Guide to Pass Substage:

By: Muhammad Salik

Note: This article was written when I was in 2nd year and is updated and published now when I am in 4th year because I couldn't complete it then but it might be of some help as it is.

As a second year student I think that a substage can be prepared in the last 2-3 day and in extreme cases even on the last day and you can pass. The nerdy freshmen won’t believe what I am saying but they’ll realize soon enough. So at this point, almost all of the new guys are terrified about their first substage. “Will I pass? What If they debar me? What if I cannot pass? What will I tell my parents? Failing this will ruin my internal assessment!” These are some of the questions that we all have. Some overly conscious theetas might even think that there first failure can lead to a chain of failures that will eventually ruin their medical career. Don’t worry don’t panic and don’t over think. Substages are really easy to handle once you get to know the mechanics they work on. So let’s cut to the chase.

1^st thing you need to know: Who is your substage demo?

A viva depends 80% on the teacher taking it.  So ask the seniors about the teacher assigned to your group to take the viva of your substage. And then prepare yourself mentally according to the information you recieve.

2^nd thing to know: What are the Important Viva topics:

Well viva is usually centered on Important topics and if you know there answers, there is no chance that you’re gonna fail the test. Some of such topics are:

Lower Limb: Femoral triangle, Femoral hernias, Adductor canal etc

Upper Limb: Brachial Plexus, Axilla and its contents, Rotator cuff etc

3^rd thing to know: Do the bones and you’ll pass:

Well there are some things that we call basics. Bones are those basics in first year and organs hold this special place in 2^nd year. Most teachers pass a student if he/she knows these basics. So never leave bone out of your prep. Bones are of the essence. You must know everything about the bone you’re holding, from its anatomical position to its clinical importance.

UPDATE:

4^th thing to know: Make smart tables for easy review (and share them on Kemunited for others as well):

At first the knowledge and amount of info in MBBS seems infinite to students. There are books and then there are big books and then there are the medical books. But after a year of studying these books, you come to realize in the prof season that there really is a finite number of things that are essential and that you must know, these are called the HIGH YEILD things. And the smart way to tackle them in the exam is to make a table or a graph or any other organized and concise assembly of these things that can be easily review at the last minute, as reviewing is the key in passing your exams esp. professionals. If you know a concept but you cannot recall it good enough to write it down or to answer a viva question then that concept is of no use to you, at least not in the exam. So be smart and make some “Made-Easy or Instant Notes” as I like to call them.

*See the Instant Biochemistry Practicals 1st Year  or Made-Easy Abdomen & Pelvis notes 2^nd year as an example.

And Don’t Forget To Share Your Awesome Notes On Kemunited.