Guidelines for FCPS Part 1 by Dr. Shahan Saleem
There are many misconceptions about FCPS part 1 exam so here i will try to discuss them with their solutions.
(1)WHAT TO STUDY FOR PART 1:
There are 2 parts of fcps prepration.
1st is studying books
2nd is MCQ books
(2)WHICH BOOKS TO STUDY?
Most important books irrespective of your specialty are:
1: First Aid USMLE
2: BRS Physiology
3: Snells Review
You can Download These Books here:
(3)WHY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT?
1st Aid USMLE:
This book, that covers most of your subjects in summary form . It covers some important topics of Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Behavioural Sciences, Pharmacology, Special pathology (most descriptive portion of 1st aid) and some important topics of Embryology and Anatomy. If you ll do this book, you ll actually get summary of majority of subjects from here.
There are lectures called DOCTOR IN TRAINING (FOR USMLE PEOPLE). They cover 1st aid in a very systematic way and you can learn this book easily. There are other lectures too but DIT are best.
BRS Physiology:
One of difficult and conceptual portion of cpsp exam is physiology. I guess only this is part that ll require most of your brain storming. This book is an excellent review but most of students find it difficult to read/retain it. Some go for Kaplan Physiology but that is a useless book believe me. I read kaplan physio and when i came to BRS reading, it was a whole new world so do not follow kaplan with its lectures as most qs from cpsp past papers were lines taken from BRS physio but they were not in kaplan. Read BRS slowly on daily basis so that you may digest it easily.
Snell Review:
The gerenal rule of anatomy is to be diagrammatic. If you have looked at a bone, you ll easily learn whats in the book but if you haven’t seen it, you will try to imagine it and thats where your energy goes down and you start to hate Anatomy. Snell is a good book but it has worst diagrams so be careful about it. Some people go for Netter Atlas but that is way to complex and should be consulted only and not learnt.
You can Download:
Clinical Oriented Anatomy by Keith L. Moore has best diagrams. I advise that see Clinical Oriented Anatomy by Keith L. Moore diagrams with Snell content. If anyone finds it difficult then there are lectures of ACKLAND ANATOMY. See them and anatomy will become your favorite subject (lectures available on youtube)
You can Download :
(4) WHAT ABOUT OTHER BOOKS:
High yeild embryology: People recommended it to me and it was a good book but i didn’t studied it well as i found it quite out of context to what was asked in past papers.so if you have time the go for it.other wise skip it
BRS pathology:
it is a very good book . I recommend that this book be given a read as a major portion of tough paper is from here. Only give read to general patho portion.(special is covered in 1st aid)
Neuroanatomy:
kaplan neuro is recommended book.paper to paper variation is there. Some paper have a major and some have minor portion from neuro. This is a good book but its very lengthy and most people including myself found it difficult to memorize it.
(5)WHICH MCQs BOOKS TO READ?
Preference form higher to lower
Rabia ali + asim shoaib –> SK pearls –> Chandkian
There are many books available in market but CPSP questions are highly repeated
from above mentioned mcq books. So if you want to try another mcq book, you
should but after reading and memorizing above mentioned books
(6) HOW TO READ THEM AND WHAT IS THERE IMPORTANCE IN PART 1?
Well regarding importance,i cant emphasize enough.most mcqs are copy pasted ,some are altered but the point is that they are vvvvvvvvvvv important
RABIA ALI:
Download at least 3, 4 errata of this book.1st correct your mcqs chapter wise and then read book.if you are doubt full about mcq, mark it or take its pic.you can either post the pic but more efficient is that you go to SEARCH option of group and write a portion of your qs there, As this a very old group so many people before us have already discussed those controversial questions. Viewing there comments in different posts helps quite a lot and saves time.
ASIM shoaib:
It is the most logical mcq book and with least errors. Most controversial, difficult and lengthy scenerios are taken from this book. There have been misconceptions that this book is outdated. PLEASE DONOT SKIP THIS BOOK. Past papers are loaded with mcqs from rabia ali and asim shoaib.
SK pearls:
An excellent, logical book written by Dr. Salahuddin kamal (admin of this group).This book is very systematic book. It 1st describes all important topic in detail and then afterwards at end of each topic it discusses mcqs that have come in cpsp exam. So it not only prepares you for exam but also increases your knowledge and prepares you for worst. Its most important section is golden files that contains recent past papers. Read them well and discuss the doubt full questions on group. This book combined with rabia and asim isn key to passing part 1.
You can read Sk Pearls High Yield Points here:
(7)WHAT TO STUDY…MCQ BOOKS OR BOOKS OR BOTH + ON WHAT CRITERIA DOES CPSP MAKES EXAM?
This is a very controversial question almost always raised esp those who have short time.
well cpsp paper is combination of
1) MCQs pools (from rabia,sk,asim)
2) Common sense
3) Your knowledge from books that you read (1st aid etc) plus your past knowledge in your long term memory
4) Questions without logic and sense which have no solution other than to pick the option randomly.
Every exam of cpsp differs in proportion i,e sometimes mcqs are more repeated,sometimes paper is more logical and your knowledge comes into play, sometimes TUKKA MAAR strategy is more used but over all in all past papers this is same pattern followed.
Hence if you ask that are mcq books more imp or books more, every thing has its own importance. If you will skip any of these the you luck comes into play i.e if u read mcq books only and paper comes more from that and u pass the its your goodluck, othewise people do not admit there deficiency and start to abuse cpsp or start spreading things that MCQ BOOKS KO RATTA MAROO BAS..
PASS HOJAOGE.remember that SHORTCUTS ALWAYS HAVE THERE RISKS
(8)WHAT IS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY PATTERN?
Subjects including General Pathology, Neuroanatomy, Pharma, Microbiology, Biochem.
These are dry subjects that one doesn’t wants to revise and great deal comes from them. Go through past papers, note down topics that are repeatedly tested e.g type of hypersensitivity reactions are very comonly tested. Take our all your books from 1st to final year and go through that topic . This method is useful if you have short time and you want to learn more in less time also cpsp is now smart, they will not give you a copy paste mcq from rabia or asim always. Sometimes they will test from another aspect of that topic hence you have to know that topic well enough e.g when i read upper limb anatomy, i read radial/ulnar/median nerves the least as they were v confusing but cpsp most commonly tests you from this aspect regarding upper limb. Hence mark favorite topics of cpsp from books and read them good e.g hypersensitvity reactions,lymphatics of pelvis,sciatic nerve etc
(9) some people say they have been trying hard but have gotten stuck with cpsp system?
I agree that cpsp gets illogical and makes some blunders but believe me only 10-15% is all that constitutes itI i advise these brothers and sisters to focus, read and learn mcq books as max as u can, read the recommended books (instead of mcq books only), change their company by having positive and motivating people around them and ask ALLAH to help them.
(10) Sequence of studying books?
Guidelines by Sir SaIahuddin Kamal are really desciptive regarding how to study and daily schedule. Read them good I would recommend to give brs physio and snell a good read first. Then BRS pathology and neuroanatomy. At end the key and most important book 1ST AID be read. While reading all these text books, you should solve rabia ali after doing a particular chapter as rabia ali has given mcqs chapter wise. Then go for other mcq books (correct with errata 1st) and do retrospective study . Most importantly do golden files at end after doing rabia,asim and chandkian. The reason is that golden files are mcqs that have been recalled by students after exam hence some come out good but some(esp.dificult ones and with long scenerio) come out bad.people keep fighting behind answers for a question that was poorly recalled.This wastes your time.in golden files,many mcqs were incomplete but when i did asim shoaib and rabia ali,they were from these books and were completely making sense.Hence do golden files at very end.most most imp is rabia and asim and after that past golden papers from SK and then if time from chandkians.
“WORK HARD IN SILENCE, LET SUCCESS MAKE THE NOISE”
Have faith in ALLAH ALMIGHTY and then in your hard work.
BEST OF LUCK 🙂
Regards: DR SHAHAN SALEEM
Aoa ,very informative ,thanku for the detail
Kindly confirm me is this fcps information for dentistry too ?