The Maharashtra PGDCET results were declared on 15th February, 2012. The examination is the gateway for post graduate degree in dental courses. GyanCentral spoke to Dr Arpi Mehta, topper of PGDCET 2012 to know about her preparation and future plans.
How much time did you allocate for your studies? How did you manage studies and internship together?
Since the beginning of the internship I was contemplating whether to pursue MDS start my own clinic. I consulted a lot of dentists and professors in order to make a decision (Arpi finished her BDS from Nair dental college). By January 2011, I was sure that I want to pursue MDS and I started preparing since then. The exam was scheduled for January 2012 hence I had time on hand. However I could barely concentrate on preparation due to a demanding internship. For the initial six months until June 2011, I was going nowhere with my preparation. After June, I made it a point to study at least three hours each day. The doubts regarding portion and syllabus also disappeared by that stage. Once my internship got over in September 2011, I spent eight hours each day for my studies.
What specialization do you intend to pursue?
I would be pursuing Orthodontics as I feel passionate towards the field. Although there are no distinct rankings as such in terms of specialization if I had to list down my preferences they would be
1. Orthodontia
2. Endodontia
3. Peadodontia
4. Prosthodontia
5. Periodontia
Which are the colleges that you would prefer?
Since I graduated from Nair which is also one of the best dental colleges in Maharashtra I would continue with Nair Dental college. Besides Nair there are some good government colleges like Government Dental College in Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad which are the backup options.
What were your sources of preparation? Did you take any coaching for preparation?
My preparation was aimed at not only the Maharashtra CET but also the all India exams. So for the MHCET I referred to a book called Dental Pulse as it is a must read for a student to improve his basics. Apart from them I used the basic textbooks that I have used for the past three years during my BDS. Also papers from the last five years of various exams and a test series at a preparatory institute gave a structure to my preparation. It is better to start with the final year subjects first since, a majority of them are clinical and hold more importance. Also they are fresh in the students mind so it is easier to revise them. Students are advised to not exclude any topic from their preparation. I found community dentistry and Bio-Chemistry the most difficult subjects as they required lot of memorizing. Regular revision of concepts is an absolute must.
For the All India Exam which is different from MHCET, I gave more emphasis to past years papers along with regular textbooks. I started solving papers after six months of preparation.
Difficulty level: Compared with the 2011 PGDCET paper, the 2012 paper was of a higher difficulty level. The highest score was 89 /100 last year while this year (2012) I am at 85/100 with only a couple of others at 83 and the rest in 70's which clearly indicates the relative level difficulty.
After completion of the internship there is a 12 month period before the next attempt to the exam. Would you advice students to concentrate on studies or work and study?
Since there are only 15 seats and a considerable number of previous year test takers (those who would have not cleared the test) hence the competition is intense (this year there were 1,460 test takers). I would recommend students to gauge their ability to prepare and take a call on study versus work. If you aspire to do a MDS then dedicated preparation for at least 6 months is a must.
Why did you choose to directly go in for the masters rather than practicing for some years?
Being a fresh graduate, I was connected to studies so I wanted to continue studying. I believe that after a break it would have not been easy to get back to books and prepare with the required amount of intensity. The concepts are fresh in my mind which aided my preparation. MDS also opens up avenues which was not possible with a BDS degree. As after a BDS one can only start a clinic but with MDS one can also opt for hospital attachment and/or foray into consultancy in the respective field of specialization.
What are the career choices that you look forward after completion of your masters?
I would apply for hospital attachment and then make a decision going forward. Simultaneously I would start consulting professionals and lectureship in colleges and preparatory institutes.
