Why Is Self-Assessment Necessary While Studying For the Medical Exams?

Postgraduate Medical Exams preparation is undoubtedly a challenging task that not only involves understanding and learning each concept, but also the ability to tackle existing hurdles while covering each concept, before the final examination. In other words, self-assessment is unarguably an important step that increases one’s chances of passing the NEET PG exam with flying colors. 

The Medical Entrance Exams are the nation’s most challenging competitive exams, where millions of medical graduates fight to grab hundreds of seats, in top government and private medical institutes. Though some successfully achieve their dreams on the first try, others find the pluck to give the exam a second or third time, with the same determination and motivation, if not more. 

The Medical Exam is India’s toughest examination, an exam where candidates devote their time and energy to fulfill their dreams. Students have to maintain a well-defined balance among their studies and examination strategies, to prepare well for the examination. 

In this process of analyzing, learning, and implementing, one key step is self-evaluation. Self-evaluation or self-assessment becomes a necessary step that no candidate can afford to skip. Self-assessment definitely helps students ensure success. While preparing for the NEET PG, INI-CET, or other medical exams, especially during the self-evaluating process, students typically ask themselves the following questions –

In this article, we have gone through each of these questions that Medical aspirants are asked during the course of their preparation. If you find yourself asking any of these or related questions, we’re sure that this article will help you clarify your doubts on the exam. 

When we talk about competitive exams, stress, anxiety, or pressure automatically add to the list. While there are various factors that affect one’s scorecard, one of the major factors without which a candidate’s NEET/NEXT PG exam preparation is almost incomplete, is the self-assessment process. 

So, before we dive any further, let’s understand what exactly self-assessment is. 

What is self-assessment? 

The concept of self-assessment derives itself from how well a student is able to grasp and understand their learnings. This arises after one completes studying an entire course or a few chapters. Self-assessment is the process of systematically observing and analyzing one’s own growth, which gives a clear understanding of how much progress one has made, and how much progress is yet to be achieved. 

Self-assessment or conducting a self-evaluation has the capability to help one monitor their abilities, and evaluate their weaknesses, thereby promoting easy learning. 

Why is self-assessment necessary while studying for the Medical Exam? 

The NEET PG is the eligibility and entrance exam to render students eligible to practice as medical professionals. It would be unfair to say that this is an easy exam, as the complexity it includes is not everyone’s cup of tea. Millions of students try to prepare for the NEET PG exam, out of which just a fraction of them get selected, and make it to their dream medical colleges. 

In a world where the competition is sky-high, without self-evaluation or self-assessment, there’s no way you can decide whether you’re actually prepared with your topics, or you still need final touch-ups and revisions. When we talk about self-evaluation, there are endless plus points to it that will make you realize its importance during your NEET PG exam preparation.

Below, we have broken down the self-evaluation for the NEET PG exam into 6 major sub-points that have the potential to help you improve your NEET PG exam preparation process, and take you a step closer to success. 

Track your progress 

One of the major reasons for self-assessment is tracking your learning progress and understanding where you lag behind in your preparation. Other than learning and revision, self-evaluation is critical to keep a tab on your learning progress, to get an idea of where you stand amongst your peers. Doing so gives you a proper understanding of various concepts and an idea of the various topics you’ve covered so far. 

Better revision and practice 

The self-evaluation process opens doors for improvement since it gives you the chance to go over what is missing in your preparation, which eventually is the path to achieving better scores. During the regular evaluation, you get an opportunity to deeply study and practice various concepts, which comes as the best kind of revision. Go through the important topics such as: 

Topics	Key points
Pathology	Initial 5-6 chapters from Robin’s small book.
Medicine	CNS, Endo
PSM	Changes in NHP’s, recent advances and vaccines
Pharmacology	Recent drugs
Shorter subjects	Anesthesia, Dermatology, and Radiology

Experience the exam pressure

When you sit for mocks or online tests, there is a sense of pressure and anxiety to perform well, as these will display the real picture of your preparation. This process helps you deal with the actual exam pressure that boosts confidence on the D-day and improves the answering capabilities. 

Understanding the exam pattern 

Once you have attempted multiple mock tests and undergone deep self-evaluation, you will be well-versed with the exam pattern that otherwise could become impossible to understand. On the basis of your mock tests, you can plan your exam strategy and decide how to choose sections that you want to attempt first, to best use exam time. 

Promotes time management 

Another primary reason why self-assessment is necessary while studying for the NEET PG exam is better time management. The NEET PG is undoubtedly one of the toughest competitive exams that require appropriate time management to finish the exam within the given timeframe. A self-evaluation process allows you to list various topics and sections that require more time, as compared to those that don’t so that you can attempt questions in a strategic manner and get the most out of your question paper. 

• Topics with higher weightage in the NEET PG exam should be prepared on priority. 
• Consistency and punctuality are key. 

Highlights the weak points 

The last and the most obvious reason to conduct a self-assessment is that it makes you aware of your weaknesses, that you perhaps weren’t previously familiar with. If you practice taking mock tests, there are higher chances that you will ace the NEET PG exam. This is because mock tests give you the chance to identify and rectify mistakes. 

The NEET PG is indeed a dream of many, and whichever candidate devotes focused time and attention to studying for the exam, witnesses incredible results! 

Why is self-assessment important? 

Self-assessment is a process where individuals evaluate themselves, analyze their areas of strength, identify mistakes, and study to rectify them. It is a process of learning where one encounters their own mistakes in a quest to move a step closer to achieving excellent scores. 

Self-evaluation plays an important role while studying for the NEET PG exam as it helps you assess your progress, promotes better revision, gives you an exam-like feel at home, enables you to deal with instant pressure, and most importantly, highlights your weaknesses, which further leads to your success. 

Does self-assessment promote easy learning? 

Self-assessment is a powerful mechanism that enhances a student’s learning potential and encourages students to meet pre-set goals. This process segregates one’s weaknesses from their strengths – a process that acts as a foundation to assist students in boosting their productivity, with the right guidance and techniques. 

The NEET PG is a complex exam that requires a high level of enthusiasm, perseverance and hard work to be cracked. The self-assessment process helps candidates to analyze their own performance, and take control of their learning strategies – steps that ultimately promote easier and more efficient learning. 

Through self-assessment is one of the last steps of the learning process, it largely affects your scorecard by giving you clear directions to study and perform. In case you are stuck in your study process or think that you are well prepared for the upcoming NEET PG exam, you could take a few mock tests, to set your targets and goals clearer.  

In addition to promoting easy learning, the self-assessment process fills up gaps in one’s study strategy. This helps NEET PG candidates grab precious opportunities of getting one step closer to their dream.  

What happens if you skip mock tests? 

What happens if you don’t take enough (or even a single) mock test? Ever thought about what could happen as a result? Or what if you skip the entire self-assessment process while studying for the NEET PG exam? The answer is simple: there’s no way out of taking a mock test or evaluating your progress. Mock tests give you an actual exam-like feel and prepare you for the big day in a manner that nothing else can. It would not be prudent to skip taking mock tests – so take as many as you can, because you can never be fully prepared! 

Like you, millions of medical graduates are preparing for the upcoming NEET PG exam, and have put their heart and soul to achieve a higher rank, in their quest to lock in a seat in one of India’s most prestigious medical colleges. What stands between your seat and these millions of NEET candidates, is taking mock tests, which will ultimately give you a reality check when it comes to your personal progress, and prepare you for the main exam.  

Practice tests are the reason some candidates score better than others, even though all candidates end up studying from the same books or study materials. Mock tests have proven to be one of the most effective ways to prepare for any competitive exam, including the NEET PG exam. What happens if you skip a mock test? Let’s find out in detail.  

• Improper planning and scheduling.
• No conceptual clarity.
• Inability to handle pressure in the exam hall. 
• Inefficiency in managing time.
• Stress build-up.
• Weak areas remain weak and one ends up losing marks due to lack of preparation.  

Is NEET PG preparation incomplete without self-assessment? 

The NEET PG exam is among India’s most challenging competitive exams, in which candidates plan effective strategies and follow endless tips and tricks, to emerge with flying colors. To score a high rank, many candidates follow a proven formula – the self-assessment.  

The self-assessment process is indeed necessary while studying for the NEET PG exam. Mock tests help build up one’s confidence levels, improve test-taking strategies, and highlight the weak points that need more attention. 

Even if you have mastered every possible topic, concept, and chapter, it’s time to run a thorough revision and give endless mock tests, without which your NEET preparation is incomplete. 

In any competitive exam, having a thorough knowledge of the subject solely is not enough to break the ice. Deep analysis of each concept, analyzing your weakness, and working upon it progressively, makes you stand out from the crowd. 

The best way to analyze your pain points is to run a detailed self-assessment process, that will further promote systematic learning, and build effective preparation strategies in a more practical way. It will also help in fostering easy problem-solving techniques which can improve a candidate’s overall subject matter understanding. So, if you’re looking for a proven method to improve your NEET exam rank, take mock tests in a routine manner. 

How do I decide whether I am ready to take the NEET PG exam, or not? 

The NEET PG exam opens doors to the most premium medical institutes in the country, though preparing for it is a challenging task that requires a high degree of efficiency. However, the results make the hard work worth it. The NEET PG exam is one of those exams, where students prepare years in advance to conquer the right seat, in one of the top medical colleges in India. 

If you are someone who dreams of wearing a white lab coat and treating patients every day, the NEET PG exam must be on your checklist too! But have you ever thought about how you can be sure whether you are ready to take the exam, or not? The preparation for the NEET PG exam requires years of hard work, planning, and perseverance that finally becomes the reason for your success. 

In the hustle and bustle of the NEET PG exam, analyzing your weak points, and working on them, is imperative. Here is a list of tips, curated to help you understand if you are completely prepared to take the NEET PG exam – 

You have been:

• Attempting mock tests regularly.
• Scoring well in mock tests.
• Attempting previous years’ question papers. 
• Reviewing your mistakes.
• Solving your queries and doubts.
• Cutting down on pointless distractions.

If the answer to the above points is a yes, then congratulations, you’re ready to attempt one of India’s most challenging competitive exams – the NEET PG exam. 

Please Note: The NEET PG exam is a highly competitive exam that requires a student to maintain calm during the preparation stage, as well as the examination stage. So, if you’re going to be attempting the upcoming NEET PG exam, remember to prepare, make a study plan, study routinely, work on your weaknesses, and finally, give the exam your best shot.  

Final Thoughts 

The NEET PG, being an important exam, requires 100% preparation, dedication, and focus; else, the chances of clearing it becomes low. While success and failure are a part of life, hard work, good planning, and preparation on the basis of self-assessment, can really give candidates an edge and help them move a step closer to success.  

Learning and self-assessment are a significant part of the NEET PG exam preparation. It is recommended that candidates have a solid strategy, understand concepts wisely, try not to escape from studying challenging chapters, and most importantly, invest proper time in writing mock tests. Take mocks just like actual exams, so you can determine your actual preparation status. 

Every year the NEET PG exam faces tight competition from millions of candidates. The chances of you clearing the exam are minimal in light of the high competition, but hard work, determination, and perseverance can get you closer to achieving excellent results. 

We hope it is clear why self-assessment is necessary while studying for the NEET exam. Make sure to thoroughly go through this comprehensive article to understand how to best take on this challenging journey. Prepare a well-defined strategy, such as choosing to enrol in e-Gurukul, where we help NEET aspirants add wings to their dreams, and give you the freedom to fly high to achieve the best results. At e-Gurukul, we have a well-trained faculty that helps each candidate find solutions to their doubts, clear obstacles, and helps them understand concepts easily.  

We hope these tips on why self-assessment is necessary, help you perform well in the upcoming NEET PG exam.