 8.94


now divide your alevel equivalence by 1100 and multiply by 40, lets call the answer as A
985/1100 into 40 So, A = 35.81

Add O and A. Suppose the answer is T
8.94+35.81 So, T = 44.76

Substract the answer T from 86%. 86% is your FINAL AGGREGATE REQUIRED FOR ALLAMA IQBAL LAST YEAR . SERVICES WAS 84.5% I THINK (BUT AS COMPETITION INCREASES EVERY YEAR, LETS AIM FOR 86%)
86-44.76 = 41.24


Now divide the answer by 50 and multiply by 1100. This will tell you minumum marks) for next year that u must get in mcat
41.24/50 into 1100 = 908

so 918 are needed from 1100 in mcat

I HOPE THIS HELPS, feel free to ask questions

 

[tom ed]

look even with 997 in mcat out of 1100, my merit in mcat test was 404. So 403 students scored higher than me in mcat test. You never know what is good or bad. There are around 3000 seats in govt colleges in punjab. The best ones are in lahore with around maybe 700 seats or more plus minus 100. so you must have at least 86% aggregate to be absolutely sure. 84.5% is cut off point for lahore

thanku very much...i have a fair idea now..thanku for explaining everything so clearly...u have certainly got very good marks and must be getting ready for the best medical college in punjab ..MA..i just wanted to ask ..how did u prepare for mcat..what do u think is the best way to prepare ?...i'd be pleased if u explain in a comprehensive manner like u did before.. it helps a lot..

I've answered a lot of questions regarding MCAT in this thread in detail. Have a look.

thank u very much...i got many of my questions answered ..it is nice to see the way u help others ..may God bless u ....i might bother u again....good luck with ur uni life..

 

[anwar2400]

i have edited my post above to make it more clearer, see above

as far as the prep is concerned, i would say go to kips johar town branch (NOT ANY OTHER BRANCH)
our academy started on 15th june, my last exam was phy on 14th june, you should register before it (a week earlier to save ur seat)
take the morning session 6-11 (so u have time to get back home, rest and then study)
kips has its own daily tests which are hard BUT they are sort of like questions expected when u give mcat
they are 60 questions in each test. I would sort of answer all of them and leave the ones i didnt know. Next day when the teacher came to tell the answers i would write all the questions which i got wrong/left and their answers in my notebook (you should do this)
alternatively 5-6 friends can divide these 60 questions amongst urself and instead of doing the test in class u can copy these questions 10 each

THIS IS SO BECAUSE KIPS DOES NOT ALLOW U TO TAKE THE QUESTION SHEET WITH U TO UR HOME. SORRY!
as far the kips entry test series is concerned i would say Dont buy it ( just get the english word list at its end photocopied from someone who has bought it or ask from a senior, alternatively ask a friend from star acadmey etc). These books are just fsc books rearranged (although the doppler effect in physics must be prepared from kips phy entry test book, as formulas there arent present in book)

anyway i would say you would probably keep studying from february (for alevels) to september for mcat

a bit of advice for private medical colleges. This includes cmh, fatima memorial, lmdc etc in punjab
their merit goes to about 75%. So to get in u must get 75% or above as ur aggregate score

olevel equiv 10%
alevel equiv 40% (IM SURE YOU KNOW OLEVEL GRADES COUNT A LOT LOT IN UR ALEVEL EQUIV, SEE MY PREVIOUS POST ABOVE)
UHS mcat 37.5%
cmh test 12.5%

i dont know about fatima memorial, lmdc, but im assuming similiar procedure

so u still need to score 80% in ur mcat. Apart from that whole MBBS in govt college will cost 1 lac (15,000 rs ANNUAL fee), while for private (cmh, lmdc etc), you would need to pay around 30 lacs for 5 years (annual fee would be 6 lacs). So the 29 lacs u save over 5 years, u can go abroad for specialization

ask if u have any other questions

 

[anwar2400]

for govt medical colleges aggregate score is calculated by

olevel equiv 10%
alevel equiv 40% (IM SURE YOU KNOW OLEVEL GRADES COUNT A LOT LOT IN UR ALEVEL EQUIV, SEE MY PREVIOUS POST ABOVE)
UHS mcat 50%

 

[hassam]

brother MCAT is really easy....u cn easily score near thousand....JUST STUDY hard for month.....IN Bio do the cramming.....(bio is the most tough comparatively)phy is very easy jux few extra topics and doing them by solving mcqs is fun actually.....and no WOrries@chemistry ......its mostly a level stuff with a bit of facts from fsc book......so THE scenario HAS changed......MCAT is certainly doable for a level guyx.....and inshallah in cuming years....A level guyx will be toppers in MCAT.....alread this tym around a level guyx have scored 1000+

 

[tom ed]

i have edited my post above to make it more clearer, see above

as far as the prep is concerned, i would say go to kips johar town branch (NOT ANY OTHER BRANCH)
our academy started on 15th june, my last exam was phy on 14th june, you should register before it (a week earlier to save ur seat)
take the morning session 6-11 (so u have time to get back home, rest and then study)
kips has its own daily tests which are hard BUT they are sort of like questions expected when u give mcat
they are 60 questions in each test. I would sort of answer all of them and leave the ones i didnt know. Next day when the teacher came to tell the answers i would write all the questions which i got wrong/left and their answers in my notebook (you should do this)
alternatively 5-6 friends can divide these 60 questions amongst urself and instead of doing the test in class u can copy these questions 10 each

THIS IS SO BECAUSE KIPS DOES NOT ALLOW U TO TAKE THE QUESTION SHEET WITH U TO UR HOME. SORRY!
as far the kips entry test series is concerned i would say Dont buy it ( just get the english word list at its end photocopied from someone who has bought it or ask from a senior, alternatively ask a friend from star acadmey etc). These books are just fsc books rearranged (although the doppler effect in physics must be prepared from kips phy entry test book, as formulas there arent present in book)

anyway i would say you would probably keep studying from february (for alevels) to september for mcat

a bit of advice for private medical colleges. This includes cmh, fatima memorial, lmdc etc in punjab
their merit goes to about 75%. So to get in u must get 75% or above as ur aggregate score

olevel equiv 10%
alevel equiv 40% (IM SURE YOU KNOW OLEVEL GRADES COUNT A LOT LOT IN UR ALEVEL EQUIV, SEE MY PREVIOUS POST ABOVE)
UHS mcat 37.5%
cmh test 12.5%

i dont know about fatima memorial, lmdc, but im assuming similiar procedure

so u still need to score 80% in ur mcat. Apart from that whole MBBS in govt college will cost 1 lac (15,000 rs ANNUAL fee), while for private (cmh, lmdc etc), you would need to pay around 30 lacs for 5 years (annual fee would be 6 lacs). So the 29 lacs u save over 5 years, u can go abroad for specialization

ask if u have any other questions

thank u very much..i am afraid i cannot join the johar town campus..i do not live in lahore....private colleges are not part of my list right now..i'd prefer entering govt ones...do u have an idea about the nust and aku entry tests?

 

[tom ed]

brother MCAT is really easy....u cn easily score near thousand....JUST STUDY hard for month.....IN Bio do the cramming.....(bio is the most tough comparatively)phy is very easy jux few extra topics and doing them by solving mcqs is fun actually.....and no WOrries@chemistry ......its mostly a level stuff with a bit of facts from fsc book......so THE scenario HAS changed......MCAT is certainly doable for a level guyx.....and inshallah in cuming years....A level guyx will be toppers in MCAT.....alread this tym around a level guyx have scored 1000+

a bit of an encouragement is also essential..thank u ..yes we certainly want that to happen....have u already given the test??

 

[hassam]

yea and my aggregate is 86.5768 and i scored 950 in MCAT

 

[anwar2400]

a bit of an encouragement is also essential..thank u ..yes we certainly want that to happen....have u already given the test??

which city do u live?
im afriad i didnt give aku and nust. Nust is whole of fsc, while the UHS mcat is reduced portion of fsc. I dont think u should do nust syllabus as no alevel students can do its biology
for aku ive heard from friends, prepare from ur a level books and u will make the cut for the interviews but but practise english essays and read some english books. Many candidates last year passed in sciences but failed in english

 

[OakMoon!]

do u have an idea about the nust and aku entry tests?

The AKU entry test is much more concept based as compared to MCAT and NUST. Make sure you are aware of every single concept of A'levels which will help you score as required for the shortlisting for the interviews. I read the SAT books and some Dogar for AKU book but they were useless in the end because I was still not able to solve the fsc related questions in the test. But you may check them out if you want but I'll advice against it.
The English portion is not that difficult. Just check out some SAT's argumentative essays so that you are not rusty.
As for NUST's AMC test, you've got to study the whole FSC syllabus. Their test is poorly designed and they don't mind asking the minute details. This may include exact lines from the FSC books.
I wouldn't recommend you to attend an academy for MCAT. Many people do advice you to go to KIPS etc but seriously it is useless for us A'levels people. You'll end up being confused by the teachers who are adamant to teach just their rote learnt stuff from their books. Plus, you'll regret being in the environment of these academies unless you have friends who tag along with you. Just get the syllabus printed out after your A'levels exams and start studying the FSC books accordingly. Make your own notes. And make sure you learn everything you study. Even the small details like the half lives of certain metals need to be learnt. But let me tell you that this year's paper was well designed and A'levels candidates did not have alot of problems given that we prepared well.

 

[tom ed]

which city do u live?
im afriad i didnt give aku and nust. Nust is whole of fsc, while the UHS mcat is reduced portion of fsc. I dont think u should do nust syllabus as no alevel students can do its biology
for aku ive heard from friends, prepare from ur a level books and u will make the cut for the interviews but but practise english essays and read some english books. Many candidates last year passed in sciences but failed in english

what is the weightage of a/o levels for nust?i have heard its different?

 

[anwar2400]

im not sure, you must check their website

 

[anwar2400]

The AKU entry test is much more concept based as compared to MCAT and NUST. Make sure you are aware of every single concept of A'levels which will help you score as required for the shortlisting for the interviews. I read the SAT books and some Dogar for AKU book but they were useless in the end because I was still not able to solve the fsc related questions in the test. But you may check them out if you want but I'll advice against it.
The English portion is not that difficult. Just check out some SAT's argumentative essays so that you are not rusty.
As for NUST's AMC test, you've got to study the whole FSC syllabus. Their test is poorly designed and they don't mind asking the minute details. This may include exact lines from the FSC books.
I wouldn't recommend you to attend an academy for MCAT. Many people do advice you to go to KIPS etc but seriously it is useless for us A'levels people. You'll end up being confused by the teachers who are adamant to teach just their rote learnt stuff from their books. Plus, you'll regret being in the environment of these academies unless you have friends who tag along with you. Just get the syllabus printed out after your A'levels exams and start studying the FSC books accordingly. Make your own notes. And make sure you learn everything you study. Even the small details like the half lives of certain metals need to be learnt. But let me tell you that this year's paper was well designed and A'levels candidates did not have alot of problems given that we prepared well.

what did you get in your mcat?

 

[tom ed]

The AKU entry test is much more concept based as compared to MCAT and NUST. Make sure you are aware of every single concept of A'levels which will help you score as required for the shortlisting for the interviews. I read the SAT books and some Dogar for AKU book but they were useless in the end because I was still not able to solve the fsc related questions in the test. But you may check them out if you want but I'll advice against it.
The English portion is not that difficult. Just check out some SAT's argumentative essays so that you are not rusty.
As for NUST's AMC test, you've got to study the whole FSC syllabus. Their test is poorly designed and they don't mind asking the minute details. This may include exact lines from the FSC books.
I wouldn't recommend you to attend an academy for MCAT. Many people do advice you to go to KIPS etc but seriously it is useless for us A'levels people. You'll end up being confused by the teachers who are adamant to teach just their rote learnt stuff from their books. Plus, you'll regret being in the environment of these academies unless you have friends who tag along with you. Just get the syllabus printed out after your A'levels exams and start studying the FSC books accordingly. Make your own notes. And make sure you learn everything you study. Even the small details like the half lives of certain metals need to be learnt. But let me tell you that this year's paper was well designed and A'levels candidates did not have alot of problems given that we prepared well.

thanku very much for the guidance..i just wanted u to solve some more of my queries.

1)when do u think is the right time to begin preparing for the nust,aku and mcat tests?
2)where do i get the resources from..any websites or forum help?
3)about aku,what is the test pattern? and yes i have heard tht the interviews are horrifying plus u need to be an all rounder to get into aku?..what are ur views?
4)i agree with the statement written below ur reply to the thread 'there is no perfect recipe' but at the same tym i believe there is always a good one ...
hope i hav not bothered u much...which uni did u manage to get into ..?..good luck with uni life.​

5)any suggestions for a not-a-straight-A-olevel student​

​

 

[tom ed]

im not sure, you must check their website

thanku very much..i saw ur post edited above..that's a relief ...any further advice..

 

[ousamah112]

thanku very much for the guidance..i just wanted u to solve some more of my queries.​

​

1)when do u think is the right time to begin preparing for the nust,aku and mcat tests?​

2)where do i get the resources from..any websites or forum help?​

3)about aku,what is the test pattern? and yes i have heard tht the interviews are horrifying plus u need to be an all rounder to get into aku?..what are ur views?​

4)i agree with the statement written below ur reply to the thread 'there is no perfect recipe' but at the same tym i believe there is always a good one ...​

hope i hav not bothered u much...which uni did u manage to get into ..?..good luck with uni life.​

5)any suggestions for a not-a-straight-A-olevel student​

i will try to answer some of your questions,only related to mcat.
for mcat the test is usually held in September or late august , so after your alevels you have plenty of time. start doing fsc books right after your last alevel exam. download the syllabus given by uhs and follow that. first cover the common topics of fsc and alevels and thn do the rest. for english vocabulary its better to start now. you can easily cover fsc books in three months.
and for resources there is facebook page "entry test preparation" they have all the resources. rest fsc books and your alevels one are enough.
and suggestion is that get high marks in mcat! thats it. it is doable for alevel students.
and the weightage for nust med is ssame 50% test 40% fsc/alevel and 10% matric/olevel

 

[OakMoon!]

You will have a diminished equivalency due to your grades in O'levels but you can cover it up with a good MCAT score. There are many options. You can apply to private medical universities and if not that then apply in other universities in subjects such as Biotechnology and other stuff if this is what you are interested in.
As far as I have heard, the next AKU test will be in June i.e. after your A2 exams so start preparing immediately after you are done with your A2 exams. As for MCAT and NUST, you can prepare together as you've got to study the fsc books for both. But concentrate on the MCAT syllabus more. I believe 2 months are more than enough. But different people may take more time to adjust themselves to the different style of study. The last week or two before the exam is most important. So make sure you don't slack then.
I didn't come accross any website or such. All I studied were the FSC books. I did go to KIPS but like I said it was useless. I would recommend the KIPS books, though. Eventhough, the books were totally summarised version of the FSC books but they did make rote learning much easier due to the efficient style of writing. But they are in no way an alternative option to the FSC books due to the missing information.
You can download the sample paper of AKU test from their website. And who says the interview is horrible? There are two interviews and the best thing about them is that they are 1 on 1 interviews. So you get a chance to be frank. The interviews are all about you, your family, your interests and stuff that you have done in your life. The only thing that gets you in trouble are lies. Make sure you avoid them. Be yourself.
No, there is no perfect recipe. Everyone has their own way of studying. Even if I was able to figure out the perfect recipe, it might not work for you. So just believe in yourself and give your best. You might ace the tests.