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Most premed students, if not all, aim for the Aga Khan University as their dream medical school and to reach there, a hefty journey lies in front of them, including the AKU entry test. A long road lies ahead which contains several crisscrossing paths, that only flare your uncertainty and indecisiveness along with creating a black hole of questions, led by the most notorious of them all; Where to start? If you too are being persecuted by the same question then continue reading; we’re about to unravel it all, one step at a time.

Schedule

Like with every other journey, first comes the schedule. When should you start preparing for the test and how? Before we go into further details you need to realise and understand that your board exams syllabus is going to be a big chunk of the AKU entry test syllabus so acing your board exams should be your utmost priority. Focusing on your board exams is very essential as there is more than one possible outcome of the AKU test results. That is why it is in your best interest to ace your board exams so you can have more opportunities at hand in case things go south. Plus, concentrating on your exams and thoroughly studying your courses will build up and strengthen your main concepts for the AKU test as well.

Alongside prioritizing your board exams, try to familiarise yourself with the Federal/Punjab board books so you can have a clear idea of what topics are similar to the AKU syllabus and what you will have to do additionally. Once you’re done with your exams, take a break for a day or two, rewire and relax your mind so you can start fresh. Taking a break and giving your mind some rest is extremely important! A lot of students tend to not give themselves the needed rest and it only results in them being burnt out, which subsequently affects their preparation. Hence, give yourself the time you need and then start with the A2/2nd-year syllabus first as you would have recently given your exams, and it will take a lot less time and effort to get done with it. Give yourself not more than two weeks for this and then move on to AS/1st-year concepts. AS syllabus specifically, is more or less filled with topics that require rote learning, rather than concept building, so it is a much better strategy to cover those a bit closer to the test date.

The AKU Medical College has a completely different vibe at night.

Other Resources to Enhance Understanding

Your test prep has already been started through your board syllabus revision and now you need additional books to refer to. Federal/Punjab board books are going to be a great help and will take your test preparation up a notch. You would have already gone through these books during your board exam preparation so now you would have an idea as to what topics are going to be a revision from your board concepts and what topics would require more attention and effort. This is why it is important to familiarise yourself with books, from other boards, beforehand. A Level syllabus varies quite significantly from the FSc board, so you must have a strong command over both the syllabi in order to ace the entry test and the MDCAT.

Moreover, SAT II can be of some additional help for review. Doing questions from there can be very useful as they are accurate examples of what will come in the AKU test. Princeton Review is the best option for Biology and Physics. For further review and practice, you can test yourself through the AKU Mock papers available on Premed.PK. This will tie up your preparation and ensure that no bits are left.

The 17-storey University Centre which will house the Faculty of Arts Department at AKU. It also has a state-of-the-art library spread on one entire floor and a super modern cafeteria as well.

Academies and Resources for Practice

Moving on to another question that you might come across is which academy should you join? Truthfully, academies are not as necessary as one might think they are. They too have their pros and cons that might vary from person to person. Academies cost a large sum of fortune and include wastage of time as a side product. Commuting itself takes a good amount of time plus, meeting friends and impulsively planned hangouts end up being a big distraction; one that you cannot afford at this crucial stage. More often than not, people look up to these academies because they offer a well enough routine to refer to, but other than that it is truly possible to study the same things on your own. Especially during such an era where the entire world has shifted to remote learning and you have books and practice questions merely a click away. Quite a few students who are currently attending AKU have shared with us their experience of preparing for the entry test on their own through reference books and PreMed’s question banks. In their opinion, the ‘topical’ feature at PreMed.PK comes in handy, as you don't have to wait till you cover the entire syllabus before starting past paper practice, you can do it side by side and conquer each paper one topic at a time. This way you can divide the workload of practicing past papers over several months rather than keeping past papers just for the end which lessens the burden quite significantly.

Though, if you would still wish to join an academy, Sir Hashaam’s “Heuser” ( https://heuserpk.com/) is a good enough option for AKU preparation. Other academies like Anees Hussain and Doctor’s Inn, though are good, but their focus is more on MDCAT. Sir Hushaam also offers an online Mock which is not that much of a help because it is based more on MDCAT questions, but he posts a free mock paper on Facebook which can be attempted as a final dusting to your preparation. Furthermore, when the time for the entry test rolls around, we will also upload some tips and tricks based on the experiences of those students who got into AKU, so we can get you covered in that section as well.

A view of the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) building at AKU where students can practise hands-on skills on mannequins and also develop patient interaction skills via clinical session classes.

Last Words of Advice

Last but not least, give your very best. Working hard definitely pays off but working smart is just as necessary and useful. The route you may have chosen for yourself might be tough and full of difficulties but it is not impossible to conquer. The ones that have passed through before you and came out successful were no different than you. They got in through their hard work and persistence and so can you. As you go along this hectic journey, things might get overwhelming. Not just for you but for others as well who are with you in this. Support systems are an essential part of this journey, so not just seek help and guidance through fair means, but also provide and be there for the ones walking alongside you.

There will be highs and lows but don't let temporary doubts creep in and shake your confidence or make you question your capabilities. Just keep working hard and getting back up each time you feel like giving up. Somedays, 24 hours will seem a lot less than what is needed and you might even question your decisions, but during such moments, close your eyes and take a deep breath; remember why you started this in the first place and remind yourself of what awaits at the other end of the road. Have faith in yourself and your efforts because we certainly do.

A view inside the recently built, New Private Wing at AKU. It houses luxurious rooms and suites for patients and has an amazing restaurant on the ground floor as well.

Work hard and do your best :)

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