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This is Mariam, meeting you via the binary language of your screens. I am a qualified Orthodontist who also happened to secure a job as a Dental Surgeon in Punjab Public service Commission (PPSC) before pursuing specialization.
I share the following PPSC interview guidance on other public platforms every couple of years. This time, I am glad this may reach even more people by getting featured in Helpingdentists.com.
The information in this post is more interview based as they only held interviews in my attempt.
(Note: I cleared in 2015. Please keep yourself abreast with any recent changes or guidelines.)
THE INTERVIEW
I believe there is always more to an interview than just the questions and answers. Your interview starts the moment you step in front of the panelists.
Keep the following things in check in order to maximize your chances of success:
1: Refresh your Undergraduate BDS syllabus
(I was studying at that time for FCPS part 1 which was almost 2 weeks after my interview, so it is safe to say that I was already in touch with the whole undergraduate syllabus which definitely helped me.)
The main topics to consider are as follows:
- Oral medicine, Oral pathology especially Squamous Cell Carcinoma (I was asked about where it metastasizes and how to diagnose those mets.)
- Community dentistry
- Medical problems/ medical emergencies in Dentistry. VERY IMPORTANT. (I recommend the Scully's book for this. Great book! If you have never read it before you can skip this.)
- General emergencies: Anaphylaxis, vasovagal, orthostatic hypotension, anxiety, panic attacks and similar conditions. (I was asked about anaphylaxis. Unfortunately, I am unable to recall the exact questions.)
- General Medicine: Knowledge of common diseases especially viral infections like HIV, Hepatitis etc.
- Vaccinations of various diseases such as influenza.
- I believe now COVID - DENTISTRY INTERFACE must be a hot topic. (Or any condition specific to your region of domicile.)
- Management of situations regarding unavailability of materials, uncooperative patients, aggressive attendants etc. [Medicolegal aspects]
2: Take all your credentials with you
Your resume, transcripts, any evidence of distinctions and medals, research papers, etc.
3: Non-dental study
(None of these questions were asked from me thankfully and I couldn’t study for this part but I strongly suggest that you do.)
Here are the topics I am aware of:
- The National and Punjab Healthcare infrastructure
- Our politics in general (Major sitting politicians, Ministry of Health)
- Islamic knowledge (Yes, some of my colleagues were asked to recite certain duas and surahs too.)
(You cannot control this part. But Google is your best friend for this.)
4: Your appearance
As much as we should live by the phrase “Never judge a book by its cover”, please also keep in mind that you are a brand personified. And every brand has an aesthetic.
Dress appropriately. I will advise you all to be well put together without hair flowing on the face, neat and trimmed nails, try to stick to monotones or self-prints/delicate prints in your attire. Wear a nice fragrance and take it along with you in your bag so you can freshen up right before the interview. Keep tissues handy so you can blot your face in case of heat.
Specifically for girls: Preferably no nail colour, light and natural makeup, your headscarf should be neatly set, avoid using a chunky/fancy broach with it, please. Set your dupattas nicely.
5: Your confidence
There is a very thin line between being genuinely confident, and over - confidence. So, be careful.Stay humble, graceful, honest and attentive. Learn how to read the room.
Sit straight and relaxed.
Think before you answer (taking time before responding does not mean you are dull, it just means you are careful - which is good.)
Please know that most of this information is a basic interview skill set. Hence, do not worry if you don’t have it all figured out. You will learn and get better as you move ahead in your career. Rome wasn’t built in a day, eh?
6: THE gray area
Now regarding the gray area with these kinds of job (allegedly), that is: Favoritism/Influence, basically what we call “Sifarish” in Urdu.
I suggest you to not focus on the unforeseen. Just do your best and leave the job decision to the panel and lastly The Almighty.
Remember:
IF THAT JOB IS YOURS, IT IS YOURS EVEN WITH AN UNWASHED FACE AND WITHOUT A "SIFARISH".IF IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE YOURS, YOU CAN FOLLOW ALL THESE POINTS AND STILL NOT GET IT EVEN WITH A "SIFARISH".
Just repeat the above lines to yourself. This will keep you calm, collected and perceivably less 'desperate'. This manifests during the interview positively and you wouldn’t even know it.
WRITTEN EXAM:
(Please take the following with a grain of salt. It is just what I would have done with my awareness of the curricula of such exams.)
Dentistry: I'd do my books from final year BDS to strengthen my clinical knowledge.
English: I would have just Googled and revised tenses, antonyms, synonyms, all parts of speech, etc.
Science: I'd just take a look at the periodic table honestly.
Computer: hardware, software, short cuts in MS Word / PowerPoint etc.
General Knowledge: I'd read about the basic definitions in geography (tundra/plateaus etc.), a bit of Pakistani history, countries and their capitals... well basically rely on God only.
Good luck to all of you.
Please do let me know if you find this helpful in the comment section of this blog post.
You can also find me on LinkedIn as Mariam Khalid Mahmood and on Instagram as @OrthodocMK.
Much love and light,
Dr. Mariam Khalid Mahmood.