How to prepare for JCAT examination - A comprehensive guide

 A Comprehensive Guide for Induction into MDS and Preparation of FCPS-1

by Dr. Saad Hameed

BSc(PU), BDS 

(Dental Section,

Punjab Medical College,Faisalabad. 

Session 2008-2012).

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.

Assalam-O-Alaikum!

All praises for the Almighty Allah who is the controller of our every single breath. The purpose of jotting down my personal experience of scoring the first position all over Pakistan in first ever JCAT is to give a comprehensive guidance to all the candidates aspiring for this exam. This exam would be conducted once a year from now onwards for the inductions in July.

I am thankful to Allah for granting me such a success and enabling me to write something for the upcoming dentists. My younger colleague and brother Haris Ghole, a very brilliant young dentist himself,  is the person who actually forced me to share my experience.

This exam was conducted for the first time in May 2016 jointly by the KEMU, UHS and FJMU, Lahore; so, there was much ambiguity regarding the exam format. However, my preparation and God's granted success in FCPS-1 in Dentistry in the attempt of May 2016 helped me altogether in securing the top slot.

After the Almighty, I am really thankful to my mother, my teachers, my brothers, my friends , my patients, and my well-wishers for their support and prayers. Prayers can do miracles as they have done in my case. The prayers brought me out from the failures which I was facing before I got  those two consecutive triumphs. Request the pious people around you to pray for you! I have requested such personalities around me and I'm under their debt now. Such a beautiful debt it is!

FORMAT OF JCAT
Now, coming to the pattern or format of JCAT. It was divided into two portions:

A. WRITTEN EXAM 

100 MCQs .
Total time allowed was 3 hours.
Each MCQ was of 2 marks .
100*2=200 marks .

0.5 mark was deducted for each wrong answer.
Passing percentage was  50% i.e. 100 marks.  The negative marking was the main cause of failure in the written exam, as only 16 out of 194 candidates were able to qualify for the next stage i.e. Video Projected Clinical Exam (VPCE). The MCQs were derived from different subjects as follows:

1. Basic Sciences - 50 mcqs
Anatomy - 15 mcqs
Physiology & Biochemistry - 15 mcqs
Pathology - 10 mcqs
Pharmacology - 10 mcqs

2. Clinical  Sciences - 50 mcqs
Clinical portion consisted of a mixture of MCQs from the basics of Operative Dentistry, Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, Prosthodontics, CDM and Oral Pathology. There was no defined allotted number of MCQs to each subject in clinical portion.

1. BASIC SCIENCES

For basic sciences portion, I would discuss the  strategy which I adopted during my FCPS-1 preparation. Average preparation time is 3-5 months with an average of 8 hours daily study, gradually increasing to 12 hours in the last month. However, this months and hours division varies extremely from person to person. I was also discharging my duties at a Rural Health Centre in a far-flung village during my preparation where I had enough time to study, but still, I had to sit in my office and had to check the patients from 8am-2pm. I failed the FCPS-1 attempt of March 2016 and appeared again in May 2016 with more preparation, revitalized enthusiasm and lots of prayers.

Let's discuss the preparation strategy for each subject briefly.

ANATOMY  
Anatomy is a vast subject and can be covered in the following manner  from the under mentioned books:

1. Snell 
Snell Review book  is enough for head and neck portion. However, I did head and neck anatomy from big snell . I also did the vertebral column, brachial plexus, heart anatomy and spinal cord from the big snell. General Anatomy can also be covered from the first chapter of big snell. It's enough.

2. USMLE First Aid
Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology are covered very well in this book. Some people recommend KAPLAN for neuro, but I didn't study KAPLAN. You should also go through the anatomy portions of CVS and kidney from this book.

3. High Yield Embryology
Do the complete portion of general embryo. Do the embryo of head & neck and brain from the special embryo portion.

4. NBDE First Aid Part 1
This book should be on your fingertips, not only for Anatomy but also for the other subjects as it covers all the subjects of basic sciences for any exam of dentistry. Histology can also be covered completely from NBDE.   Remember one thing: Do NBDE after you have done the main textbook for the said subject. Without proper concepts, NBDE would be difficult to understand. I prefer NBDE over USMLE because it is 'Dentistry oriented' book. But the preference is again a personal matter. Set your preferences wisely!

5. Acland's Youtube Videos
As the ban has been lifted from the youtube in Pakistan, you can watch Acland's videos of head & neck and brain anatomy. They clear the concepts very nicely. Seeing is learning! Isn't it?

PHYSIOLOGY

BRS Physiology is enough. Cover this book thoroughly by  reading each and every word including the preface! After grasping the concepts from BRS, memorize the Physiology portion of  NBDE. Try to cover the Neurophysiology from both NBDE as well as USMLE. This combination of books will charge your brain and neurons - the prerequisite of any preparation. So, have a good grip on Neurophysiology and Neuroanatomy.

BIOCHEMISTRY

NBDE is enough for Biochemistry. Do nutrition and vitamins from USMLE too. Some people find USMLE more authentic for Biochem. Again the matter of preferences. Choose wisely!

PATHOLOGY 

BRS Pathology is sufficient. Cover the first eight chapters of this book thoroughly. These eight chapters would cover the General Pathology. After that, memorize the Pathology portion of NBDE including the Immunology and Special Pathology. Don't go for special pathology in detail from BRS, but the Special Pathology portion of NBDE is a must do! Have a view of  'shock ' and the tables of immunology from USMLE too.

MICROBIOLOGY

NBDE is enough for Microbiology. Give a Micro time to Micro! However, try to have a look at the handy points/ pearls of Micro as well as other subjects as they can help a lot.

PHARMACOLOGY

I studied Mini Katzung. The topics to be focused are Anesthesia, CNS, Antimicrobials, ANS and General Pharma respectively. Cover the  General Pharma portion of USMLE along with the CNS, ANS and if you have time then also study the Antimicrobials portion too.

2. CLINICAL SCIENCES

Honestly speaking, I didn't bother to study the final year BDS subjects namely Operative, OMFS, Prostho and Ortho. I just went through the NBDE PART 2, but that didn't help me a lot. I randomly guessed the answers on the basis of previous knowledge, which I didn't have too much! However, if you have less time and you want to study the text along with the MCQs, then Dentogist is a matchless book for all the dentists. An MCQ followed by its explanation helps a lot to understand the concepts. 

SCIENCE OF DENTAL MATERIALS

I did the CDM from McCabe. General properties of dental materials, amalgam, impression materials and gypsum are important topics. Do cover metals and alloys too. High yield points by Dr. Maryam Malik in Jahangir Khan's book are very useful for CDM.

ORAL PATHOLOGY

Dental anomalies, cysts, tumors, bone lesions and oral infections are important topics. Have a look at other topics too as the course is interlinked and the topic which you study for one subject can help to solve the question of another subject.

ORAL BIOLOGY AND ORAL HISTOLOGY

NBDE is enough.

MCQs BOOKS

1. DENTOGIST
Some people recommend the dentogist for the dental subjects only, but I would recommend it for all the subjects because the answer of every MCQ is followed by its explanation. It serves the purpose of revision too.

2. RABIA ALI
A very good book. Do it after finishing each topic as it's a topic wise book. Also cover the handy points given at the end of every chapter. Errata is needed for it.

3. ASIM & SHOAIB (DENTISTRY)
It's also a good book. No need to do MCQs from asim and shoaib medicine or surgery. Errata required!

4. JAHANGIR KHAN's BOOK
It's a very helpful and the most important book containing the past papers of FCPS-1.  Almost all the paper of May 2016 was a repeat and was included in this book. Apart from past papers, it includes the high yield points/pearls of almost all the subjects which help a lot. Some Mcqs do need correction .

5. VIJAY PRATAP Dental Material Mcqs

6. CHANDKIAN's Mcqs Pool
I didn't study it thoroughly and just solved its 2,3 papers. If you have time then do it, otherwise, the rest of the books would be enough. It has a huge number of errors in the answers and proper errata is a must for it.

Do theory and MCQs side by side. Don't cram any mcq. Solve each MCQ with logic and concept. Give at least 2 revisions to MCQs books. Revise books smartly. Do only the important points marked by yourself during the initial reading.  In the last 5-7 days before the exam, only solve the MCQs. If you want to study the books in the last week, just give a cursory look to the points highlighted or underlined . From my personal experience, I would recommend you to solve only  MCQs in the last 3 days from Jahangir Khan's book, Rabia Ali and Asim & Shoaib( Dentistry). If you have to select a single book in the last two days, I would recommend Jahangir's book. Do it completely including MCQs and the pearls/handy points.

IMPORTANT WEBSITES, BLOGS & FACEBOOK GROUPS

There are few very helpful groups created on facebook aimed at providing guidance to the candidates. However, I was not a regular visitor of them. Even in the last month of my preparation, I didn't log in to my facebook account. Preferences again! Following are the links of those groups and pages:

https://www.facebook.com/MDCP.DoctorsCommunity/?fref=ts
(MD,MS & MDS Doctors Community Pakistan-MDCP)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1476833722561226/    
(fcps_dentistry)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/102979646495000/      
[FCPS prep.(batch 2005-10)]

B. VIDEO PROJECTED CLINICAL EXAM (VPCE)

The candidates who cleared the written portion of JCAT were called for the VPCE. This portion was of 50 marks consisting of 25 slides having 2 marks each i.e. total 50 marks. 

25 marks were needed to pass the VPCE. However, an aggregate of 60%(150/250)  was required to pass the JCAT overall(Written exam+VPCE). Negative marking was again implemented here for each wrong answer resulting in a deduction of 0.5 mark.  

An image was displayed on the projector screen and the questions were asked regarding the image. For example, the image of an articulator was shown and the relevant questions asked were about the name of the instrument, its types and its usage. In another image, a local anesthesia cartridge was shown and we were asked to write down its contents. All the images were taken from the Google. I didn't study much for the VPCE, but I studied smartly and went through all the pictures of the textbooks of BDS final year and of Oral Pathology's Cawson as well. That formula helped me a lot because a cursory look at the pictures of the textbooks rewinded the whole film in my mind. 

My score in JCAT ( Written Exam + VPCE) is as under:
Written Exam = 123/200
VPCE= 45.5/50
Total= 168.5/250

Only 12 out of 16 candidates were declared successful in VPCE as well as in JCAT overall out of 194 candidates. Total 204 applicants have submitted the forms. The result of JCAT would be valid for one year.

SOME TIPS:

1. Have a firm faith in ALLAH.

2. Give your best during the preparation and the exam.

3. Try to remain calm, specially during the exam . Tension only kills your talent.

4. Have a chocolate with you during the exam! Take its bites off and on just to have a sense that you are alive and everything would be fine if Allah wishes.

5. Keep in touch with the good people during the preparation, watch motivational videos and read inspirational quotes. The best companion would be none other than the Qur'an. Read it daily with translation. You will find the comforting words soothing your body and calming your soul.

6. Have a study partner. Like I used to have a telephonic chat almost daily with my friend Dr. M. Dilshad  who had cleared the FCPS-1 in March 2016 . During this conversation, a lot of my concepts were built and we corrected many of the wrongly answered MCQs in the MCQ books. My brother like friends Abdul Rehman Maqsood (PMCian) and Usman Manzoor (Nishtarian) who got second and third position respectively in JCAT also helped me a lot . Thank you brothers!

7.  Pray to Allah and as I have said earlier, request the pious and caring people around you to pray for you. Prayers can do wonders.

8. If in case you don't clear the exam, just have a deep breath, look around and you will find out that you are better than millions. You have something that the others don't even think of. Remain thankful to the Almighty no matter what the circumstances you are going through.

9. If you are not going through the exam repeatedly despite all of your efforts and you find no better reason of your failure, leave it. It's not your fault or deficiency. It's Allah's will. Go for any other exam or any other degree. The hard work you have done would not go in vain. Allah is very merciful. He will give you a better alternative. It's just a matter of time. It's just a matter of  Almighty's KUN  (Happen) and in a blink of an eye it turns out to be FAYAKUN( it happens).

If you find this guidance useful, do share with your fellows. I'm writing these lines in the middle of an Odd Night(TAAK RAAT) of the last ten days of Ramadan Kareem. Maybe it's Laylatul Qadar - the night of blessings! Remember me in your kind prayers.

For feedback or queries, contact the blog or send me an email at saadhameed9@yahoo.com .

May Allah be with us all in every exam of this world and the world hereafter.